Barry and Thomas, you go down to the mailbox and get the cream cans that the carter left there because he could not get in over the wet track in. Take the old ute, don't get bogged.
Peter, will you feed the ducks the vegie scraps please. Jenny and Kathy collect the eggs and look for a turkeys nest outside the fowl house.
Some body feed the dogs some roo meat and take the remains of the carcase down to the old boar pig.
Barry, get the shot gun, there is a black snake coiled up behind the outhouse door, don't miss.
The cat has brought a dead lizard into the house, Thomas get rid of the thing.
Barry, go and help Dad with a young heifer in trouble with her first calf.
Big storm coming, two of you boys go and turn both the mills out.
Thomas, go and cut some morning wood for Mum. Barry split some blocks for the stove please.
Barry will you check the diesel tank on the milking machine. You two bigger boys harness up Toby and drag some dry logs up to the milking shed for washing up hot water.
Who let the turkeys out? The foxes will get a good feed if they are not penned up tonight.
Kathy you sleep in your own bed tonight, Mum and Dad want a rest.
Small mill not pumping, you bigger boys can help Dad pull the mill on Saturday, the Girls and I and Peter can milk, the littlies can bail up.
Don't let the Bull go through the bails, he wrecked the door last time.
Barry, put the belt on generator on the milking machine engine today, the batteries are getting a bit low up at the house.
Pulling the mill today. Harness up Toby, he can easily pull the pipes especially if they are empty.
Carefull getting the eggs girls, saw a bad snake in the fowl house today.
Mary and Jennifer you can help me put away all the fresh mutton Dad cut up last night.
Would some one please move the drain hose to another fruit tree.
Girls, make sure you wear your shoes and socks to school and keep them on. I am sick of replacing lost socks, and boys if you will not wear shoes to school make sure your feet are clean.
Dance at Darr Creek this Saturday night. We are all going. Make sure you have some blankets and pillows in the back of the ute, it may be cold coming home. Mary the Mc,Allisters are coming so Maurice will probably be there Too. No sneaking out of the hall with him. ORR !!!!! MUMMMMM!!!!!!
Between dances You little kids can polish the floor with the sugar bag filled with sawdust and kero. No sliding around on bare feet or backsides, remember the splinters and how they are removed.
Girls, I need a hand to make some cakes and sandwiches for the dance supper. Dad no fights with the Brennans.
Barry put the tractor up to the grain cracker and crack some corn for the pregnant sows. Give Toby a feed too he did a good job at the mill.
New heifer coming into the yards this arvo, put her in the end bail near the wall after the other cows have finished milking.
You bigger boys go down and feed the pigs, ORR!!!!!! DAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!!
Who put that "B" bull through the bails.
Got your snake Mum, pity about the back wall of the chook house, fixed it up a bit. That old 12 gauge sure kicks.
Dad, when can we go to town to see a picture at the "Roxy"
You boys get all those poddies in so dad can do his operations and the little pigs have to be done too.
Mum, Mum, we found the turkeys nest and brought her and the eggs home.
You littlies keep that butter churn going and no fighting over the butter milk.
Barry get out here and do some thing useful, reading that book you have hidden under your bed won't help you.
Get those rabbit traps set boys the crows are taking eggs again.
Barry you can sit in the washouse with the .22 you may get at least one.
The Mc,Allistors are coming for lunch after Church on Sunday. Mary you might like to take Maurice for a walk and show him your new horse.
Right you kids line up, castor oil time and a slice of orange after. Barry, grab Peter he is likely to bolt.
The parrots are getting into the fruit and grapes. Get your shanghies boys and keep them away. Dad will handle the flying foxes at night with his 12 bore.
Barry get on your horse and take the rifle, saw a dog up on the edge of the scrub paddock this morning. You might get closer to him on the horse than on foot.
Mary, bring home some fresh cream from the dairy tonight, stewed peaches and cream for dessert.
The little mill has stopped pumping again, maybe the rod has broken, never mind up she comes again. Toby will be pleased.
Dad is going to kill a pig later today. You bigger boys can go and help him scrape off all the hair and dress it. Mary and I will cure it and you other kids can husk and shell all the corn in the barn, we will need the cobs to smoke the pork into Ham and Bacon.
Barry, Barry, Barrrrrrrrryyyyyy, "B" book!!!!!!!! big carpet snake in the chook house, go and bag him and take him up to the hay barn maybe the rats and mice will keep him there.
Answer that phone one of you kids, remember it is a party line and anyone can listen in.
Pig and Calf sale Tuesday, so get all those calves and pigs ready for the carter late Monday afternoon.
Oats are all up so looks like a fairly good winter.
Life on the farm who can remember, who can forget, it sure ain't like it used to be.
Mate I spent most of my younger years on sheep and cattle stations after dad left DCA, were he was an air traffic controller.
It was a hard but wonderful life.We rode the poddy calves, when we got the milkers in. we killed all our own meat. Every sunday was kill day dad would kill and dress about 6 sheep every sunday arvo, then hang them in the meat house and cut them up on Monday morning after the milking had been done of coarse, dad hand milked about 10-12 cows every day to supply milk for all the station hands' family's. also the meat was for all the station hands as well.
We would separate about 10 gallon of milk every day I can remember all that fresh cream, it was great we eat our porridge with cream we drank it straight from the can.( and got a floggin if we got caught) All the skimmed milk went to feed the pigs we were fatting up and also the working dogs got there daily milk as well.
Come winter time we would kill a beast WOW I can remember mums Ox tail soup like it was yesterday. and the excitement of having some beef stead of mutton. the only pork we go was if we shot it. there was plenty of pigs around so the old wooden brine barrels were always full of pork bellies and legs curing so ham and bacon were in good supply, as was rabbit we would eat rabbit at least twice a week loved it.
I think back now to how simple life was then. I got my first rifle for my 9th birthday it was a 1905 Savage single shot and man was I proud of that rifle. I would clean it 2 or 3 time every week. It kept me in line for the threat of having my rifle taken of me for not doing my chores or just playing up was unbearable.
Imagine if you gave a 9 year old a rifle now days it would be on the front page of every paper in the land and the people who think they know best would take the child away from you for being a bad parent.
One property we lived on the one teacher school was on our property but about 3 miles from the homestead we would ride our horses to school with our rifles slung over our backs and leave them in the stables at the school. Then we would try and shot a few bunnies on the way home or if we were lucky a bunch of suckers and an old sow would cross our path well then the fun would start off we would go trying to tackle one or more of the small pigs to take home and put in the pen to fatten up.
If by chance we came across any bunnies on the way to school we would shot them and give them to the teacher, this was great because if this happened the first part of the school day was taken up skinning and cleaning the bunnies for the teacher. Brownie points
I was a life today's kids could not even imagine in there wildest dream and I feel sorry for them.
I hope you have enjoyed some of my memories from my child hood
Cheers
The Hats
Ron
__________________
It is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. :D
Hi ! The Hats, yes I think I can relate to most of what you wrote. I certainly have no reservations about being reared on the land.
We had pigs but no rabbits, and I was using my Fathers old Winchester .22 when I was about nine. We got ducks, scrub turkeys, pigeons, plain turkeys, foxes, dogs, roos, hares and plenty of snakes.
Get put in jail today for those capers. When we were younger my brother and I caught goannas in rabbit traps and sold the skins to a firm in Brisbane.
I also sold a lot of skins with my Father in later years.
When I was 14 I bought my first Brono .22 and that was my pride and joy. Unfortunately it was sold so I eventually got another.
I think we were trained rather than educated, but it has all worked fine out for me.
Take care, maybe see you on the track some time.
Have fun Haji-Baba
Ps. Still got Dads old gun in my lockup
-- Edited by Haji-Baba on Friday 29th of August 2014 07:39:08 PM
) All the skimmed milk went to feed the pigs we were fatting up and also the working dogs got there daily milk as well.
