THE poem below was written and composed by Dudley Harrison, Albie Pead, Bill Pritchard, and their pals during their service in New Guinea.
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It first appeared in the Hastings Gazette on Wednesday December 16, 1942 after being submitted by the boys' mothers.
It was recently discovered by Bill's son Victor Pritchard while going through some family records and now 72 years later, appears once again in the Wauchope Gazette.
Somewhere in New Guinea
Somewhere in New Guinea, where the sun is like a curse,
And each day is followed by a day slightly worse,
Where the slippery black mud grows quicker than the shifting desert sands,
And all men dream and wish for a fairer land.
Somewhere in New Guinea, where a woman's never been,
Where the sky is always cloudy and the grass is always green,
Where the sirens nightly howling rob a man of blessed sleep,
Where there isn't any whisky and the beer would never keep.
Somewhere in New Guinea where the nights are made for love,
Where the moon is like a searchlight and the Southern Cross above,
Sparkling like a diamond in a balmy tropic night;
It's a shameful waste of beauty when there's not a girl in sight.
Somewhere in New Guinea where the mail is always late,
And a Christmas card in April is considered up to date,
And we never have a pay-day and never have a cent;
But we never miss the money, 'cause we'd never get it spent.
Somewhere in New Guinea with the coconuts above,
Where the insects crawl about and the rats climb up above;
They all just come in swarms in the clammy tropic night;
It's a shameless waste of Nature but you soon get used to the sight.
Somewhere in New Guinea, where the ants and lizards play,
And a hundred fresh mosquitoes replace each one you slay.
Take me back to Aussie, where my heart will always dwell,
For this God-forsaken outpost is a substitute for hell.