MEN'S PROBUS CLUB of BOORAGOON

ANTHEM of BOORAGOON MEN'S PROBUS CLUB (common metre)

We're men from Probus Booragoon
And merry blokes are we
With pride we croon our happy tune
No matter what the key.

A finer body of such men
One simply could not find,
A man complete there must be when
Together we're combined.

Just like an eagle we still see,
Our memories spot on,
"My glasses now, where can they be?
I had them, now they're gone".

Our hearing's fine, don't mumble though
And hey, no need to shout,
Our hearing aids just whistle so
They're drowning all else out.

Our daytime doze we needs must take,
Admittedly it's true,
'Cause through the night we always wake
For visits to the loo.

With just that little snooze each day
Our brains are sound and keen,
And not "as new" as some would say
'Cause used they've never been.

We entered in a running race,
Got booed by all the crowd,
We had no trouble with the pace
But sticks were not allowed.

And as for lovers, we're the best,
Though boasting is not right,
For we make love, would you have guessed,
Most nearly ev'ry night?

Just ask our wives, it's all quite true,
We're sure that they will say,
"Yes nearly Monday, Tuesday too,
Just nearly ev'ry day".

We love a laugh and cheerfully
On outings often go,
We eat our cake and drink our tea
And watch our waistlines grow.

But second childhood jokes apart,
We all feel young inside,
Within each single mind and heart
The boys we were reside.

©2002, M.L.Austin

Probus Booragoon March
(tune Sussex by the Sea)

We're the men from Probus
Booragoon types we,
We limp and moan and squint and groan
But happy men we be;
And when you come to Probus
Your hearing aids please tune;
Though the yarns be tall we are good mates all
At Probus Booragoon.

Oh Probus, Probus Booragoon,
Good old Probus Booragoon
Though the yarns be tall we are good mates all
At Probus Booragoon.
Probus, Probus Booragoon,
Good old Probus Booragoon
Though the yarns be tall we are good mates all
At Probus Booragoon.

We the men at Probus
This can all agree:
We may look old but we're not bowled
For young at heart are we;
And when you come to Probus
Be sure to make it soon,
So come join the fun, for we're friends each one
At Probus Booragoon.

Oh Probus, Probus Booragoon,
Good old Probus Booragoon
So come join the fun, for we're friends each one
At Probus Booragoon.
Probus, Probus Booragoon,
Good old Probus Booragoon
So come join the fun, for we're friends each one
At Probus Booragoon.


©2002, M.L.Austin

The Probus Choir
The choir from club Probus did persist
To sing in those keys which don't exist,
Cried lads from Booragoon,
"Desist and grant a boon,
For you sound like you're mightily .... ( er drunk)".

©2003, M.L.Austin

The Ballad of Ballina
To an adaptation of the tune "Travelling Down the Castlereagh"
A tribute to our excellent Tourmaster Alan Marsh of the Probus Club of Booragoon

Chorus:
So its shift boys shift, there isn't the slightest doubt
Its pack your bags and board the coach its time for movin' out.
The trucks did roar , the wife did snore and I can't sleep in bed
But Allan says that ti-tree oil will fix us up instead.

The Probus Club of Booragoon has planned to go away
We've meekly gone with Allan Marsh to Ballina to stay
With his assistants Mel and Norm, we've games and lollies too
Not one of us can imagine what, we'll be going through

We flew from Perth to Ballina, the only way to go
We told the hosties on the Plane so everyone would know
Past sugar cane and 'damia nuts and over rivers wide
Oh looking for that nice cold beer a once we get inside.

Mount Warning frowned, the lightning flashed, the rain came tumbling down
The sea was rough, the lighthouse short the museum takes the crown
The boys' was blue, the girls' was red and soon we'll be in bed
That ti-tree's power is so well known, enough of that is said.

Today the sun was shining bright as we set off again
Past Mooball and Murwillumbah and closer to Brisbane
The traffic it was frightening, the buildings very tall
Eyelids droop and jaws fall down as homeward bound we crawl.

To Byron Markets and Bangalow we went for morning tea
In Lismore once the river rose and looked more like the sea
Past Nimbin Rocks and in the town the smoke went to our head
But we will stick to ti-tree oil, its better so its said.

The currawong was calling……, the girls they plumped their hair
The coach climbed high, the bends were tight, they gave us quite a scare
To Byron's light we scrambled up, the view was very clear
But Roger's music got us up to dance from there to here.

The bats were quietly roosting at Alstonville that day
For Cutana Hats and Father Mac our Probians gladly pay
"Its is a Golden Trumpet Tree" our driver Rod declares
Lifting bridges are common here, but elsewhere they are scarce.

Upon the Richmond River we spent our final day
With Captain Harold steering we gently cruised away
The jelly-fish were swimming and the river craft were few
We ducked beneath the power lines and missed the ferry too.

Alas the tour was over and friends goodbye did say
Our memories of Ballina will last for many a day
A job well done with lots of fun that Allan Marsh has led
But Allan says that ti-tree oil will fix us up instead.

Ian Ross October 2004