From The Scrap Book
July 20, 1990
By: Dr. Bill Randall
Dan McCullough – Poet Laureate
About fifty years ago the community of Harvey displayed a rather unique isolationism. As we have noted most, of the inhabitants were descendants of the original twenty-six families and many were related by ties of blood.
From their background in England and Scotland they were almost unanimously anti-burghers a term that meant in early times, critical of the ruling class. Carrying that attitude of independence into this rugged land, meant that reaction to the political environment was very much a subject of discussion.
One of the political activists who can be remembers by older people was Dan McCullough. Dan was noted for his ready wit, and fortunately for us wrote down some of his thoughts in rhyme. The Scrapbook would like to share one of these rhymes of Dan’s with you. (It might be wise also to print a disclaimer: obviously Dan was a Tory and his opinions toward the Liberals of this time went to the grave with him in 1977.
In tracing back Dan’s genealogy, he was the son of William McCullough and Ellen Atcheson. William was the son of Peter McCullough and Isabelle Piercy and we have discovered their tombstone at Pleasant Ridge which also bears the name of Peter’s father, William McCullough, who emigrated to Pleasant Ridge prior to the Harvey settlement of 1837.
So those of us who remember Dan with his shock of snow-white hair in his customary place in the Knox Presbyterian Choir will be able to see the twinkle in his eye when he wrote the rhyme King Louie (Robichaud).
KING LOUIS
King Louis sits upon his throne
The gavel in his hand.
When he summons the gestapo
They goosestep to his command.
ZZZZZ
He told his robots for to go
And feel the people out,
But there’s few that will believe them
Of that there is no doubt.
ZZZZZ
Louis went himself up north
To explain the situation.
While Irwin travels back and forth
And spouts on education.
ZZZZZ
Meldrum went to Moncton
To enlighten all the people,
When he got through the people knew.
That bats were in the steeple
Z Z Z Z Z
Theriault said in Blackville
That Marysville stood pat,
Mayor Allen contradicted it
And put an end to that.
ZZZZZ
Mr. Duffle got the job,
To oversee the rabbits,
He is well acquainted with the skunks,
He knows their dirty habits.
ZZZZZ
DeBrissay makes the budget up
We don’t know how he figures,
But if you searched the woodpile
You may find a lot of n*****.
ZZZZZ
Richard he controls the roads
When there is money spent,
But you will find that most of it
Has been used up in Kent.
ZZZZZ
Crocker sits and throws a switch
And said let there be light,
When night comes on at Mactaquac
It is a wasteful sight.
ZZZZZ
The best land on the old Saint John
Will soon be inundated
And thirty two old cemeteries
Will all be desecrated.
ZZZZZ
That gang cares not for senti ment
Or for traditions old,’
The only things they revel in
Is graft and greed and gold.
ZZZZZ
Louis had a tantrum
One day and blew his stack,
He made false accusations
And would not take them back.
ZZZZZ
Two hoary headed senile men
Whose names I will not mention,
They are not too important
To merit much attention.
ZZZZZ
They should be pensioned of right now,
And turned right out to browse,
For all they do in parliament
Is clutter up the house.
ZZZZZ
Louis is all muddled up
And don’t know where to turn,
And for to help him in this mess,
He called on Eddie Byrne.
ZZZZZ
The plan was nil in sixty-one
There must be some solution,
But it’s all right in sixty-six,
This must be evolution.
ZZZZZ
Who the hell is this man Byrne
He does not know which way to turn,
He tried to bring the program to us,
But wasted time in praising Louis.
ZZZZZ
Louie don’t want an election
For he knows he’d lose his seat,
He is riding on the gravy train
And sitting nice and neat.
ZZZZZ
The gravy train will leave the rail
Sooner than they expect,
That’s when that gang of intel lects
Will get it in the neck.
ZZZZZ
I would like to know the little few
Who signed the small petition,
I get so mad I’d like to dump
Them deep into dark perdition.
ZZZZZ
Daniel Riley left the den
Of lions prematurely,
And went back to civilian life
Where he can live securely.
ZZZZZ
He said his resignation
Was for reasons of his own,
But we believe it was because
King Louis was on the throne.
ZZZZZ
He tried to send Paul Burden
To Ottawa with a loud voice,
But when the ballots were counted
They found McRae a much better choice
ZZZZZ
He promised York-Sunbury to Pearson,
But his promise was not worth a damn,
For when York-Sunbury goes liberal
Wool will grow on a hydraulic ram.
Source: Rev. Bill Randall’s “From The Scrapbook Vol. One.”
