by John Williamson

Goodbye Bunyip Bluegum, goodbye Blinky Bill
And beautiful little Nutsie, I can't believe it
Our koalas are all dying, can it really be
A national disaster, a world catastrophe

Shiny little black nose and fluffy little ears
Furry little bundle soaking up the tears
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie are crying in the rain
And wombat's gone into his hole and won't come out

Oh pass the hat around between your friends
There's no time to contemplate
Maybe if we show some love
Maybe it's not too late

'Cause Blinky Bill is dying, cross him off the list
Knock on doors, ring the bell, save the eucalypts
I don't think I could stand the shame, knowing that I could
Have saved the world from losing something beautiful and good

One doctor on the job is hardly enough
One little hospital, wake up Australia
It's our corner of the world, time to pull our weight
What would we tell our children about our little mate

© 1986 Emusic Pty Ltd

"It was the plight of the Koala population around Port Macquarie, NSW, that inspired this song. It was written in aid of the 'Koala Preservation Society' in Port Macquarie. We raised enough money to build a new wing on the veterinary hospital (run by volunteers). The two main concerns at Port Macquarie are the disease Chlamydia and the loss of habitat caused by real estate development, which in itself is a spreading disease all along our coastlines (as far as wildlife is concerned).

There is another sadness attached to this song. The band on the recording is 'Bullamakanka'; probably best known for it's version of 'Home Among the Gumtrees' which became the 'Burkes Backyard' TV theme. The banjo player Rex Radonitch was killed in a car accident not long after this song was released. The whole band (including Fiddle Player, Pixie Jenkins) all agree that Rex, who was driving, turned the vehicle to take the full impact upon himself saving the lives of the other band members. Apparently an oncoming Ute came screaming across onto their side of the road. The accident was unavoidable.

On a brighter note my daughters, Ami and Georgie sang on this recording. Ami has gone on to be an accomplished singer/songwriter/pianist with her own one-woman show and recording career (www.amiwilliamson.com) "