Introduction

This is dedicated to all those faceless bureaucrats who toil so hard, so thanklessly and whose...um...faces I have forgotten. Some jargon: PQ = Parliamentary question; DG = Director-General.

The Charge of the Write Brigade

Staff colleagues, staff colleagues,
Staff colleagues, onward!
All in the valley of paper
Rode our brave bureaucrat.
"Forward, the Write Brigade!
Charge for the pens!" she said:
Into the valley of paper
Rode our brave bureaucrat.

"Forward, the Write Brigade!"
Was she at all dismayed?
Not though the worker knew
Some one had blundered:
Hers not to make reply,
Hers not to reason why,
Hers but to do or die:
Into the valley of paper
Rode our fair bureaucrat.

Memos to right of her,
Files all to left of her,
PQs in front of her
Volleyed and thundered;
Storming Word and Excel,
Boldly she wrote and well,
Pondering not how to spell,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode our fair bureaucrat.

Flashed all her advice bare,
Straight from her swivel chair,
Convincing the branch heads there,
Charging with e-mail while
All the staff wondered:
Plunged she with masterstrokes
Right through conventions broke;
DG and Minister
Reeled from the wild keystrokes
Shattered and sundered.
Then she wrote back, but not,
Her own name hereunder.

Memos to right of her,
Files all to left of her,
PQs behind her
Volleyed and thundered;
Storming Word and Excel,
While lesser colleagues fell,
She who had lobbied well
Came with such tales to tell
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Was our brave bureaucrat.

When can her glory fade?
O the great brief she made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the brief she made!
Honour the Write Brigade,
And sign off now hereunder.

Copyright; David Peetz
Email: davidpeetz@yahoo.com.au