I love a sunburnt country
And the salt lakes of Sea Lake
Where deadened tree trunks boast
Behind salt entwined fence posts
Laying home to make-believe sharks
Who were chasing make-believe men
That were hilariously placed
by a strategic comedienne
Where the street art is lit up
Not just by the glow of the moon
But the inner light of people
Inside historically done-up rooms
Where a grand old pub
Filled with music and laughter
Spills from the lace-worked verandah
Farewelling a local ever after.
I love a sunburnt country
And the wheat fields of the Region
Where the horizon is ever stretching
Dotted with trees, yet no protection
Where harvesting is not just work
It’s a chosen way of life
With farmers who keep on keeping on
Potential for hope is rife
And once a crop’s done and dusted
It’s stubbled five o’clock shadow
Is rested for another year
Until the landscape once more turns yellow
And a piece of tin, a rusted bucket
A water tank of old
Sits aside windmills old and new
Waiting for new stories to unfold
I love a sunburnt country
And the scrublands of the Mallee
Where natures dusty palette
Plays home to the fox and rabbit
And while the wildlife burrow deep
And the ants build up their towers
Somewhere in between
Are the snakes and the mallee fowl
Protecting the grave of the rail worker
Strangers paying homage to the tale
With flowers or with Silence
Even unopened bottles of ale
I love a sunburnt country
And the remains of Generations Past
Where hay bales are stacked in their sky high towers
Surrounded by old headers, tractors and rusty ploughs
Where silos are transformed into vivid art
Not ever letting boring, dull or drab remain
Where Dog Lead Rd and Lovers Lane
Tell stories no one needs explain
Where vines replace brick
And weeds replace paths
Where windows become frames
And doors – a hollow arch
Where cars and homes are left to die
Stripped of their familial identity
Left to crumble in the elements
Their value lost for all eternity
I love a sunburnt country
And the beauty of the Riverina
Watching the punt rock side to side
As holiday-makers patiently wait their next ride
Slowly crossing this amazing, iconic river
We feel the drag of its metal ropes
As we’re ducked by the skiers and swimmers
and the party-going houseboats
Not quite the Cliffs of Dover
Or the majestic Rio Grande
But when it comes to the banks of the Murray
This is classic Australian land
I love a sunburnt country
And the vineyards of the Barossa
Where row upon row all you can see
Are the manicured lines of deep reds and green
Furrowed deep into the dirt
Dripping fruit of all colours
Soaking up a 42-degree heat
This is an Australia’s Own summer!
Holding scantily filled glasses
In palatial chateaux
We check out bouquets and tastes
As if in Provence or Bordeaux!
I love a sunburnt country!
And the sweeping Adelaide plains
Where the rain shadows meet parched paddocks
And the willy-willy’s cause undue havoc
From the top of the Lofty Ranges
To far off Murray Bridge
The sheep now replace wheat
As they graze on this steep rocky ridge
And chimneys stand without houses
And houses stand without walls
And walls of rock replace fences
And fences become stalls.
I love this sunburnt country
Today we honour our land, its rivers
and its fruits of the vine,
The fields of wheat, the gums and the
worlds best wines
And as we enjoy being woken by roosters
while rain hits our galvanised tin roof
We acknowledge we live in the lucky land
A fact no one can dispute!
Be Bold, Brave and Brilliant
Bernadette McClelland is CEO of 3 Red Folders – a modern day saleswoman and keynote speaker on business growth, personal leadership and sales performance.
BIO: Business environments wanting to increase their revenue and profits, and differentiate themselves in a competitive market, ask for Bernadette McClelland because of her thought leadership on sales performance, her ideas on thinking beyond resilience and her fresh perspectives surrounding personal leadership skills — all designed to master the outcomes that matter.
Bernadette has proudly coached Harvard MBA students on their sales enablement curriculum, been the Master Asia Pacific coach for Anthony Robbins across twelve countries, authored five books on leadership and sales transformation, won a coveted Telstra award for Business Excellence, and continually shares her ideas around behaviour, the brain and business growth on stages in the UK, Europe, Thailand, India, NZ, Australia and North America.
Believing that sales performance is a leadership issue, you will also find her heading Melbourne’s human potential based sales performance consultancy, 3 Red Folders, as she navigates lead generation, message to market and digs deep into sales process activities with her clients in the mid-tier sector as well as founding ‘Women Who Sell’, an initiative designed to bring more women up to speed in their sales success.
Book your Conference or Sales Kick Off Meeting today!
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