Gathering:1994 Glenormiston Gathering.

Author: Anon. - but presented as part of a speech by Christina Hindhaugh, farmer, humourist, journalist and public speaker from Balmoral. She stated that this poem came from the Stellerander Newspaper, Cape Province, South Africa, 1993.

***

Now this is the law of the land, son-
as old and true as the hills.
And the farmer that keeps it may prosper;
but the farmer that breaks it, it kills.

Unlike the Law of Humans, Son,
this law it never runs slack,
What you take from the land for your own, son,
you've damn well got to put back.

Now we of the old generation
Brought land on the cheap and made good;
We cleared, we burnt and we ploughed, son,
We stocked it as hard as we could.

But erosion came creeping behind us,
The blame is ours by default,
Our pastures declined, our trees disappeared,
Our soils turned to acid and salt.

So you stock your paddocks wisely, Son,
Feed and nurture you soil;
Drain all the loose storm water,
You'll be well repaid for your toil.

Convert all your straw to compost,
and feed it back into the earth,
Contour your hills where they need it,
Plant trees for all you are worth.

For we really don't own the land, son.

More Information