For the Love of the Snowgum

By Doug Manders

The parrots screech, the currawongs flee. The sentinels stand, with their fist of iron hold. Upon the hill they stand. The twisted sentinels stand as it bows to the wind. With its arms stretched out to the foreboding storm clouds across the range. The foreboding dark sky dances with the branches in all their twisted glory as the moan of the wind

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Mar 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643453798

Book preview

Introduction

The gentle moan of the wind, sounded through the ice-encrusted snow gums, brushing up against the lodge at night. The feeling of being cosy and snug was certainly a wonderful feeling as a child, when going to sleep. I always did feel that the snow gum forest had a magical and mystical aura about it, when the mist was down and the snow was around it. I really felt like I wanted to explore it. Actually, I wanted to see it all, as I got familiar with the mountains of home. As schoolboys, we all felt that excitement of the areas, yet to be visited in our futures.

The first weekend that I saw snow, we all went out for dinner, at a famous establishment on Mt. Buller. That night, we walked across Bourke St. With the squeaking powder snow underfoot. With the large snowflakes, silhouetted against the floodlights at night, it was wonderful and I was hooked. Even though I was a complete oaf, at skiing.

I suppose, long before that, I had an interest in the snow country. People talked about these places, you pick up things