Remove our tanker jetty? Not on your flamin’ life.
If you attempt to do so it will cause a lot of strife.
You will meet resistance like you never have before,
if wishes of your citizens you’re choosing to ignore.
The Norfolk pines and jetty are Esperance “Heart and Soul”;
Their history and heritage perform a vital role.
To ignore the plea of locals may be perilous I say;
To rebuild the tanker jetty, may be a better way.
I walked the Esperance jetty, in the days when it was “New,”
above the turquoise ocean and beneath a sky of blue.
Though I marvelled at the framework I could not visualize,
how the townsfolk would prosper in this southern paradise
I see the coastal ship Mundulla berthed beside the pier;
A locomotive puffing through the scenes of yesteryear;
There’s a ripple of excitement from townsfolk standing by
While sea gulls go wheeling through a silent, sunny sky,
From Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie folks came down in droves
to fish along the jetty and to picnic round the coves
The jetty was pleasure spot for fishing day and nights
from pylons, deck or landing and underneath the lights
Just a skeleton is left now, a bleak sight in the bay
I wonder how much it means to the people of today
If there wasn’t any jetty then folks would stay away
or find another jetty where they’ll have their holiday
This wondrous wooden structure that ran out in the sea
may become the ghost of ages in this towns history
Though elders of the district appealed for its salvation,
the local Shire Council have dismissed their application
This old jetty structure can be recycled to preserve
the timbers of the forest that we’re hoping to conserve.
If pylons can be salvaged, are they worth a lot of dough?
Would it mean a tidy profit for someone in the know?
A replacement made of metal may not be suitable I feel;
A jetty made of metal is a thought as cold as steel
Esperance needs a jetty we must take the long term view
its people must now settle on the wisest thing to do
John Hayes ©