Kelpies Verses

The author is my late father who wrote these poems during his lifetime and of life's experiences. He was born on the 19/12/1923 and died 6/10/2004. He was the older of 2 boys born to Jock and Muriel Casement in Bairnsdale Victoria and lived his life in Metung and Mallacoota. He was a fisherman, fishing the Mallacoota lakes, deep sea fishing and taking parties on deep sea and lake fishing trips in his 32 foot boat the Kay Sea. The Kay Sea was named after his second youngest daughter Kaye who was born the same year that the boat was built. The Kay Sea was specially built with a shallow draft to handle the shallow and treacherous bar (entrance) at Mallacoota. The boat was commonly known as the only sea going kangaroo on the coast! Dad also had the mail run from Mallacoota to Gabo Island for 12 years, every second week, weather permitting. He would take the mail and supplies to the families at Gabo. Sometimes the run was very late due to bad weather and the families had to cope best they could. Dad and mum were pen friends during the war and they married in April 1947, he had won mum over with his writing. They had 5 children. Dad loved life, people and animals and had old fashion country values. He was a larrikin, had a good sense of humor and lived a little on the wild side. He was very articulate, splicing ropes and mending fishing nets was as precise as you will see. At the age of 17 he decided he wanted to go to war and joined the services and spent time in New Guinea. He and his brother George were presented bravery awards in 1956 for having saved a fellow fisherman off Mallacoota when they got into trouble in their ketch in rough seas. Dad was an avid reader of all literature, fact and fiction, his favorite being history. Dad suffered a stroke 18/8/81 and was never really the same again although he did live another 16 years at a much slower pace than previously.