BUSH poet Murray Hartin has written some incredible poetry over the years, and his recollections of the Moree Show as a kid, really hits the mark.
It was a time when sideshow alley spielers would yell “push your way in, and push your way over,” and “headless, topless and alive! How does she eat? How does she breathe?”.
The star attraction was always Vanessa the Undresser – all the way from the US of A – and the trademark “one way drivers, one way” from the dodgem cars was a staple.
For many, as Murray so perfectly pens, the childhood days of the Moree Show seemed only like yesterday.
The Moree Show continues today, with plenty to see and plenty to do, so get along and support one of Moree’s biggest events.
Take Me Back To The Show
By Murray Hartin
Today our lives roll along at a furious pace,
What used to be fun gets lost in the race,
The money you make is chewed up by bills,
You’re doing the hours but where are the thrills?
But sit back, close your eyes, drift back in time
Before I-pods and x-boxes muddled young minds
When you made your own fun and saved all your dough
For the best day of all – when you went to the show
And the Moree Show was an absolute cracker
Forget Seaworld and Idol, Foxtel and Maccas
You’d trade the whole lot just to get a few bucks
For a hot Dagwood Dog and a shot at the ducks
Running through Sideshow Alley, no care in the world,
Us kids were all safe, the young boys and girls,
Fairy Floss on our faces and tickets to ride
On the Dodgems or Go-Karts or huge Giant Slide
Sprint through the pavilion, check out the cakes,
Sometimes there’d be men showing lizards and snakes
Then back to the car parked nose to the fence
“Aw c’mon, please mum, I only want fifty cents”
Then as the sun settled low, you stayed at the car
While the dads found their way to the Cattlemen’s Bar
What was to come was a magical sight
That time when the fireworks lit up the night
We’d scream for the red ones, the greens and the gold
Sometimes it seems sad that we had to get old
Those simple pleasures we shared in our childhood days
Now we’ve all grown up we’re too busy to play
But there’s a place in your mind that makes you feel young
Where a Fairy Floss taste still tickles your tongue
The journey is free, it’s the best place to go,
You’re a kid in Moree and you’re back at The Show.
To read more of Muz’s poetry go to Murray Hartin Website.
