Trying to address Steve Irwin's spirit in his own tongue.
Crikey Steve!
You lived life by Rafferty’s Rules,
The ridgy-didge for sure dinkum,
From Bullamakanka to Woop Woop,
You were all wool and a yard wide.
You could kick the arse off an emu,
Game as a piss ant mate,
Barmy as a bandicoot,
Now you’ve gone cactus! Carked it!
Stung by a fish? Strewth!
Crikey! It was spikey!
Now you’re lying like a stunned mullet,
Like you’ve been whacked with a nulla-nulla,
When it all went crook in Musclebrook,
You didn’t have a Buckley’s mate.
You came a gutser when the woffle dust ran out,
The stingray went lemony! Mad as a cut snake!
Who’ll fill your thongs and khaki daks,
Now you’ve clagged the bag,
Dead as mutton chops?
Hooroo Steve, you were a bonzer bloke
We’ll all miss youse cobber,
The true Aussie dinky-di,
You’re docos were the dingos doo-dahs,
Hope you’ve gone to Animal Planet.
Oli.
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The real thing.
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 5th September 2006 |
Lovely heartfelt and witty stuff, Talisker. My compliments to you.
I think you would find so many modern kids would empathise with your subject at a rush and love to recite this tribute to a TV hero and dramatic environmentalist they would all instantly recognise. Certainly worth recommending to OfSTED for Key Stage 2 Years 5/6 required reading-- with a touch of the censor's blue pencil; [ more for the teachers than the children!] You can just hear the cry ' Bonzer bloke' around the playground!
As a former teacher, father of four, married to a teacher, I shall be recommending this for my wife's next assembly! Children need to be challenged not patronised; and this strikes me as a super vehicle to open up ideas pertinent to a world that is bigger than all of us and that turns on its axis every day.
Once again, well done!
Slan! |
Many Thanks GC!
Written by Talisker (1326 comments posted) 5th September 2006 |
I had a true admiration for the guy, so I thought it might be tastless to make light of his demise. But I hope some respect shines through. The guy certainly lived life to the full!
The dialect is obviously exagerated, but I think its a fun examination of another nation's street slang. I enjoy reading it in my (poor) Aussie accent, which varies from Aussie-Irish-Welsh-Pakistani !!
I would be most honoured if this was read at your wife's assembly! You are spot on - kids need their (huge) imaginations fired. I think unexpected stuff does that.
Oli |
Horoo
Written by MikeMorris (106 comments posted) 5th September 2006 |
Right on the button.
He certainly was, as our Antipodean cousins say, "As game as Ned Kelly". It's a great measure of his popularity that jokes about him were flying thick and fast yesterday.
Thanks for doing what he would have done, if he could, while the rest of us thought about it.
"Good on yer, Blue" as I believe he would have said.
Mike |
wrong town though
Written by patterjack (1193 comments posted) 5th September 2006 |
Things are crook in Tallarook , and the other town is spelled Muswellbrook .
But that is mere carping and not a serious commetn .
A bigger than life bloke .
patterjack
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Written by Phil (6713 comments posted) 5th September 2006 |
Thought the bloke was bonza too. A real personality, not an empty name.
Your admiration does show through, but I have to admit, this is the only piece I've read this week that really made me laugh - and then I felt guilty!
Having said that, I suppose he'd have enjoyed it too. (I hope)
Wonderful stuff,
Phil. |
Against the grain..
Written by givitsum (651 comments posted) 6th September 2006 |
Well done with the poem there, but as an entertainer, as he so longed to be, I thought the man was an rivetting as a weekend in Bridlington. In January.
Did you see the one where he went to LA and pretended to be 'amazed' by a public phone box? Twat.
Well done Oli.
GIVITSUM |
It's what he would have wanted...
Written by coosh (867 comments posted) 6th September 2006 |
| Great stuff. Love the way you capture the character in these lines, and some excellent lines too. "Game as a piss ant mate" - maybe that's the epitaph they're looking for. |
Written by Gill21 (566 comments posted) 7th September 2006 |
I too had the upmost admiration for him. I watched him on t.v nearly every week, i swear he gave out energy through the t.v set (givitsum he grows on you, trust me. He drove me mental at first). I only heard he died yesterday (been out of civilistaion) and was really sad about it.
It's all been said,
'hearfelt and witty'
It's what he would've wanted'
'right on the button'
Actually did you steal some of these lines from him? hehe.
Loved this, was very entertaining. A fitting address.
Well done! |
BONZA BLOKE!
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 7th September 2006 |
It may tickle you to know that [ with a few editorial censorial swipes of the blue pencil ] this was read at Thomas More Primary School Assembly to celebrate the wonderful Steve Irwin.
The children recognised him instantly from TV and no explaination was necessary. It went down a hoot. I am told the kids loved the brassy near onomatopoeic words and that afterwards there was a discussion on how the 'Bonza Bloke' had loved otherwise feared and avoided fellow members of this planet. The Head loved it too. ' Makes a change fron Patience Strong' was the alleged comment.
Well done. Quite the best piece of communication for both children and adults on this site for some time. As I said children need to be challenged not patronised.
Slan! |
I'm not worthy!
Written by Talisker (1326 comments posted) 7th September 2006 |
GC
Thank you from the heart of my bottom!
I'm sooooo honoured and proud! Its like winning an award or something, only much better! They can stuff the Pulitzers and Booker prizes! To engage with an audience of children, impressionable and imaginative as they always are...thats where its really at!
Slan!
Oli |
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