Australian Prime Ministers; they don’t make them like they used to

28th March, 2010

In the long, proud history of Australian Prime Ministries,
There’s been many strong, proud men who’ve formed their own dynasties,
Great leaders of men, but at the end of the day,
They don’t make them like used to, do they?

When Australia’s long, proud history was only just startin’,
The tradition began with Sir Edmund Barton,
And so began a succession of men to whom our hats we would doff,
Men with names such as Alfred, George, Arthur and Gough.

At the start of the century when the great war was the news,
Australians turned to the veteran, William Morris ‘Billy’ Hughes,
And through the history of time as our great nation has grown,
A total of 26 men have ascended to the throne.

Over time they’ve come and they’ve gone, for short times or long,
Some proved ever so popular, some selections plain wrong,
Forde lasted just 8 short days, Menzies stayed for 16 long years,
But their imprimatur lives on, long after the backslapping and cheers.

Great leaders of men, but at the end of the day,
They don’t make them like used to, do they?

In the more recent of times we’ve had interesting choices,
Men of power, men decisive, strong characters, strong voices,
Both Liberal and Labor, some success, some failure,
But each man has given great service to Australia.

The controversy of Whitlam, the charisma of Hawke,
The foul mouth of Keating, oh could that man talk!
The contentious years of Fraser, the prosperity of Howard,
Brings us to 2007, and our history books I have scoured.

Australians made a fateful decision in November 2007,
And elected an unknown quantity, a Queenslander named Kevin,
He promised the world, but adulation is all he does crave,
And his lack of character would have Ben Chifley turning in his grave.

As our children go to school and learn of Australian history,
Rudd will go down in the fullness of time as a man of great mystery.
A man of ego and untruths, the man is the sum of all our fears,
The reign of Rudd will go into the annals as ‘2007-2010; the wasted years’.

You know something? Having said that, now let me say;
They don’t make them like used to, do they?