His Simple, Rustic Habituation

When I wrote of a man in
Queensland politics whom I
respected, I never meant it be
elected as the peanut man,
Sir Joh Bjelke-Peteresen.

On the other hand I take delight
some readers made connections
– Joh’s stand in Queensland politics
was rare, and fortunately for the
Smart State, without exception.

For 19 years he ruled in a good
Lutheran pastorality Heaven forbid,
surrounded himself with fools
for easy money and power,
fools for crude impropriety.

Yet the ‘piety’ of the man shone
in his simple, rustic habituation and
rambling harangue, while an
awkward lack of sophistication
masked the grasping, conniving

thief who stole all pretence
of Queensland’s decency. No,
I meant Peter Beattie when I said
a man to respect. It was he who
put Queensland back on track.

Joh’s in a hole in the ground
on the Kingaroy farm. It might as well
be Dannevirke where he was born,
they’d keep his legend alive, and pour
scorn on his misguided admirers.
© I.D. Carswell 2007