Category: ecosystems

book, ecosystems, Life lessons, poetry, writing

Happy Memories and Non-violence

James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud Repairian

Some memories last a lifetime. Like happy memories. My childhood was blessed and I was surrounded with happy people. My parents, grandparents and my parents’ friends. We used to go bushwalking in the Grampians in Victoria. I was only 2 or 3 years old and I would run off up ahead along the track alone. I would watch the birds flitting in and out of the small shrubs and admire all the wild flowers that blossomed everywhere. Then I would run back to where the walking party was coming. Sometimes I would crouch down behind a tree and jump out and surprise everyone who was walking towards me. They would all act surprised and I would laugh because I thought that it was funny. I knew not to stray from the path because I could get lost. I never did get lost and I have never lost these happy memories.

I am the little boy in the photo below and holding me is a friend of my parents’, Laurie O’Brien. I always remember Laurie as a happy man and he still is. Today is his birthday and I couldn’t think of a better way to thank him for the memories than to write a happy birthday poem for him.

Memories of the Grampians

Happy Birthday it is true, Happy Birthday just for you

Happy Birthday, you are great. We love the way that you act 8.

Happy Birthday with lots of money. You know I’m just being funny

Wishing you this birthday wish, I hope you get a sloppy kiss

From your darling loving wife. Who has stuck with you all your life

Happy Birthday dear Laurie. You never seem to ever worry

I wrote this poem just for you. Read it when you’re in the loo

Happy Birthday Laurence O’Brien. I hope you have a wonderful time.

My Grandfather

Another fond memory that has never left me is that of my grandfather. He was killed in a car accident when I was only 4 years old. However the memories that I have of him are only positive. While my parents were working I would go a stay with my grandmother for the day. I used to arrive early and watch him shave before work. He would put shaving soap on my face and then pretend to shave it off. We would drive to the airport sometimes and as we would approach and overpassing bridge he say, “no more bridges” then as we went under the bridge he would tap me on the head with a rolled up newspaper and I would laugh. He would laugh. We’d both laugh together. I loved him and he loved me.

I have been fortunate in my life to have had happy and kind men around me when I was young. My father is one of those men. He never hit or smacked me and was always measured in his discipline preferring to use his words than any form of violence. For this I am grateful and this has been reflected in my peaceful non-violent attitude to life. I have never attacked anyone and only ever stepped in between people who were about to fight in order to protect them.

One year I was in West End in Brisbane and there was a drunk guy who was causing trouble. Five other guys were ushering him away and he was getting increasingly aggressive and agitated and starting to swing punches at them. I didn’t want to see him or them get hurt so I walked over, took off my shirt held up my arms and said, “if you want to hit someone hit me.” He punched into my stomach which was tensed and I felt his wrist crack. He then took a swing at my head and I ducked backwards. He just grazed my forehead and then stopped. I looked him square in the eye and said, “Is that it? Have you had enough?” His friend walked over and said to him, “I think you’d better go” He left. Nobody was hurt, except perhaps for his pride and fractured wrist.”

After I studied Environmental Science at university I worked for Greenpeace. The Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and then the START-Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on the 31st of July 1991 and the break up of the USSR 26th of December 1991. So by the time I worked for Greenpeace the Cold War was over. The only problem was that the USA had so much money invested in the war machine and arms production that they were addicted to profits and then had to create conflicts in through lies and deceit by dehumanising muslim people.

Now in 2021 we are in one of the most peaceful times in human history. If we get rid of armies and weapons we can truely create abundance, wealth, security and peace on Earth for all people.

We can finally thrive together, care for on another and live in peace on Earth. I wrote the “Legend of the Bombagun” as a post war vision of the world that I would like to see in the future. Below is Part 1 and the rest is available in the second of my “in Nimbin” books, Lust in Nimbin available on Amazon.

My grandfather served in the ADF in WWII and I have always honoured him and the ANZACS for the sacrifices that they made. My belief is that one day the only armies that exist will be responsible for planting trees and vegetable gardens so we can all have freely available healthy nourishing food world wide and live in peace and war will only be a memory. Thank you to all the peaceful men in my life.

Legend of the Bombagund Part 1

Henceforth the sloothan warp was hest. 

No more warp kiel est.

Legend of the Bombagund. 

Peace now reigns but the rivs were blud. 

Over there in future Earth, 

Father tells his son a story. 

“Long ago the rivs were blud”

“This story will be gory.”

Henceforth the sloothan warp was hest. 

No more warp kiel est.

Legend of the Bombagund. 

Peace now reigns but the rivs were blud. 

Warrender came in a gust of whoosh.

Against no warp did he push,

The Pushers and their rivs a blud. 

All lay down the bombagun. 

The bombagun henceforth no gotten

But the rivs a blud are not forgotten. 

The peace now rigns not the bombagund

Warps rivs a blud no longer run. 

Henceforth the sloothan warp will never. 

Warp kiel est no more ever. 

Legend of the bombagund. 

Peace now reigns and the rivs are love. 

Warrender stood between the others. 

He said, “Hey warps, kiel me yor brutha”

The Warps they answered, “Why? But no.”

“There’s rivs a blud upon the snow”

“ These bombagund no need have gotten 

but the rivs a blud are not forgotten”

Warrender came to heal the Earth 

And the rivs now run clear rainbow birth. 

Henceforth they stopped the rivs a blud. 

And the rivs now flowing rivs a love. 

Warrender stopped the Bombagund

And the rivs a blud no longer run. 

“ Tell me dad. What’s a Bombagund?”

“Twas a machine to make the rivs a blud run son”

Henceforth the sloothan warp was hest. 

No more warp kiel est. 

Legend of the Bombagund. 

The rivs now flow clear rainbow love. 

Legend of the Bombagund Illustrated on YouTube.

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change, ecosystems, Life lessons, poetry

Happiness and my house is your house

James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud Repairian

I begin by acknowledging the Banbai people as the traditional custodians of the land on which I am living and the continuing connection to the land of elders past, present and emerging.

We are all visitors somewhere and my house is your house. I arrived in Guyra in late March 2020 and opened the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame on the fist day of the Australian COVID-19 lockdown. It was a surreal experience to move to a new town to open a new tourist and entertainment venture and walk outside into the main street of the town to find it deserted.

There were special exemptions for businesses which were providing an essential service. On my way to Guyra from Nimbin I went via Brisbane to see my son and I stopped at Aldi where I bought a pack of 24 bottles of water for $12. They were the first thing that I put on the shelf at $1 per bottle. In my mind, I was offering an essential service. I am an Aquarius, the water carrier and an air sign. That’s also why the name “Thundercloud” makes a lot of sense to me.

What is a Thundercloud, if not water in air?

One of my first visitors was a very friendly local woman by the name Gladys Wilson. I am Glad that I met Gladys as she has become one of my best friends in Guyra and the biggest supporter of the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame. She is the same age as my dad, she is always happy and glad and since I came along she has embraced not only writing poetry but also performing poetry. Gladys has always lived in Guyra, she grew up here, left school in grade nine and living proof that you are never too old to learn something new. Gladys has many endearing traits, one of which is that she talks to everyone and is welcoming to everyone that she meets. Gladys is a living example of “my house is your house.”

The next people that I met here in Guyra were some of the seasonal workers at the tomato farm. Guyra has the biggest tomato greenhouses in Australia and if you have eaten a tomato in Australia then there is a good chance that they come from Guyra. There are hundreds of jobs available at the tomato farm but not enough Guyra people to do the jobs, nor enough Australian people interested in moving to Guyra to work on the tomato farm. The result is that workers from the Pacific Islands come here on seasonal visas. They come from Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and more.

Tony Nati and Paul Tony were the next two people that I met and they come from and island in Vanuatu called Malekula. Tony’s brother Ken Nati also lives and works in Guyra and after this weekend Ken might be going home. All these Guys were only supposed to be in Australia for a maximum of six months and it but COVID came and they have all been here for nearly two years. Most of them have families in Vanuatu with children so when they return their children will have substantially grown up. It has been difficult for them to be away from their families for so long however there is a positive side. Vanuatu is the country in the world that is most prone to natural disasters. Cyclones, volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis all occur in Vanuatu

The price of building materials is expensive in Vanuatu and the official currency is the Vanuatu Vatu VUV of which one Australian Dollar buys 84 Vatu. Working in Australia is one way that “Ni-Van” people get foreign currency and use it to build strong natural disaster proof homes for their families. The “Ni-Van” people here in Guyra have always been welcome to come and play music at the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame and Ken Nati, being a great rhythm piano player has embraced the opportunity and it is my pleasure to offer him and our brothers “my home.” I know that when I visit Vanuatu, and I will visit Vanuatu, that I will be welcomed into their home like it is my home with full Vanuatu hospitality.

Vanuatu might be the most natural disaster prone country in the world but is also the 4th happiest country in the world according to the “Happy Planet Index” . Next month, July 30th is the 41st anniversary of Vanuatu independence and I am holding the local Guyra celebration here at the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame as a funds raiser for the Melanesia Volleyball Club which is made up of members of the Seasonal Worker Program.

Today I met some new arrivals for the seasonal worker program. They are from the Solomon Islands and they came to ask me if they could come and practice their singing in the theatre here. I said yes of course and was treated to the two angelic voices of Sina and Leslie. There is no data on the happiness index of the Solomon Islands but somehow I reckon that they are pretty happy people too. The odd thing is that when I look at the Happy Planet Index Map most of the so called wealthy countries are in red or orange and not that happy and most of the happiest countries are less wealthy.

It just goes to show that money can’t buy happiness.

My House is Your House

My house is your house, we are all visitors

Welcome in my door, one day I’ll visit yours

When you visit my house, please bring harmony

Make yourself at home, please have a cup of tea

My house is your house as you are my brother

We’re from different lands and another mother

Come well into my house, enjoy my hospitality

As I know that you would do the same for me.

My house is your house, we can be good friends

This is our beginning and not where it ends

I don’t care if you’re rich nor if you are poor

Young or old, with respect, you’re welcome in my door

My house is your house, let us both be happy

When I visit your house, I won’t make it crappy

Welcome into my house, I see you brought a smile

Let’s enjoy our time together, let’s enjoy a while.

If you enjoyed this you can buy me a coffee

Djanbung's Peaceful Protest in Nimbin
animals, book, ecosystems, health, Life lessons, poetry, writing

Pete the surfer

James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud Repairian

Please support Thundercloud as an independent writer,publisher, and poet and buy his books by following the links. 

Nimbin, 2018 sitting in a cafe on the street I was approached by an old mate, Pete. Pete loves surfing and was excited to tell me about his day surfing the day before. Pete left and went into the chemist and by the time he walked out I had finished this piece of poetry and read it back to Pete. He was stoked and now finally it is published.

14, 16, 28, 44 in his head 

I’ve had a great day Pete the surfer said

I went down to Ballina. No one could get out

Even the jet ski driver wouldn’t tow me out

 

The surf was too big, 4 meters or more

It was messy and swirly no one could leave shore

So I walked out the rock wall and dived in the rip

Iit took me out way back on a round about trip

 

I was surfing alone, a pin prick from the shore

I got some big rippers one five meters for sure

I was out in the big waves. I was surfin’ alone

It was bliss, I’m so happy, the wind wasn’t blowin

 

It was glassy and smooth and I got in a tube

It took me back 20 years to when I was a Juvenile 

I dunno what they’ll say at the hospital tomorrow” Pete said

“They’ve been working two years to fix this stuffed leg

I couldn’t give a shit. I’ll enjoy my life too

I’ll sleep well tonight. You know I’m seventy two

But age doesn’t matter, it’s great to be alive

Said Pete the surfer, “ I only feel twenty five”  

 

You will be able to buy this and much more of my 2018 poetry in a 218 page book soon to be released, Djanbung’s peaceful protest in Nimbin. (Djanbung is the Bundjalung word for Platypus)

Thanks Pete.

The following is the first two verses of “The Platypus” which is the introductory poem in Djanbung’s Peaceful Protest in Nimbin.

The Platypus

14/1/2018

Down in the creek the platypus lives. 

On the fish and insects water gives. 

Down in the creek the platypus dreams.

Of abundance in crystal clear streams. 

It’s brown and furry with a duck-like nose.

With a tail that looks like a beaver goes. 

Webbed feet help it swim through the creek 

With a rubbery electromagnetic sensitive  beak. 

 

The platypus’s home is crude but good

He lives in a burrow by the creek that won’t flood

The platypus lays its eggs underground. 

The babies are born in a burrow they’re found.

Because the platypus swims there in the creek 

The platypus has a big rubbery beak. 

A mouth that’s like a duckbill nose 

It’s got claws on its feet and spikes on its toes. 

The platypus burrows underground

Where it lays its eggs, its babies are found. 

 

Thanks Djanbung and stay alert for “Djanbung’s Peaceful Protest in Nimbin” book 4 of the “Love and Lust in Nimbin” poetry series by Thundercloud Repairian out not as ebooks and paperbacks. Just click the links below to buy my books and support me as an artist.

 Love in Nimbin: Love and infinity in Nimbin for all eternity and for our corroborees of song and stories of our dreamings (Love and Lust in Nimbin Book 1)
Lust in Nimbin: Love and infinity in Nimbin for all eternity and for our corroborees of song and stories of our dreamings (Love and Lust in Nimbin Book 2)
Poetry to End Prohibition: The voice of the tawny frogmouth (Love and Lust in Nimbin Book 3)

Love in Nimbin by Thundercloud Repairian Love and Infinity in Nimbin for all eternity and for our corroborees of song and stories of our dreamings
The tawny frogmouth came to me very late one night.

animals, biography, book, change, ecosystems, health, Humour, Life lessons, poetry, poetry, politics, prohibition

Lust in Nimbin

James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud Repairian
Stuck at home, don’t be a loner.
Read Lust in Nimbin, Don’t catch Corona
My newest book release is out now.
The second edition of “Lust in Nimbin” the poetry of Thundercloud Repairian FREE as an ebook and from the 21st of March until the 25th of of March 2020 only.
Check it out here Lust in Nimbin
ecosystems, health, Life lessons, poetry, poetry

Australian Poetry Hall of Fame

James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud Repairian

Guyra, Monday 24 March 2020. Stopped to look around.

See empty shops and houses for sale.

Think to self, could open a business here.

See empty teatre for lease, call owner, look about, take lease and continue the drive home to Nimbin from Orange.

Light bulb moment, “Australian Poetry Hall of Fame” Established 3 March 2020.

Current Status 18/3/2020 COVID-9 delayed moving into Arcadian Theatre due to public safety until 27/3/2020

Bond paid, internet and electricity organised.

30 page plus business plan including events, and product ecosystem.

Applying for grants.

To find out more go directly to the website Australian Poetry Hall of Fame.