‘Why do I climb the mountain?’
We sometimes have family members asking about making gifts to the TLC in memory of a loved one. Spencer Woolley was in touch earlier this year after his dad died, wanting to direct gifts in lieu of flowers to the Tinderbox campaign. After the funeral, we received some stories written by Spencer’s late father, Ronald Gordon Woolley, and a poem, ‘Why?’.
Ron wrote:
I lived, hunted and fished in the bush in my early years but never bushwalked for walking’s sake until my middle thirties when I had a mill in the Denison valley at the start of the Lake Skinner walking track. Having just bought a camera, I was keen to try it out so I went for a walk to Lake Skinner. This was the first of over two hundred trips to all parts of the Snowy Range, naming Woolley’s Tarn at the foot of Wet Pants Peak.
Walking developed a keen interest in native plants, which I enjoyed photographing. I could identify by their botanical name, almost all of the plants I saw on my walking trips. Over forty years I walked in areas all over the state until ill health made it impossible for me to continue. I particularly appreciated the Port Davey and South Coast areas and made several camping trips to the far south. Other places I particularly enjoyed were the western Arthurs, Mount Bobs, Cradle Mountain, Mount Field, Frenchman’s Cap and the Walls of Jerusalem to name a few. Over the years, I introduced many new comers to the joys of our natural world. I also cut a number of walking tracks to various waterfalls, Lake Skinner and Woolley’s Tarn.
Spencer, describing his dad, said, “Saw miller, tree feller, groundsman, bushwalker, photographer, gardener, amateur botanist, cricketer, conservationist, administrator. Hard working, brave, intelligent, skilful, kind, sensitive, patient, resilient, stoic ….so many adjectives to describe him. But to we siblings, Dad will always be a ‘legend’ for the values we gained from him, the experiences he created for us, the sacrifices he made for us and the love he shared with us.”
We have republished Ron’s poem below. People have such important connections with nature and it’s a real privilege to have personal reflections like these shared with us.
If you would like to know more about leaving a gift to the TLC, please visit our bequests page.
Sophie Marshall, Planned Giving Coordinator
Why
By Ron G Woolley
why do I climb the mountain
with its misty dreaming peaks
why do I roam the forest
with its moss and ferns and creeks
why do I walk the beaches
of the lonely south coast’s shore
why climb the craggy headlands
what am I looking for?
*
why look for springtime flowers
on every walk I take
why do they grow so brightly
on mountains and by lake
why do I walk the bushland
in summer’s blazing heat
why do I make the effort
on aching legs and feet
why seek the tangled fagus
on a hillside shining gold
why do the leaves of autumn fall
perhaps they fear the cold
why feel the peace and solitude
of a frozen winter’s day
why go back and back again
why can’t I stay away?
*
why sit on a misty ridge top
as another day is born
and hear the bush birds’ chorus
to the coming of the dawn
why climb the rugged mountain
and strive to reach the top
why do I keep on going
when I would rather stop
why sit and watch a sunset
on a darkening southern sea
why watch a day that’s dying
what is it telling me?
*
why do I love the mountains
perhaps this is why I go
to see a mystic shadow
on a sunlit bank of snow
why stop and sit and wonder
at an eagle soaring high
and hear the voice of the lonely wind
softly asking why?