The
Plucky Puslinch Six
(from the Puslinch Pioneer, v. 9, issue 1, July/August
1984.)
The Royal City’s
streets were deck’d with flags and bunting gay
While citizens and soldiers on this fair
Dominion Day
Were mingled with the yeomen from townships
near and far
To see old Scotland’s sports and games and
famous tug of war.
Fair damsels there had lovers brave among
the chosen few
Who for the golden medals were to try their
trained sinew;
And sires old and crippled, and matrons bent
and grey
With sons and daughters gathered to witness
the display;
At last the Pibroch
sounded ─ the bands began to play
And to the field of contest the crowd moved
on its way.
Old Wellington,
the mother of townships claims thirteen (13);
And in the wide Dominion no luckier can be
seen
From distant Garafraxa’s
wilds to southern Puslinch,
Her fields are fertile and her sons are
sterling every inch
Altho’ the invitation was issued wide and far
But two the summons answered to try the tug
of war
Bold Erin! oh, how stalwart and strong looked every son!
As if three generations had settled into one
At first McLean, their captain, led till
some one cried, “Enough
of that! We’ll have
for champion the gallant Johnny Puff.”
It was a sight worth seeing and many hearts
took fright
When Puslinch stood before them with men so
small and slight;
But in this world of wonders there’s more
than one mistake
The anchor, brave Bourmaster,
the marvel from the Lake
Was a surprise to many, tho’
his horn he did not toot,
But when it came to staying, it seemed he
fast took root.
And Starkey from the plains was there with
muscle so immense
He could have pulled two Erinites
thro’ any wire fence
And Bell,
the ex-Policeman, like a hero helped his chums
As he would to the cooler drag half a dozen
bums,
And Dave McNaughton tho’
his strength was greater than his size
Like his uncle, Davie Stirton, showed that he could win the
prize.
And Robert Clark, from Badenoch, tho’ tall and very slim,
Showed that the blood of his brave sires was
wanting not still in him.
For with Dan McLean, a hero of a clan of Scotland old,
With grasp and steady nature, showed that he
was there to hold.
There they waited till the signal from the
referee should come,
While their captain gazed on proudly, brave
Councillor Meldrum.
But why repeat the failure of that mass of
muscles, bones,
Of Erinites, whose
efforts were not helped by all their groans
For twice the rope went from them and a
cheer would make you dumb,
Went up for plucky Puslinch and their
captain George Meldrum.
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