The family tree has all been done
Reunions held that most found
fun
I didn’t go I stayed away
I had no wish to share their day
I never really felt the need
To know the history of my breed
Who they were or what they did
Or any secrets they might have
hid
The years rolled on, the oldies
passed
With all of our history being lost
fast
I then felt sad I had missed the
chance
To take an interest in things from
my past
But there was one by the name
of Clive
Who made a decision while he
was still alive
To donate his home to the
council in trust
That it never be sold, he made
that a must
His home was “The Pines” that
has been handed on
Through many generations of
Roughleys now gone
Right back to James who
committed a crime
And came out on a ship to serve
out his time
Once that was done he settled in
Dural
Got a wife and a family and made
his life rural
Bought a horse and some cattle
and then built his home
The one called “The Pines”, the
name of this poem
So along I went to have a good
look
At what I’d seen in the Roughley
book
But I wasn’t prepared for the
sights that I saw
Not only the house, but even
much more
There was Lydia’s chair and her
little black dress
Her shoes and her bag for when
she dressed in her best
Great Grandfathers chair and
even his pipe
Each room had some relics of
wonderful sight
I felt Lydia’s presence, I know she
was there
She even approved when I sat in
her chair
It might sound strange but I
know it was so
They were all there to welcome
me and I didn’t want to go
But leave there I did and ever
since then
I know I’ll return, I just don’t
know when
But I’ll never forget and I now
know for sure
My history of family makes me
want to know more
Betty Roberts
(Daughter of
Elma Stevenson nee Roughley)
