​It is a barren land
A few trees not much bloody grass
It's gunna feed the kids and us
We better not have too many
Replied a robust Mary Bolden
They'd been married for five years

That night they slept in the wagon
Their first night in Jeffcott
On their new selection
Been a long hot trip
Through January and February
From Warrnambool in 1873

They were 12 miles east of Donald
A small settlement near the Mallee
They had 250 acres to farm
William Mary and their boy
Three year old Joe ran wild
As wild as a three year old could

Th next day William and Mary
Hitched up the wagon
They had seen a small forest
On the way in yesterday
Mary needed a house
Nothing fancy four walls and a roof

They had brought a stove with them
And all the tools they needed
To build Mary's house
They spent the day cutting
And carting wood home
The house will be up in no time

Sleep came quickly that night
Two months on the road
Hadn't prepared them for the hard work
Mary spent more time chasing Joe
The little bugger was everywhere
Never worried about bloody snakes

A week of hard work
Mary had four walls and a roof
No windows or doors
They will come before winter
A make shift table and chairs
Sat in the hut with the stove

They woke to the dog barking
Musta found a bloody snake
William muttered heading outside
He was greeted by a G'day mate
A bloke standing next to a horse
I'm Frank Tonkin I live up the road

Shut up ya bloody mongrel
He yelled at the dog
As he shook Tonkin's hand
Good to meet ya
I'm William Bolden and
This is Mary and our boy Joe

With the promise to meet on
Sunday at the church
Tonkin rode off in a dust cloud
That blighter gets up bloody early
No Joe we slept in
Been a tiring couple of weeks

​The Selection