THE BETHLEHEM PUB

1. A country pub is not a proper place for women,
the last place on earth to try and have a kid.
So when Mary and her tired old man arrived that night I rustled up a bed of straw out in the shed.

2. I run the country pub in Outback Bethlehem,
a home away from home for stockmen interstate.
For when the picnic races stir the dust out here
a man will ride a hundred miles to meet his mate. (music bridge)

3. The pub In Bethlehem is rough as honed-head toads,
and what I’ve seen would turn a shearer green and white; like the time young Bill fought Blue, the old man kangaroo till beer, and blood, and fur flowed down the street.

4. I’ve seen men drive their horse in for a drink or two,
and with their stockwhip clear the beer-glass of its foam
while Fred, the pet galah, whose language turned the air dark blue,
would screech his old refrain, ‘Well, stone the flamin’ crows’. (music bridge)

5. You should have heard the cursing from the stockmen when I said,
‘We have a pregnant woman with the horses in the stalls’.
You should have seen them drinking, mate, and heard them sing off-key: ‘Why was he born so beautiful, why was he born at all? (music bridge)

6. At first I also wondered if Mary’s child belonged out here.
He may as well be born among the mulga bush out back.
Yet Mary seemed a sister to all who found her in the shed
and Jesus seemed a brother to drinkers, drovers, blacks. (music bridge)

ALWS 29/5/24

In May 2023 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.

Last year we visited churches in SA, Vic, Qld and WA with Jonathan & Julie Krause promoting the cause of ALWS.

Coming up soon:

* Nuriootpa (St Petri) Saturday June 22, 4 pm

To be confirmed:
Bordertown July 28,
Everton Park (Qld) August 17,
Canberra August 24 

Looking forward to seeing you at one of these events