It was early in the morning as he drove me to the airport
The city was awash with sunlight fresh and bright and new
And as we drove he told me of his home town and his family
He came here from the Greek Islands at 19 in .
They laughed at him in Flinders Street in his tailored foreign clothing
Without a word of English he set out to build a dream
And now his health has failed him after 30 years of labouring
But he's proud of the life he built and the Aussie he became.
And how many times has he told his tale to strangers
Laying out his life while driving round and round the town
How many time has he had no word of answer
From passengers preoccupied with stories of their own
I didn't notice her until she came and sat beside me
She started conversation in a voice genteel and clear
She usued to be a nanny, nursemaid to a wealthy family
She went to them for six months and stayed for fifty years.
She'd only left the family home a year ago Madam died
Now she lives alone and comes to town for company
And the baby that she nursed is now a 50 year old bachelor
Who brings her shirts to iron and some sweets and memories.
And how many times has she told her tale to strangers
Met by chance on buses in cafes over tea
How many times has she delighted in exchanges
With people who are friends for those few moments of her day
These are the people of our time no less than those
Whose names and faces grace our papers pages and our TV screens
People on who's labour in the shadows we havve built our lives
Who get none of the glory and who bear most of the pain.
And how many times do they tell their tales to strangers
Who turn away in silence and pretend they didn't hear
How many times do we throw away such changes
Never knowing what we might have learned with open ears.