The old miners of wonthaggi

by

Francis Duggan

The old miners of wonthaggi they may look old and gray
And they may now walk slowly but they too had their day
When they worked down in the coalmine and every day seemed

long
But hard work never bothered them when they were young and

strong.

The old miners of wonthaggi their weary bones may ache
But years ago they worked for hours and their spirits hard

to break
They earned every dollar they made and they slaved for every

pay
and they worked long hours and laboured hard and lived life

the hard way.

The old miners of wonthaggi they can look back with pride
To when they led the miners strike their fame known far and

wide
They stood up to the government and refused to back down
These were the men the heart and soul of old wonthaggi town.

Down in the treacherous mine shaft some of their comrades

died
Migrants and sons of migrants they laboured side by side
Their mateships transcended race and creed in the dark

underground
And when worker was in danger his work mates rallied round.

They knew of the danger signals if rats were not about
The mine unsafe to work in t'was time to scramble out
And they worked in bad conditions with danger ever near
And every day the coal miner came face to face with fear.

Of the old miners of wonthaggi the years keep taking toll
They once were the broad shouldered men who tunnelled deep

for coal
They earned every dollar they made and slaved for every pay
And they worked long hours and laboured hard and lived life

the hard way.

NEXT?
Why don't you look at A Winter day in Sherbrooke
by: Francis Duggan
from: Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia

To visit all of Francis Duggan's poems, click HERE

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