HAVE MERCY
A song for the pathetic cowards who get their kicks from shooting defenseless native waterbirds and their advocate, Labor Premier Jacinta Allan.
Laurie Levy.
HAVE MERCY by Kim Hartley
Boots in the mud
Before dawn breaks
You go quiet, your blind
The ducks won’t make
Decoys bob slow
On a black glass sheet
Ain’t no mercy
In the frozen reeds
Then the sky stirs
With a ragged cry
And your hands go still
As the birds fly by
You lift your chin
You lift that gun
And all over the marsh
You’ve put out the sun
Have mercy on the marsh
Mercy on the wings
Mercy on the bodies
Falling from the sky
Duck by duck
The water turns red
Duck by duck
Falling, lost in death
Feathers on fence posts
Like unheard prayers
A dog keeps whining
At the slaughter, here
One hits water
Then falls away
You won’t be able to unsee it
When your sun turns grey
The marsh looks back
With a silent stare
Every silent splash says
You brought nothing but death, here…
The cold gets in
Under your skin
And the sickening gunshot
Starts up again
Oh, have mercy on the marsh
Mercy on their wings
Mercy on their bodies
Falling from the sky
Duck by duck
The water turns red
Duck by duck
All around me, death
I saw a flock
Lift, then scatter wide
Like panic flailing
No idea how to survive
And I heard my own breath
In the vacat reeds
Like a guilty man
On his knees
Oh, have mercy on the marsh
Mercy on their wings
Mercy on their bodies
Falling from the sky
Duck by duck
The water turns red
Duck by duck
There’s nothing but death
Duck by duck
I hear them still
Duck by duck
And I always will
Coalition Against Duck Shooting
Our purpose is to permanently ban the recreational shooting of native waterbirds in Australia.
Ballarat Courier - Bryan Hoadley 20 JUNE 26
Magistrate Timothy H***e said he had "serious concerns" about the case and questioned whether the prosecution was in the public interest.
"In my view Ms Lemmon was not doing anything wrong, not endangering herself and not endangering other
people," he said.
"(She was) literally seeking to rescue an endangered species of wildlife, a threatened duck which was shot by a hunter."
Eventually, the matter proceeded by diversion, meaning no criminal conviction was recorded against Lemmon.
As part of the diversion, Mr H***e instructed Lemmon to be of good behaviour for one month and imposed
no financial penalty, despite the prosecution arguing for the mother of five to be ordered to pay a donation.
"I'm not making it a requirement that you make any contributions or donations (as part of the diversion),
" Mr H***e said to Lemmon when sentencing.
"You're a person of impeccable character, you have no prior convictions (and) you have five dependent children ... I don't think it's appropriate to make any requirement for a diversion.
'It's distressing'
Outside court, Lemmon, who volunteers at all hours of the day and night as a wildlife rescuer, described the GMA's legal pursuit of her as a stressful experience.
"I was out there purely to rescue a wounded duck which is GMA's job, but they don't do it, so it falls to rescuers" she said.
"It's distressing knowing that they do come after rescuers like that and not the hunter that has actually shot the duck"
"I definitely will have second thoughts about rescuing protected species, purely because if this is the trouble Ican get in, it leaves you contemplating ... I've got a life outside of (wildlife) rescue.
BREAKING NEWS! It has just been announced that the H5N1 bird flu strain has been found in Western Australia. Laurie Levy
16/06/2026
EXPERIENCED DUCK RESCUER WINS LEGAL CASE
At Lake Boort on the opening of the 2025 recreational duck shooting season, Coalition Against Duck Shooting rescuer, Em, was booked by Game Management Authority (GMA) compliance officers for the trumped up charges of taking and being in possession of a threatened Freckled Duck (one of the rarest waterbirds in the world).
Em saw a shooter wound the bird but then walk away after realizing he had illegally shot a threatened Freckled Duck.
She gently recovered the suffering bird to take it to our mobile veterinary clinic but unfortunately it died in her arms. When stopped by GMA compliance officers, Em pointed to the camp the shooter had returned to, but the officers focused on booking Em for being in possession of a threatened species rather than ensuring the shooter was booked for destroying a threatened species.
In Ballarat Magistrates’ Court today the matter was resolved with a one month diversion. There was no conviction, no fine and no court costs, but thanks to the GMA, the illegal shooter walked away free.
Laurie Levy
Photos: The dead Freckled Duck & Em recovering a Teal in 2024.
Jacinta's Game Management Authority's main job seems to be to look after the interests of duck shooters. This is not altogether surprising as one of the top managers of the GMA is a passionate longtime duck shooter. Laurie Levy
04/06/2026
'Us duck hunters': Victorian watchdog accused of siding with shooters The Game Management Authority is accused of turning a blind eye to illegal behaviour by shooters while bullying wildlife rescuers and anti-hunting campaigners.
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