the ghost kangaroo of Gundaroo

In response to Eugi’s weekly prompt “ghostly“:

Come gather round the campfire mates,
and we’ll share a tale or two.
And I’ll tell you one that’s true and straight,
of the Gundaroo ghost kangaroo.

T’was in the gloaming I saw him first,
a little ways up Marked-Tree road
in a paddock purpled with Paterson’s curse,
there, at the bend where I should’ve slowed.
He stood amongst a mob of greys,
and showed no fright as I passed by,
just stood his ground as they scattered away,
ghostly white ‘gainst darkening sky.
The local lads with their utes and spotlights,
who’ll put a bullet in anything,
don’t try to get him in their sights –
they know better than take a shot at him.
‘Cause he’s the ghost of every ‘roo’s been hit,
that pure white beast of Gundaroo,
by too-fast car or red-neck’s bullet.
And he’s waiting by the road for you.

This is almost entirely true.  The first time I saw the albino kangaroo that is part of a mob on the north-side of Gundaroo I was barrelling down the hill on Marked-Tree Rd and suddenly there was a big white kangaroo staring in my window, maybe a metre from me. After my initial yell of “what the @$#& was that!?” my first thought was “it’s the ghost of the kangaroo I hit almost right at this spot!”.  I’ve seen him several times since, but this is the best photo I’ve managed to get so far:

 So watch out for the ghost kangaroo if you’re driving at dusk near Gundaroo!