Jim Hale is a retired high school teacher who specialised in English literature. He taught for 40 years in country NSW and city schools, giving him an incredible range of life experiences. He wrote most of the poems included herein before he had a serious stroke and lost some of what he still wanted to write. He wrote the last eight poems while recovering from the stroke, though he does not recall writing them.
Reading Dad’s poetry is like taking a walk through his life. It is easy to see there are demons, but there is beauty and love too. Beauty in memories of greyhounds, raging fires, the plight of Indigenous people, the complexities of religious beliefs, and recognising the power of other people’s l...