Seniors Loose in Sydney

A bunch of ‘Pals’ got on the train and went to Sydney town

We wandered round the stations like the cows of Farmer Brown.

Up these steps here, down those ones there; O buggar, there’s our train!

We’ll have to catch the next one now, and I think it’s going to rain.

“Where’s the loo? Oh, there it is. I won’t be long you know.

Wait right there. Don’t leave me here. Promise you won’t go!

You might think it’s funny if I’m lost forever here

But I’ll come right back and haunt you through the ghostly atmosphere.”

“The hook is gone from this door here. I can’t hang up my bag

And if I hang it round my neck, my knees will tend to sag.

O buggar! Now I’ve dropped it. God knows what’s on the floor.

It won’t be going on my kitchen table any more.

Where’s Mitzi? God, we’ve lost her. Only Mitzi knows the way

And now she’s disappeared up on the street – which way?

There she is, a fella’s got her, no, he’s giving her a sign

And now she knows we’ve all arrived in a straggling broken line.

We’ve got some time to spare just now, so grab a bite to eat

We have to get there early if we want a decent seat.

Where’s Tanya? What’s she wearing? God, we’ve lost another one,

Hope she finds us here before proceedings have begun.

“Quick! Grab that row. We’ll need it all. There’s twelve of us, you know.

Now Carmel, don’t you whistle. It’s not ladylike, you know.”

With orders from on high, Denise & Robyn, to be exact

I wasn’t game to whistle. Showed decorum! That’s a fact!

Lindsay and Bruce, with nervous smiles, walked proudly on the stage

Showing all the quiet dignity that comes to men their age.

It’s really quite an honour winning this in Seniors Week

They’ve accepted the award, but don’t have to give a speech.

Barry’s got his camera out and flashing all around

The way he’s leaping all about, his feet don’t touch the ground.

Carolyn knows a lovely girl who’ll give us a backstage tour.

We’ll have to make it quick though ‘coz our train departs at four.

We’ll have to get our skates on now to get back to the train

“Line up, ladies. I want a shot. Don’t worry about the rain.

A picture’s worth a thousand words, at least that’s what I’ve heard

So I want one more of Lindsay waiting there with all you birds.”

Pictures taken, off we went to catch our first home-train

Time was tight, so when we changed we’d have to run again.

We clung to the pole in the vestibule while the train bowled quietly on

It’s an hour-long wait at Hornsby if the train we want is gone.

“Let’s all stay here together where we can quickly jump and run

With lots of other people here, we can chat and have some fun.”

Wonder why this train’s so slow? That’s just not what we need.

We’re going to have to run again, and we aren’t built for speed!

At Hornsby station with seconds to spare, we found our train was late

And just as well. We had ten minutes to catch our breath and wait.

We all admired the award again, and talked of many things

And I think we all were wishing our feet could sprout some wings.

With unaccustomed ‘social’ shoes, our feet were feeling sore

And we all knew, when we got back home, we’d have to walk some more,.

So we settled back into our seats and rested our weary hones,

And arranged for pickups to get back home. Thank God for mobile phones!

For Noah’s Ark they came in twos, and that’s how we left the train

With the evening moving gently in and the promise of more rain.

The day was long, the company fun, but home was a welcome sight

And after the miles we’d walked that day, I slept real well that night.