Please Email In Your Favourite Poem about Governessing and Living in the Outback.  Or just an entertaining thought.

Thanks to our poets ...

Lee-Anne AKA Bushgovo for No Other Way and The Window

Jennifer Haig for Gone North

Deanne Day for A Govie's Code!

My Forgetter... A Forward email by ANON

Read Down The Page

"You're not just a govo, you're THE GOVO"                                                      "Uniting Govo's Outback"

No Other Way

Governessing is made of moments, good, bad and funny.  I don’t think I’d change each experience for the world.  I penned this while sitting in the Arkaroola schoolroom (2000) waiting for the kids to return.  While enjoying my moments of peace. 

 On the weekends

I run a little room

Organised and neat

Tidy as can be

Everything has a place

And everything in its place

That's what I say

But that goes out the window

8.30 to 3.30 every weekday

This is the time

My tidy little room goes

From organised and neat

To a tidy little heap

For 5 days it's

'Could you pickup this please'

'Could you put that away'

If not those words

Then similar anyway

Here they come running         

From a half an hours play

Pulling things apart

Causing havoc to my dismay

On the weekends

I run a little room

Organised and neat

Tidy as can be

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

(Well not often)

By Lee-Anne Bright

The Window

I penned this at South Gap in my first year of governessing.  It was written on 13 of August 1997.  The year 3 schoolwork had a fantastic unit on poetry, which inspired me to start writing again.  What a great lifestyle governessing is, it allows you to follow all your dreams.

You wake up in the morning,

What a great looking day

Out the window the sun shines away.

Getting up and having breakfast

Hoping for delight not dismay

For out the window the sun shines away.

Into the schoolroom we go

Starting a new day

Looking out the window the sun shines away.

Finally reached smoko

She’s trying her best

Still out the window the sun shines away

Back into the schoolroom

Back to the fray

Through the window the sun shines away.

Lunchtime has arrived

I’m feeling frazzled and dazed

Yet out the window the sun shines away.

Afternoon filled with Art and science

Developmental play

And out the window the sun shines away.

School is out at last

She’ll get a star

As we look out the window the sun shines away.

The rest or the day is mine at last

Peace and sunshine

Then I look out the window and see rain coming this way.

 GONE NORTH

Hello there! I have just been reading through the Govie's Website and realised that there are no poems in the Poetry Corner! I love seeing what is happening with all my fellow govies and friends and wanted to contribute to the web page, so I have forwarded this. Is it possible to just add a note to the poem that it is all tongue-in-cheek and is in no way intended to offend anyone? I have loved working in Northern Australia and the people have been wonderful - they just tease a little sometimes and I felt it was my right to give reply.

I have left my home of culture and gone to Northern Land

Where the people are peculiar and speech hard to understand.

They’re dropping vowels and consonants like they’re out of date;

It doesn’t matter who you are you’re always someone’s “mate”.

And the major thing corrupting me the longer that I stay

Is the Gulf Land’s favourite phrase: “That’d be proper of ‘ya - eh!”

Well, they drink the beer in cartons and as the night goes on

They develop bouts of ‘wisdom’ - least they can’t talk for long!

Just because we run sheep at home on our property

They have decided  they can speak to me improperly.

So I’m the Cocky’s daughter - an heiress to the flock;

No, we do not need special ‘gloves’ to help control the stock!

No, we don’t wear big gumboots, and we don’t appreciate

You’re uneducated humour; so get over it, mate!

Yes, our television’s coloured; we have the internet,

A fax, a phone, a microwave - much more than them, I’d bet.

We don’t need a hoard of ringers to help us work the land,

And the intricacies of shearing - they’ll never understand.

Up North there’s a wet season when they paddle in the mud

In THEIR bloody gumboots, enjoying the season’s flood.

So they wouldn’t know of drought - of dozing through the scrub -

The greatest trial for them is when next they’ll see the pub!

We don’t chase bovines on our equines with canines at our feet;

Us updated people find that bikes and GOOD dogs are hard to beat!

Yes, Kelpies are the way to go (throw in a Collie too),

They can work far superior to an old, worn-out Blue.

Do you see what I must live with, though many trialing days?

These silly Northern simpletons who refuse to mend their ways.

But change will fall upon them; they must prepare to see

It is time to learn some culture - lucky they’ve got me!

So, mate, I’m glad yer listened to all I ‘ad to say,

Please, learn from me trials - that’d be proper of ‘ya, eh!

A Govie's Code!

I will teach you

I will guide you

I will walk you through the course.

I will love you

I will protect you

I will be proud of you…..Of course!

I will lead you

I will follow you

I will let you have your say.

I will be strict

I will be tough

But, in a loving way!

You will be my student

You will be my child

You will make me play my part.

You will be my family

You will be my friend

And when I leave, you are in my heart!

We will laugh together

We will cry together

We will build our special band.

We will grow together

We will learn together

We will walk together, hand in hand!

By Deanne Day 21/09/2004    

My forgetter 

This poem was sent to me as a Forward email.  I don't know who wrote it but It applies to me and a lot of govies and kids I know around the country.