By Max Pringle OAM
I had a fairly carefree life
Until I turned twenty two
That was when my whole life changed
On the day I first met you.
It was a time when I was working
In my grandmother’s café
When you came in for a cuppa
And I spoke to you that day.
You were calling in more frequent
And our friendship quickly grew
Before too long I realised
That I was in love with you.
I’d meet you at your local dance
Until you moved into town
To look after your grandparents
And I’d often drop around.
Our courtship wasn’t clear sailing
There were obstacles it’s true
Seems I couldn’t please your mother
Regardless of what I’d do.
By the time that we were married
I had bought a corner store
And we worked in it together
Though its future wasn’t sure.
But we carried on for three years
Then my sister took it on
While we sailed away to England
Till a year or two had gone.
We toured through a bit of Europe
Many countries we went through
Between working hard and touring
There’s not much we didn’t do.
It was while there that you fell pregnant
And at last our dreams came true
But back home when the baby came
You presented us with two.
We settled back in our old shop
For a dozen years or so
We even bought the shop next door
We set to and had a go.
Eventually we sold the shops
Bought a farm out Wollombi
But after just twelve years out there
We moved up to Narrabri.
Another twelve years passed us by
Before cancer struck again
This was the one we couldn’t beat
Though we tried, we tried in vain.
You had only just turned sixty
And life hadn’t been all fun
But we managed it together
Just the way we’d always done.
When the end came it was sudden
There was no way for relief
On the day that you were taken
I was overcome with grief.
Now twenty years have come and gone
And I’m still here on my own
And yet it seems like yesterday
That’s how fast the years have flown.
To order photos from this page click here
