EVENING STAR AT COOPER'S CROSSING

1. Over all the cooling sand,
the darkening blanket falls,
and just beyond the Coolibahs
I see the evening star - I see the evening star.

2. Nothing breathes to move a leaf,
and silence like a load.
no insect wing to tremble air,
but still the evening star - but still the evening star.

3. Furnace-hot, each midday taunts
and lies with mirage haze,
but twilight brings its truthfulness,
the lovely evening star - the lovely evening star.

4. Burke and Wills lie sleeping here,
the sands and stones their bed,
where all the world has lost its breath
except the evening star - except the evening star.

5. Jesus, when we lose our way
and silence taunts us through
our parched and burning emptiness -
please be our evening star - please be our evening star.

1983. Another of Aub Podlich's lovely poems. The melody is actually a very simple tune, and could easily be an Australian-Irish melody. The song was transformed for me when Gerard Holmes, keyboard player and songwriter with an angelic voice, did a very different treatment of it in preparation for recording the collection of songs that became RECONNECT US. With Doug Petherick doing his usual great bass work, & some inspired lead guitar from Rick Nankivell, the song became a strong finish for the collection.

 

ALWS 5/10/23

To say I've been inactive on my website is a serious understatement! I've written nothing here since early 2021. 

So, does this mean the world has stopped for us, that nothing is happening?
A major event for us in 2022 was moving house in October. We had been in Modbury Heights since July 1993.Now we're back in Klemzig.

In May we travelled to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, seeing work supported by Australian Lutheran World Service. Dorothy and I are Ambassadors for the ALWS programme, Lives You Touch. We are encouraging people to leave money in their will for the work of ALWS. We committed to leave a third of our will many years ago and hope many others can touch lives in this way.
Since then we have visited Box Hill & Loxton with Jonathan & Julie Krause as part of the Asante presentations, promoting the cause of ALWS. Still to come this year are Asante events in Toowoomba & Rochedale (Nov 26 & 27) and Perth (Dec 10)

Looking forward to seeing many people on these occasions.