My Santiago

Bill on the Land (Dedicated to Bill Pengilly 87 years of age and still on the land by himself in Wilmington South Australia)

Bill is on the land at 87.

It is a hard land, Yielding only to those who work it with love; Appreciating its surreal beauty.

Bill has been on the land a long time.

He lives, alone in the farmhouse, Untouched by time’s fads.

There is the timeless stove The picture of the two handsome brothers - Circa Adelaide, 1952 - in cricketing whites, (Bill and John), And the concession to time, A flat screen TV.

Brutal summer sun has stripped the farmhouse back But it stands nevertheless, Defiant against the rain - less landscape, Refusing to yield. In the backyard lie the jetsam of bygone machines, Tractors, trucks, farming machinery, Intractable, unfixable, Destined to simply merge into the landscape.

Yes, Bill has his connections to the world, His portable radio, his TV, His weekly trips into town, Groceries, drinks at the pub, And his extended family. Scattered across the nation, They think of him, Admire him, Call him, Keep the link intact. He – in contrast - is a man of few words,