The Old Terbaccy Tin –

In 1985 Dan Callaghan died and was buried in the Sandstone Cemetery. This poem was dedicated to him and all of the other old times who will forever provide us with inspiration:

I found him lying by the road
So I shut the old truck down
And made him comfortable in the load
And took him into town

The next day they called me to his bed,
Wanted to thank me for the ride.
He was a prospector, or so he said;
Wanted to give me something ‘for he died’

He was huddled ‘neath a clean white sheet,
Haggard weak and thin,
And I knew he was beat
As he pointed to his terbaccy tin.

“Its the last thing I have to give away
Before I’m all done in.
I won’t see another day
So have my terbaccy tin…”

“The baccy is all dry and stale,
The papers have gone yellow,
And I am withered, old and pale
And you are a younger fellow”.

Please place it between my fingers
So I may feel it before I goes,
Inside my memory linger
So always keep it closed”.

“Only open it if you feel
There’s nothing left in life for you.
And your fit to beg or steal
As there’s nothing left to do”.

“You can see how its polished bright
By rough hands round the camp
Seeking a lifting in the night
A warming from the damp”.

“And there the scratches round the rim,
From taking tops from bottled beer,
On those days when life burnt dim
And I was in need of cheer”.

He savoured its shape like a final smoke
Before he placed it in my hand,
He mumbled I was a bonzer bloke
And left for the promised land.

It was years later when I was out of a job
And ready to chuck it all in,
Not even having a few bob
To fill my own terbaccy tin.

I dug into the bottom of my bag
And took his old tin out,
Thinking that even the stalest fag
Would help drive the misery out.

When I saw where the papers should have been,
I paused and thanked that old bloke,
For there lying in the terbaccy tin,
Was a nugget shaped like a smoke.

By Bob Sheppard 22nd Dec 1979

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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