Netherby celebrations – King Island July 2016
150 years after the Netherby met its fate
We returned to King Island to celebrate
The survival of all passengers and crew
Plus the birth of one more – brand new
On Thursday 14th we went to the shipwreck site
And saw the wild surf, felt the wind bite
The hardship of that event hit home
And called forth from me this poem
Meeting many descendants was a real treat
Getting us all there an amazing feat
The organisers deserve accolades galore
The locals a warm welcome did ensure
My family basked in Caroline’s colours so bold
In fishermen’s houses buffered from the cold
Surrounded by her art even in the shower
She is truly a living treasure
The lighthouses soar high, the cheeses taste divine,
The penguins are cute and the art sublime
But the restaurant without food is unique for sure
And the cream cakes to die for
Our ancestors, the Cubbins, from the Isle of Man did sail
But were wrecked on another Isle and lived to tell the tale
Interestingly their Isle and the Isle of their daughter’s birth
Share a love of cream-cakes as well as the same shape and girth
Nettie’s birthday on Saturday night we did celebrate
We sang happy birthday and cut the cake
‘Cradled by Man’ was launched and Myles shared his wit
Then the bush dance began and around the room we did flit
A wonderful weekend full of King Island charm
Friends Ted and Carmel showed us their impressive farm
The food, the people, the museum, the art
We explored, we laughed, King Island you took our heart
Many thanks for the organisation superb
For the tales of many descendants we heard
For the food and good cheer
But especially for the memories of ancestors so dear
The wonderful celebrations on King Island were all recorded. See Netherby2016.com – go into facebook page and look at videos. Myles super poem is there and my speech, sadly missing the part at the beginning about the similarities between the Isle of Man and King Island: size and shape almost the size – but more importantly they both make exceptional cream-cakes.
