Our long community poem
Why
are we writing a long poem?
Our long poem is being written by our school students and members of our community. It aims to record the beauty of life in our unique Borough; in other words, to record in poetry why we love living here so much.
This big poem (called a long poem) is part of both Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale schools’ efforts to enhance student learning and sense of place by connecting to the local community.
Our long poem is being written by our school students and members of our community. It aims to record the beauty of life in our unique Borough; in other words, to record in poetry why we love living here so much.
This big poem (called a long poem) is part of both Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale schools’ efforts to enhance student learning and sense of place by connecting to the local community.
What have students been doing?
Students have written two lines of poetry. They have focused on their senses: what they love to see in the Borough, the sounds they love to hear, the smells that remind them they are home...
So far, their ideas conveyed in these two lines, their imagery and descriptions have been melded into nine stanzas of poetry.
But there is still a long way to go to make it a truly community-owned and written poem.
We need the community’s help...
Students have written two lines of poetry. They have focused on their senses: what they love to see in the Borough, the sounds they love to hear, the smells that remind them they are home...
So far, their ideas conveyed in these two lines, their imagery and descriptions have been melded into nine stanzas of poetry.
But there is still a long way to go to make it a truly community-owned and written poem.
We need the community’s help...
Long poems are an important means of collective expression. They often function to tell a "tale of the tribe," or a story that encompasses a whole community’s values and history. To achieve this we need more contributions from the community.
If you find poetry intimidating, just write in your own words what you love about the Borough and we’ll make sure the essence of what you have written goes into the poem.
A truly interesting and relevant long poem should weave in the impressions gleaned from the span of several generations and cover all our major community events.
So, if you live in our community and would like to contribute please email your line(s) to [email protected] and we’ll add them in. (Where we have several contributions covering the same subject matter we will meld the contributions.)
If you find poetry intimidating, just write in your own words what you love about the Borough and we’ll make sure the essence of what you have written goes into the poem.
A truly interesting and relevant long poem should weave in the impressions gleaned from the span of several generations and cover all our major community events.
So, if you live in our community and would like to contribute please email your line(s) to [email protected] and we’ll add them in. (Where we have several contributions covering the same subject matter we will meld the contributions.)
Our Community Long Poem (so far)
These here are Wada Wurrung lands
See their footsteps in the sand
Understand how very much they care
An honour passed on from their forebears
For this Borough we now call home
Which Wada Wurrung people own.
We are Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale combined
In the Borough we are entwined
And we love this beautiful place
With its bays and rugged beachscapes
It is where we want to be
Where we can look, hear and feel the sea.
We enjoy our long, lazy summer
The way it transforms our Borough
As visitors rush down to be
Where we live all year, peacefully
And our sleepy little Borough becomes
Noisy, with little Nippers, Dads and Mums.
And we complain half-heartedly
At the traffic, the noise, the company
But we don’t object too much
Because we know that we are really such
Lucky people to have found this place
This stunning Borough, our special space.
We have the white waved Rip, Shortlands Bluff and the back beach
The Harbour, Point Lonsdale shops: both good places to eat
If you feel like fishing, you can catch salmon off the piers
There’s golf for relaxation, the Esplanade for some beers
And our history is there for everyone to share a thought
In the Maritime, Queenscliff Historical museums and the Fort.
There are cycling tracks following the old railway line
There’s local produce, Bellarine wineries and food divine
We surf huge waves, love our sports and explore rock pools by day
We cheer on the Coutas, have barbeques and playground play
We canoe, paddle board and take our boats out when the tide is right
We horse ride, walk our dogs and throw our lines in, hoping for a bite.
We care for our wetlands and our unique marine and bird life
We preserve our moonah forests and coastal tea tree sites
The Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre helps us make things right
Our Council works with us to help protect our RAMSAR site
And the Reconciliation Mob educates us on our kinship
Nyoorra wooreeyn, Hello. How are you? Let us walk together in friendship.
And as we do all this we’re soaking-in our postcard-perfect home
We see rainbows touch the sea, our blue sky an arching dome
The misty wet cold winters, the crisp blue of clean spring days
And the interplay of our waters as they change from blue to grey
And the sounds of our Borough drench our each and every day
Ship horns, bird calls, school bells and children at play.
And as I stand next to the grey-blue sea
With noisy seagulls squawking at me
I know there’s still so much to do
Today, tomorrow, all the year through
But for now, I’m going walking on the sand
Hand-in-hand with my gorgeous old Nan
Who still goes swimming at The Springs
All decked out in her cap, goggles and fins
And as I watch her long, slow crawl
I know our Borough has it all.
These here are Wada Wurrung lands
See their footsteps in the sand
Understand how very much they care
An honour passed on from their forebears
For this Borough we now call home
Which Wada Wurrung people own.
We are Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale combined
In the Borough we are entwined
And we love this beautiful place
With its bays and rugged beachscapes
It is where we want to be
Where we can look, hear and feel the sea.
We enjoy our long, lazy summer
The way it transforms our Borough
As visitors rush down to be
Where we live all year, peacefully
And our sleepy little Borough becomes
Noisy, with little Nippers, Dads and Mums.
And we complain half-heartedly
At the traffic, the noise, the company
But we don’t object too much
Because we know that we are really such
Lucky people to have found this place
This stunning Borough, our special space.
We have the white waved Rip, Shortlands Bluff and the back beach
The Harbour, Point Lonsdale shops: both good places to eat
If you feel like fishing, you can catch salmon off the piers
There’s golf for relaxation, the Esplanade for some beers
And our history is there for everyone to share a thought
In the Maritime, Queenscliff Historical museums and the Fort.
There are cycling tracks following the old railway line
There’s local produce, Bellarine wineries and food divine
We surf huge waves, love our sports and explore rock pools by day
We cheer on the Coutas, have barbeques and playground play
We canoe, paddle board and take our boats out when the tide is right
We horse ride, walk our dogs and throw our lines in, hoping for a bite.
We care for our wetlands and our unique marine and bird life
We preserve our moonah forests and coastal tea tree sites
The Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre helps us make things right
Our Council works with us to help protect our RAMSAR site
And the Reconciliation Mob educates us on our kinship
Nyoorra wooreeyn, Hello. How are you? Let us walk together in friendship.
And as we do all this we’re soaking-in our postcard-perfect home
We see rainbows touch the sea, our blue sky an arching dome
The misty wet cold winters, the crisp blue of clean spring days
And the interplay of our waters as they change from blue to grey
And the sounds of our Borough drench our each and every day
Ship horns, bird calls, school bells and children at play.
And as I stand next to the grey-blue sea
With noisy seagulls squawking at me
I know there’s still so much to do
Today, tomorrow, all the year through
But for now, I’m going walking on the sand
Hand-in-hand with my gorgeous old Nan
Who still goes swimming at The Springs
All decked out in her cap, goggles and fins
And as I watch her long, slow crawl
I know our Borough has it all.