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Shirley
Administrator
| Joined: | 15 Aug 2006 |
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| Posts: | 56 |
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Posted: 24 Oct 2006 02:10 pm |
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Hi David, Sitting here at Polly's catching up on my emails at last!
I can't tell you how great it has been to have Polly here!
My days have been pretty varied, the last few days have been good;
mustering, draftting the cattle we mustered and then today we branded,
castrated, de-horned, ear tagged andgave
steroids to all the calves! We also managed to pick up two "potted" calves
whose mothers had either been lost in the muster or who had died. These two
calves are living at the house with the two baby goats, snowflake andcrunchy
nut!
I've added the email I've sent to my friends and famil, detailing what work
I do etc.
MUSTERING
We get up early and feed, hay, water, un-rug and pick up poo for the 35
horses, then grab all the tack etc needed and drive down to the other yard
where the station horses and the weaners already mustered live. Here we tack
up and load the horses into a road train (latter used tpo transport the
cattle back as well). Then we set off...usually at about 6 o'clock now and
with the sun already rising.
The distance driven varies from muster to muster, usually about an hour or
so to a set of yards built randomly across their huge property!
Once at the yard we unload the trucks and set off! The choppers often been
mustering the cattle for a good few hours before we start so we keep in
contact with them and they tell us which direction to head.
Once at the main mob of cattle we tend to wait for the helicopters to push
the rest up to us, whilst we have smoko!
Then its just a case of tailing the cattle up to the yards, this is where it
gets interesting-the weaners seem to want to go their own way all the time!
In the really bad cases of this the bullcatcher is needed. This is a
reinforced short-based landrover used to chase the individual cattle and
knock them down to the ground. At this point everyone runs over and grabs
straps like belt to tie up the legs of the cattle. Now we sit on it until
the truck manovers into position, the bullcatcher positions itself behind
the truck and a metal chain is threaded through the truck from the beast to
the bullcatcher. Then the bullcatcher reverses dragging the beast into the
truck! its all very exciting!
DRAFTING ETC
Once in the yard the cattle all need to be separated into; bush cows, bush
bulls, speyed cows, weaners, calves, and strangers(other peoples cattle that
is on adjistment on Liz and Barry's property.
This is all done by rounding small groups into the round pen off which all
the other paddocks are connected.
The bush cattle are then released, after being counted by me, as are the
speyed cows and strangers. The weaners are loaded onto the truck, and the
calves are branded, ear tagged etc etc.
This is one of the messiest jobs I've ever seen! There was blood everywhere!
I did the branding " heart shape and the initials C F" and the year "06".
I also got to ride a bullock, and was forced to eat a testicle cooked on the
branding furnice!
STAFF
Apparently this is the largest team they've had working here according to
Melissa!
Mellissa is the backbone of this place, superwoman! I don't think there's
anything she can't do!
David has been breaking in the 20 or so two year olds ready for the
Rockhampton horse sales in 3 weeks. Everything is done very differently out
here. Its done very early on, the yougest horse is only 18months old but you
wouldn't be able to tell from his mannerisms...all these horses have been
breed to be quite and mature so they aren't too bad to handle.
The other main difference is the harshness of the process; they were being
ridden within 4 days of being brought in from the bush, and are always
ridden in spurs!
Anyway David is nice, not the most understanding though, I don't think he
really knows how difficult I'm finding this!
Sophie is Davids girlfriend, We get on very well, and although she's not as
knowledgable as Liz or Barry, she seems happy to tell me how I can help/be
better etc etc.
Shannon; he is a bit of a show pony....within 2 hours of meeting him he had
told me his life story, how much money he had in his bank accounts and that
he was capable of doing every job going! I acctually really enjoy him
working here as it gives everyone something to talk about!
Scotty; he is hilarious, I don't know where Liz and Barry found him!
Take care.
Lana
xXxXx
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Ali
Member
| Joined: | 23 Nov 2006 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 23 Nov 2006 11:53 am |
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| Just wanted to say thanks for putting this email on the board - it's answered some of the questions I had going round in my head.
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Ali
Member
| Joined: | 23 Nov 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 23 Nov 2006 08:15 pm |
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| I don't suppose there's anyway I could contact Lana or someone else who is on/has been on an outback placement so I could ask them a few more questions? Thanks.
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Shirley
Administrator
| Joined: | 15 Aug 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 56 |
| Mana: | |
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Posted: 15 Dec 2006 01:04 pm |
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Hi Ali,
Lana's e-mail address is lanacampbellb@hotmail.com
I have just come back from visiting the Cattle Stations and although I didn't meet up with Lana (she is away crop-spraying at the moment) I met Rosy, one of our volunteers who finished, and loved it so much she is back again. I spent a day on the Station with her. It was very hot - 47 degrees. Rosey hadd spent the day cattle mustering . You get up at aboout 6 and are in bed at about 9 out there and there is always something to do. Everyone works very hard. but they seemed to have a lot of fun. Rosey's email is rozzleham@hotmail.com. she will tell you more than I can.
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