[Editor: A poem by “Kookaburra”. Published in The Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate, 25 May 1923.]
Dinkum Oil.
There’s jubilation in the town
That will depression foil,
For lo, it has been handed down
That Epping stands on oil.
Old Epping stands upon a creek
Of pioneering fame.
For if you early records seek
’Tis there you’ll find its name.
’Twas there that Batman bought some land
At quite a modest price,
But soon was made to understand
Such methods were not nice.
And now the Darebin flows on
In just the same old way,
And men have come and men have gone
And some are here to-day.
And Scott’s emulsion is on tap
To wish success and health,
That oil may be the primal cap
The stepping stone to wealth.
They’ve planted out a load of pegs
On leasehold applications,
And soon we’ll see the poppet legs
And boring operations.
And should it prove a great success
And oil their efforts crown,
’Twill make this stony wilderness
A place of some renown.
Though many men have tried to set
The Darebin on fire,
So even now a man may get
The gist of his desire.
But should it be proclaimed a dud
The leases null and void,
And speculators come a thud
Where oil has been denied.
For should no oily flow emerge
From out its cavity,
The sexton then can toll a dirge
While others chant a dree.
And still the Darebin will flow
A peaceful little rill,
And men bereft of wealth may go
For Scott’s emulsion still
KOOKABURRA.
Source:
The Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate (Hurstbridge, Vic.), 25 May 1923, p. zzz
Editor’s notes:
Batman = John Batman, an explorer and pioneer of the Port Phillip district, widely regarded as the founder of Melbourne (Victoria)
Darebin = Darebin Creek (Victoria), a tributary of the Yarra River
rill = a very small brook, creek or stream (a rivulet)
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