Stories of the Island.
From the CD "WEST"
 

West Australians have vivid childhood memories of Rottnest and love to talk about the good times spent there.

Stories of the island          ©  Bernard Carney    1997

When we were kids the ferry

Always seemed to take forever

We used to help the captain

Steer the old boat through the sea

And once I saw a flying fish

And  I made a  secret flying wish

That was such a special sight for me

And when the ferry pulled in

Alongside the army jetty

Us little kids would quickly

Disappear amongst the crowd

And I always seemed to stub my toe

On the long walk to the bungalow

Every thing seems so much smaller now

Remembering your stories of the island

Remembering the ones that make you smile

Remembering your stories of the isle

And everyday was freedom to explore the hills and beaches

Dad would be telling stories he remembered from the war

The tunnels and the secret doors

The army girls the moonlit shores

Everything was so much sweeter then

Up in the concrete bunkers I would dream and plan for hours

Making the big guns fire to keep the enemy at bay

I'd take my medals from the king

Then fly back home on fishes wings

It all comes back like   yesterday

Chorus

Dances at the tearooms romances on the beaches

Dad would have a twinkle in his eye

When he told us of the gunner girl he plotted out a course for

And how that army girl became his wife

Now they've passed away I tell my own kids these old stories

Watch them having fun and making stories of their own

Fishing rods with home made reels coral scrapes that never heal

Fig fights in the Moreton bays salty swims on scorching days

The characters will always change but the stories just go round and round again

Fig fights in the Moreton bays

Salty swims on red hot days

Everything was so much easier then

Ideas for next verses

The scary channel between the reefs that you wished you were big enough to swim

Collecting occy for the man

A penny each for occy and he sold them om as bait

The kids would roam the island free

As long a we were back for tea

Hollowing out a fresh loaf from the bakery

Salty swims om red hot days and fig fights in the Moreton bays the smell of fresh cooked fish would bring us home

The bikes with broken cotter pins

The quokkas that we taught to swim

It all comes back like it was yesterday

Diving rock at the basin  jump in holding a limestone rock and see how far you could walk along the bottom

The morning walk to the basin beach crowded

Up to the guns finding trap doors into the tunnels

Dad would show us places he remembered from the war

Ice works every two -3 days for a block

Barefoot bear of a man who wore two belts to keep his trousers up. Splitting the ice block with a pick shards everywhere home in a towel

Coral scratches that never heal

Leaving  -    mum would leave the metters wood stove alight for the next people to have a cup of tea when they arrived

And one year on the homeward tide I heard them say the king had died

Drinks on the zephyr before it left  tray of drinks over the side on the swell 3d if you could walk along the deck no hands

sick   the cry of get behind

And every day was freedom to explore the hills and beaches

Dad would show us places he remembered from the war

Salty swims om red hot days and fig fights in the Moreton bays the smell of fresh cooked fish would bring us home

The man wpold pay a penny for the occy thwt we caught

The ice came from a man who wore two belts around his trousers

We all called him tiny

Tiny was a man who wore two belts around his trousers

He'd break us off a block of ice