Birth Of The ‘shepherdess’ Poem by Terence George Craddock (Spectral Images and Images Of Light)

The ‘Shepherdess’ arrived at
Constant Bay on Sunday
afternoon 1879 31st August
sea calm virtually no wind
but no harbourmaster on duty

she lay off the entrance harbour
until the following morning
awaiting signalled to enter port
light breeze weather fine clear

attempting to tow the schooner
‘Shepherdess’ into port
through narrow rocky entrance
using a dinghy surf boat
to secure anchorage mooring rocks

suddenly a large wave swamped
stout dinghy threw
Thomas Bailie, Charles Craddock
into tidal sea surge
Bailie managed to clamber back

into surf boat then pulled dragged
Charles Craddock
back in but tragically immediately
a second wave smashed
into the boat, overturned the boat

again two men are thrown into surf
what wave force
second wave overturned the dinghy
impossible to right
no option but try to swim for shore

pounding surf smashed valiant efforts
into ocean inlet
floor time time again, each try time
it hope appeared
they might reach safety, wild breakers

drove two back, while crowd watched
life drama helplessly
two men struggled, desperately constantly
for their mortal lives
none attempted, dive into boiling waters

none thought to throw hope a rope
a large crowd gathered
perhaps none could swim wild tide
finally a rope was found
they tried to throw to struggling men

three times four more rope was flung
delay was to late
weak limbs could not grab last hope
too late too late
Thomas Bailie made a desperate lunge

for last life spent ebb hope the rope
gasps watchers eyes
Bailie starfish clings hung with tenacity
a man who surely knew
to release life thread was to brine drown

Bailie was dragged from sea by watchers
on a rocky shore
but Charles Craddock was spent exhausted
by fearsome struggle
could not swim in could not swim reach rope

Charles sank beneath waves once twice
re-surfaced struggles
struggles shoreward struggles Charles sank
below waves third
time last time Charles was gone lost lost...

to a brine grave while wild breakers
breaking broadside
across the ‘Shepherdess’ bumped
schooner toward port
good news tragedy overshadowed

Charles Craddock in death left a wife
three children in 1879
body swept away never recovered
a fortnight accident after
a leg was washed ashore duly buried

this leg was buried in Charleston cemetery
a belief in Craddock family
maintains though event was not recorded
in cemetery burial records
Constant Bay life lost in adverse conditions.


See also the poem ‘Where Unknown Ancestors Died’.
Copyright © Terence George Craddock