City of Brisbane - Briagolong Bush Band

Song written by Gary Rose and performed by the Briagolong Bush Band from Gippsland in Victoria. From their album "seventeen"

[theswaglessswaggie]

Here are the lyrics as best as I can hear them. I have the chords as well if anyone wants them.


City of Brisbane
The year was 37, and the month was February and the 19th day had just begun
On a warm and windy morning the Stinson’s engines fired, its last humming song was sung.
She climbed from Brisbane town and flew on her way to Lismore with passengers and mail
But the clouds they were a gathering and the cyclone hit her hard with a force enough to break her soul.

And somewhere on the way she was plucked from the sky like a giant hand had pushed to the ground
On a high and lonely ridge in the wild McPherson range the City of Brisbane Died
And eight days had gone and the search was scaling down when O’Reilly started out anew
Reports had placed the wreck far out to sea with not hope left for passengers or crew

But Bernard O’Reilly was convinced that he must help and set out in the bush where he was bred
For two days he trekked through that harsh mountain range in the hope he’d find them somewhere up ahead
From the top of a ridge he saw a sentinel a burnt out tree standing stark
It was eight miles ahead on the course that she flew on through the forest dark.

Well three men had survived and Jim Westray went for help but died from a fall along the way
John Proud lay there with a badly shattered leg and Joe Binstead tended him for days
And ten days had gone by when O’Reilly heard their calls and rushed on renewed in his quest
And there he found those two men just barely alive with City of Brisbane lay at rest.

I’ll bring a Doctor and a hundred men he cried as he left, and rushed off down the mountain side
Only three hours had passed when the word was ringing out and an army of rescuers arrived
For eight hours they climbed through the rain that night, O’Reilly in the lead throughout
And another day and night they battled at their task and carried the survivors out.

And the memory lingers on for all those brave men O’Reilly, Binstead and Proud
And thhefive lone graves on that rugged mountain side where the City of Brisbane died.