First Families

They came of bold and roving stock that would not fixed abide;
They were the sons of field and flock since e'er they learned to ride;
We may not hope to see such men in these degenerate years
As those explorers of the bush - the brave old pioneers

'Twas they who rode the trackless bush in heat and storm and drought;
'Twas they that heard the master-word that called them further out;
'Twas they that followed up the trail the mountain cattle made
And pressed across the mighty range where now their bones are laid.

But now the times are dull and slow, the brave old days are dead
When hardy bushmen started out, and forced their way ahead
By tangled scrub and forests grim towards the unknown west,
And spied the far-off promised land from off the range's crest.

Oh! Ye that sleep in lonely graves by far-off ridge and plain,
We drink to you in silence now as Christmas comes again,
The men who fought the wilderness through rough, unsettled years -
The founders of our nation's life, the brave old pioneers.

A.B. (Banjo) Paterson

"Pioneers" Dec 1896

First Families 2001 was a unique online historical and cultural record of Australia funded by the State Library of Victoria. This pilot program, with
content contributed by the public, became a significant and innovative program marking the Centenary of Federation. A database and a collection of stories about the people of Australia, past and present, it became an important <help.htm#glossgeneal>genealogical resource, as well as a unique document about the people who are the history of this country. Due to recent changes in privacy legislation and associated implications for First Families 2001, the State Library ceased to provide access to the database in December 2004.

Date : March 1999
Copyright © 1997 by Gail Dodd. All Rights Reserved.
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