Love Vee-Dubs by Gregory North is an affectionate, cheeky tribute to the Volkswagen Beetle and the unmistakable sound of the Dak-Dak.
From Punch Buggy road-trip games to Kombis, car clubs and the people who swear by them, Greg celebrates the character of these much-loved machines. It’s a poem for anyone who has ever heard an old Volkswagen coming and smiled.
Love Vee-Dubs
By Gregory North
Distinctive from the start, this 1930s cool creation
faltered then became a nation’s pride and great salvation.
Germans, after World War II decided to attack back;
wreaking their revenge unleashing what we call … the Dak-Dak!
Cuter than a new-born cub:
the tough and lovable Vee-Dub.
Its nickname was the Beetle, Bug, a Volksie or Punch Buggy –
named for thumping road trip games invented by some druggie!
Fewer on the roads now means you may avoid the whack flak –
one nostalgic part in long traditions of the Dak-Dak.
Tales were told from scrubs to pubs
by those who hate or love Vee-Dubs.
Fanatics had the soundest logic to avenge the sneering:
“pregnant roller skates” had sturdy German engineering!
Frugal businessmen to hippies living from a backpack,
grannies with their shopping all enjoyed the humble Dak-Dak.
Denigrators all deemed grubs
by followers who love Vee-Dubs.
Then other models spread out far: the Kombi, Karmann Ghia,
Country Buggy and Type 3 – perhaps to Eritrea!
Deserts to Antarctica to cities playing black-jack,
soundscapes were alive with that familiar-sounding Dak-Dak!
Devotees would start up clubs
attracting those who love Vee-Dubs.
I’m one of those keen lovers of the shapely little Beetle:
curvature with character – a look that’s almost foetal.
Cars today all look the same, it’s great to go and backtrack;
drive a car with personality, jump in a Dak-Dak.
Deeper than those deep-sea subs
is my desire – I love Vee-Dubs!
© Gregory North, March 2026
www.gregorynorth.com.au
Keeping The Verse Alive
Love Vee-Dubs is shared with permission from Gregory North through Keeping The Verse Alive, Country Campfire’s bush poetry preservation project.
By preserving poems like this, we’re helping ensure the stories, humour and characters of country Australia continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Gregory North
Bush Poet • Entertainer • Author • Storyteller
A change of hat and a different voice can mean another character has arrived. Blue Mountains bush poet Gregory North brings humour, history and Australian verse to audiences through live shows, books and recordings. A three-time Australian bush poetry performance champion, Greg shares his own writing alongside the poets whose words he helps keep in circulation.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
