Australia, Australia, Australia

It was the dignified ship horn blasts that heralded hello 
together with the salute from a myriad of smaller craft 
that highlighted the welcome …

… giving their shake wave acknowledgement 
against the magnificence of our sizeable vessel - 
the ‘Galileo’. The ship moved at a stately slow pace.

As the bow cut gracefully in the still sea, it was 
as if, from the depths, a bubbling champagne effervescence 
glittered glorious Spring sunshine into life.

That unforgettable early Sunday morning in September 1969. 
After four weeks, standing on top deck with ‘Rottnest Island' on the right, 
and ‘Fremantle’ discernible and increasing in definition.

That first impression, the hello to a new life, 
a new country, a new week, and that first day  
of my beginning -

Australia, Australia, Australia

I try to hold on to that memory, 
of that initial day. Like catching a new fish, 
fresh out of the sea.

That amazing sight of something stunningly beautiful 
just caught and held against the light of day - 
those first few moments.

Australia, Australia, Australia

Richard Scutter 26 January 2022, Australia Day

Galileo Galilei – A Lloyd Triestino ship built in 1963 that plied migrants from Italy to Australia
Rottnest – an Island close to Freemantle, the port entrance to city of Perth, Western Australia