If undelivered please return to: P.O. Box 345 Bendigo Vic 3552 WINGED WORDS BENDIGO Y SERVICE CLUB – WOMEN INC. President: Meetings: Jeannie Turnbull 2nd Wednesday 100 Sinclairs Road of each month Strathfieldsaye, 3551 at the Strathdale Hall. Secretary: Jan Fuller 7 McConnachie Court ABN 90 745 442 533 Ascot, 3551 February 2021 AUSTRALIA – Our Sunburnt Country I thought about Australia Day, and how different it was last year. We had lots of Celebrations and lots of Family Picnics but alas this Year because of Covid 19 we had nothing but small Celebrations. Thinking about what I would write for the Bulletin I thought about the Poem ‘My Country’ by Dorothea Mackellar (1885 – 1968). At the age of 19, while homesick in the United Kingdom, she wrote the poem after travelling through Europe extensively with her father during her teenage years. She started writing the poem in London in 1904, and re-wrote it several times before her return to Sydney. The poem was first published in the Spectator in London on 5 September 1908 under the title “Core of my Heart”. It was reprinted in many Australian Newspapers, such as The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. The poem quickly became well known and established Mackellar as a poet. Mackellar’s family owned substantial properties in the Gunnedah district of New South Wales and a property (Torryburn) in the Paterson district of the Hunter Region. The poem is believed to have been directly inspired by witnessing the breaking of a drought when she was at Torryburn. ‘My Country’ uses imagery to describe the land after the breaking of a long drought. “Of ragged mountain ranges” possibly refers to the Mount Royal Ranges, and the Barrington Tops. To many Australians the poem is an overtly romanticised version of “The Australian condition” as the Mackellar Family were of considerable fortune and social favour. The poem reflects the romanticised and somewhat idealised reflection of a writer yearning to be taken back to Gunnedah. The first stanza, lesser known, refers to England, and the fact that the vast majority of Australians of that era were of British birth or ancestry. The second stanza describes Australia and is amongst the best- known pieces of Australian poetry. In an interview in 1967, Mackellar described her reason for writing the poem: “Not really a special reason. But a friend was speaking to me about England. We had both recently come back from England. And she was talking about Australia and what it didn’t have, compared to England. And I began talking about what it did have that England didn’t, that you couldn’t expect to know the country to have. ‘Cause, of course, there are lots of wonderful things, especially in the older parts, but they’re not the same, and, of course, the people who came here first……. I’m not blaming them for it, but it was so different to anything they had known, they didn’t understand.” Mackellar”s first anthology of poems ”The Closed Door”, published in Australia in 1911, included the poem. The last line of the third stanza, ”And ferns the warm dark soil” was originally “And ferns the crimson soil”. Her second anthology, The Witch Maid and Other Verses, published in 1914, included the original version. A recording of “My Country” made by the radio and TV actor Leonard Teale became so popular in the 1970’s that his reading of the first line the second stanza were often used to parody him. Taken from Wikipedia - My Country. Eva C 2. MY COUNTRY The love of field and coppice, Core of my heart, my country! Of green and shaded lanes, Her Pitiless blue sky, Of ordered woods and gardens When, sick at heart, around us Is running in your veins. We see the cattle die – Strong love of blue-grey distance, But then the grey clouds gather. Brown streams and soft, dim skies- And we can bless again I know but cannot share it, The drumming of an army, My love is otherwise. The steady soaking rain. I love a sunburnt country, Core of my heart my country! A land of sweeping plains, Land of the rainbow gold, Of rugged mountain ranges, For flood and fire and famine Of droughts and flooding rains, She pays us back threefold. I love her far horizons, Over the thirsty paddocks, I love her jewel-sea, Watch, after many days, Her beauty and her terror – The filmy veil of greenness The wide brown land for me! That thickens as we gaze. The stark white ring-barked forests, An opal-hearted country, All tragic to the moon, A wilful, lavish land- The sapphire-misted mountains, All you who have not loved her, The hot gold hush of noon. You will not understand – Green tangle of the brushes Though earth holds many splendours, Where lithe lianas coil Wherever I may die, And orchids deck the tree-tops, I know to what brown country And ferns the warm dark soil. My homing thoughts will fly. FEBRUARY MEETING WHEN - Wednesday 10th February TIME - 6.30pm. WHERE - Club Rooms @ Crook St. REFLECTIONS - Lyn Curnow. DINNER - Bring your own Meal or Sandwich. Also bring your own Mug for a cuppa (Jeannie and Marg B in charge of that) PROGRAM - Fiona MacDonald will talk about her Fund Raising and the Products she makes. Her produce will be on sale so bring along some money to purchase her goods. 3. MARCH MEETING. A suggestion was made at Executive - from Vi Sutherland. Due to the restrictions imposed by Covid 19, it is unlikely we will be able to have a film morning fundraiser in the coming months. The following is a suggestion for an alternate fundraiser to benefit Foodshare. I suggest Foodshare because food insecurity will continue to be an issue especially as Federal financial support is reduced. The proposal is that we have a ‘SALE’ following our March meeting. The suggestion is that our members bring in their sale items that is possessions that are of good quality which are not being used and may include gifts we have received in the past, that are not quite appropriate for us. Members place their items on one of three tables; a $2, a $5 and a $10 table. Our members would be encouraged to purchase them with all monies raised to be donated to Foodshare. Those items not sold can go home with their owners or we can donate them to one of the op shops. BIRTHDAYS – There are no Birthdays for January and February. Combined clubs Annual Picnic - Hosted by Lansell Thank you to all the Lansell members for hosting a good evening. We started with lots of nibbles and then went on to eat our own Meal, followed by some delicious slices with a cuppa. There were 48 members from the 4 Clubs present and it was lovely to finally catch up after so many months of isolation. We sat outside in the sunshine but unfortunately when the sun went down it became quite cool and we all adjourned home. Y’s Men’s Christmas Breakup was held at the White Hills Botanical Gardens -was a very enjoyable evening but was a cool evening. Around the Club ……… Marg Birrell had nothing to report of any sickies in the club. She had been out with her daughter Sue, and said it was nice to be waited on. Vi had to leave the Exec meeting early as her Grandchildren were helping her pick the plums off her Plum Tree. Lyn and her Family had a lovely get together on Boxing Day. Jeannie and her family had a family get together the weekend before Christmas at Yarrawonga. Jeannie and Doug vacated their house and slept in the caravan, whilst the Family took over the house for Christmas. Some members brought their camper vans and others slept in their tents and swags. Jan Fuller was also busy with Family over Christmas. 33 Family members and extended family members attended Wyndham Motel at Ballarat. They had a couple of incidents but they had a Paramedic on call. One of her Grandson was runner-up in the Bendigo Under 18 Singles Lawn Bowls. She has her husband Steve and two sons play for Bendigo East Bowls Club. Some of the Grandsons also play or are learning to play bowls. Often if you can’t reach Jan it’s because she is supervising and watching bowls!!! Jan also has retired from work. Enjoy. Nance had her Sister Helen over from South Australia, and Nance had travelled 16oo kms to show her some of the silos and other places of interest. Marg Coad had a very noisy Christmas with all her family being together. Her son was home for 5 days and it is only a few weeks till the new baby arrives. 4. Minutes of Dinner meeting – Wednesday 9th December OPENING: President Jeannie welcomed 16 members to our dinner meeting at the National Hotel. Jeannie thanked Shirley for a lovely newsletter, and thanked Jan Fuller for buying the novelties to make the room look festive. BIRTHDAYS: For December – Phyllis Anstee & Michelle Janssen APOLOGIES: Val Brennan, Marj McDowall, Dot Mills REFLECTIONS: Jeannie commenced our dinner meeting by reading a prayer by Bruce Prewer which was titled “Wake us from our slumber apathy” MINUTES of our previous meeting (November), as printed in the bulletin moved by consensus BUSINESS ARISING: Nil CORRESPONDENCE IN RD - Information on the Roll Back Malaria project The Hub – Interim expression of interest room hire for 2021 form Anne Mansfield Lansell secretary - Annual Picnic Invite Korus Connect - Chaplaincy newsletter and donation/Prayer request OUT Eaglehawk Club - Sympathy on passing of Life Member Norma Boyd Wayne Cameron - Thank you card – re.