How quickly things change
I recently had the opportunity to listen to interviews of some original pioneers of the Proston area in Queensland. Each of the men described an aspect of their first years in the area and the challenges they faced. I was amazed at their accents. The recording was made in 1963. The men interviewed at the time and the children who interviewed them had all been born in Australia, yet they all spoke with an identifiable English accent, very different to what is heard today. Just the slightest lengthening of the vowels was the only thing that distinguished them from English-born accents. The Australian accent has changed so much in just fifty years.
It was really interesting to hear about all the different kinds of animals that were abundant at that time (1905+). We certainly don't see flocks of wild emu there anymore, not even the wallabies. Others, like the snakes, we do see around, or at least know they're there, but from the interviews, it was clear there were LOTS of them. They mentioned death adders, brown snakes, red bellied black and carriage snakes among others. There were possums, scrub turkeys and wonga pigeons which were very good eating. Koalas were plentiful.
The land was full of bottle trees, crows ash trees, iron bark gums and hoop pine trees. There were scrub orchids and lots of stag horns, indicating a wetter climate than they have now - probably because there were more trees then. Now the land is cleared and you only see trees along creek banks or roads.
It makes me sad how much has changed, and not always for the better.
I spent two days on a farm west of Maryborough. It was so dry you could almost feel the despair growing with every day without rain, but there was space and peace there too: the inevitability of life and calm acceptance of it.
I don't notice how the city is because I've lived here for a while now, but going out to the farm, I do. No sooner did I step out of the car than I had to take great gasping breaths of the silent air. By the second day, I swear my heart was beating slower and the habitual tightness around my eyes and in my throat were gone. My head felt clear of the clutter and white noise it usually lives with. A smile kept creeping onto my face.
Next time I visit, I'll go for longer, take some walks over the hills and sit on the verandah and stare at the horizon.
It was really interesting to hear about all the different kinds of animals that were abundant at that time (1905+). We certainly don't see flocks of wild emu there anymore, not even the wallabies. Others, like the snakes, we do see around, or at least know they're there, but from the interviews, it was clear there were LOTS of them. They mentioned death adders, brown snakes, red bellied black and carriage snakes among others. There were possums, scrub turkeys and wonga pigeons which were very good eating. Koalas were plentiful. The land was full of bottle trees, crows ash trees, iron bark gums and hoop pine trees. There were scrub orchids and lots of stag horns, indicating a wetter climate than they have now - probably because there were more trees then. Now the land is cleared and you only see trees along creek banks or roads.
It makes me sad how much has changed, and not always for the better.
I spent two days on a farm west of Maryborough. It was so dry you could almost feel the despair growing with every day without rain, but there was space and peace there too: the inevitability of life and calm acceptance of it.
I don't notice how the city is because I've lived here for a while now, but going out to the farm, I do. No sooner did I step out of the car than I had to take great gasping breaths of the silent air. By the second day, I swear my heart was beating slower and the habitual tightness around my eyes and in my throat were gone. My head felt clear of the clutter and white noise it usually lives with. A smile kept creeping onto my face.
Next time I visit, I'll go for longer, take some walks over the hills and sit on the verandah and stare at the horizon.
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