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Pat Ritter. Books


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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sun Apr 12, 2015 10:18 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘John Cartwright. Pleased to meet you.’ They shook hands. ‘Where’re you heading?’
‘I’m working my way north. I’m a shearer looking for work.’ Joe told the stranger.
‘You’re not one of those bloody shearers who went on strike. Are you?’
‘No. I’ve got papers to show I’m not in the union,’ Joe took the papers from his pocket and handed them to the stranger. ‘What do you do here?’
‘Own the place, I don’t want any of those union shearers on the place,’ his eyes scanned the papers, refolded them and returned them to Joe. ‘Drop your swag over in the shearing quarters, go to the cook and tell him to give you a feed and start 7.30 sharp in the morning. Welcome Joe Gibson, pleased to have you on board.’ The stranger walked away.
Instantly Joe felt strange going under a different name because he was used to his own name, thank goodness that part is over, I’ve got to remember I’m now Joe Gibson and not Joe Ryan. He continued onto the shearer’s quarters, dropped his swag on the veranda and walked to the kitchen area. A huge man wearing a white stained apron stood in front of the stove. ‘I’m Joe Gibson, the boss told me to come to the kitchen to get a feed. Where are the others?’
‘Take a seat, there’s only a couple of us since those bludgers went on strike’. He spoke with a soft voice directed Joe to a seat at the end of the table. ‘Here is some stew, cooked this afternoon, get your laughing gear around this lot.’ The cook placed a plate of food in front of Joe, ‘make your own tea,’ he pointed to the kettle on the stove. ‘You a shearer?’ He asked.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:13 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘Yeah, just arrived, how long have they been shearing here?’ Joe asked between pushing food into his mouth.
‘Only started today, low on shearers, you’re not one of those bloody union shearers, are you?’
‘No mate. Got my papers right here if you want them.’ Joe put his hand into his pocket to retrieve the papers.
‘Don’t worry, as long as you’re not one of those bloody union shearers. Since they went on strike we’ve had nothing but trouble, no work and when there is work, not enough men to do it. Everyone was out on strike.’ He kept on cleaning, wiped the table.
‘I’m here to work. Boss said to start in the morning.’
‘Breakfast at six.’
Joe finished his pannikin of tea, stood and said. ‘Didn’t catch your name?’
‘That’s because I didn’t give it.’
Joe left the kitchen and walked to spread his swag on the veranda, sighted a young lad walking toward the quarters, ‘how ya going? I’m Joe Gibson, a shearer.’ Joe extended his hand to shake the young lad’s hand as a sign of greeting.
‘Pleased to meet ya. Harold Reardon’
‘You related to Jack Reardon?’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:07 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘He’s my uncle. We don’t talk about Jack. He's one of those shearers who went on strike. You go on strike?’
‘No – ah no, I knew Jack when I worked at ‘Tilbooroo Station’, great shearer and a good bloke.’ Bloody hell I didn’t know the strike affected everyone. Honestly I thought I was doing the right thing. Joe thought. ‘How many here?’
‘Only you, me and the Boss, the cook. You meet him?’
‘Yeah. No other shearers?’
‘You’re it. I’m the ‘tar boy’, roustabout and the Boss is the wool presser. That’s it. The Boss don't want any of those union shearers on the place.’
‘How many sheep in the yard,’ Joe asked.
‘Two thousand,’ Harold answered.
‘Bloody hell, I only shear about sixty a day. We’ll be here til Christmas if we don’t get any more shearers.’ Joe exclaimed. Twelve months since I shore a sheep, he thought.
‘Can’t do anything about not having shearers If they didn’t go on strike and bugger up the country, we would’ve been right. Serves them right. You camping on the veranda?’
‘Yeah, I can’t stand those stuffy rooms; love to sleep in the open.’
‘Wonder what the cook's got left. I'll turn in myself. Bloody big day tomorrow.’ he walked along the veranda toward the kitchen.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/497192
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:33 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

Joe lay on his swag pondering the affect the strike had on the country. Never in his wildest dreams he thought the strike would’ve caused this much trouble. The sun sank below the earth surface; I sure miss Hannah and Ma. If only I didn’t stir up those fellars to go on strike, Hannah and I could’ve been married by now and settled down. She must be close to finishing her teaching studies and with me shearing we would’ve made it. Joe closed his eyes, his mind filled with failure.
Sound of a clanging noise woke Joe the next morning. ‘Come and get it.’ He heard the call from the cook. After dressing, shaved, washed his face and walked to the kitchen where Harold was seated, the cook served up his breakfast. ‘How did ya sleep? I slept like a log.’ Joe said entering the kitchen.
‘Yeah I know, and snored, the bloody dingoes heard you,’ Harold laughed.
‘Smells good,’ Joe sat in the place he sat the night before. The cook served bacon and eggs with Johnny cakes. Joe ate to his heart’s content, ‘tell me what happens today Harold?’
‘Seven-thirty start, the Boss normally set to shearing, but you’re here now, I’d say he’ll leave the shearing to you. My job to sweep the floor, gather the wool, carry it to the Boss and he packs it into the wool press. Pretty simple really.’ Harold kept eating.
‘Three men team.’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:46 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘You could say that, with you working the hardest.’ He smiled in between eating.
Both men finished their breakfast, thanked the cook and left the kitchen. ‘Morning smoko at 9.30,’ the cook shouted when they left.
John Cartwright waited for Joe and Harold to meet him inside the shearing shed. The shearing was similar to Kahmoo Station with seven stand shed, Joe thought before John said, ‘you ready.’
‘Ready when you are Boss.’ He said with a slight grin on his face. Opening his bag he extracted five pairs of shears from inside and laid them on the floor near the first pen. He hooked his canvas water bag on a wire dangling from the ceiling. Walked into the catching pen, grabbed the first sheep, turned it onto its back and dragged it onto the board.
Hope I remember to do this, bloody hell, two thousand sheep, got myself to blame. This won’t get it done. Joe removed the belly wool from the sheep, continued on to finish the fleece while Harold quickly gathered up the fleece in his arms to carry to the Boss who operated the wool press. Everything appeared to go in slow motion until Joe regained his self-confidence with each sheep. Nine-thirty bell rang for morning smoko.
‘What’s your usual tally for a day Joe,’ John asked before they left for smoko.
‘About sixty, particularly these wethers. Why, am I going too slow?’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Fri Apr 17, 2015 10:58 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘No, you’re doing fine, much quicker than I am, just wanted to work out how long until we finish the shearing.’
‘If I can keep up this pace, should be finished in about five to six weeks if we go seven days a week.’ Joe answered thinking how was he going to keep up the pace.
‘With three of us, pity those bloody shearers went on strike. You were lucky not to join them. Catch up with you both in half-an-hour.’ John walked away heading toward the homestead.
Joe and Harold walked to the shearer’s quarters and took up their usual seat in the kitchen. The cook served up hot scones with strawberry jam. After morning smoko Joe said, ‘I'm going for a walk before I start again.’ He told Harold.
He didn’t want to venture too far from the shearing shed and walked to the head of a bore. Water spewed from an opening of a huge pipe from underneath the ground into a pond, the water hot, enough to scold a pig. Water in the pond cooled before it flowed along bore drains to different parts of the property to water the stock.
I'll soak in the pool after I finish today. My bloody muscles will be sore and tied. Joe returned to the shearing shed in time to start shearing sheep until lunch time.
After six weeks, with a couple of days break in between of continued shearing Joe dragged the final sheep from the pen. ‘We should’ve shorn this one first Harold, we wouldn’t have any left.’ He said with a smile.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sat Apr 18, 2015 9:29 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘You’ve done well. Where’re you off to from here?’ Harold asked whilst sweeping up the belly wool.
‘I’m heading north. Want to reach Barcaldine if I can. Why?’ Joe asked whilst finishing the final fleece.
‘Would ya mind if I tagged along. I got nothing else to do after this job is over.’ Harold dropped his eyes to pick up the final fleece.
‘Suppose it’s alright, you work hard and we’re better off as a team than on our own. You do remind me a lot of your uncle.’
‘Don’t remind me, I'll never forgive him for going out on strike.’ Harold completed his chore and carried the fleece to his Boss at the other end of the shearing shed.
I ought to be careful I don’t let the cat out of the bag with this young fella, Joe thought whilst he gathered his shears and wrapped them in canvas. Better collect my pay. Joe worked out his wages for shearing 2000 head of sheep; he should receive forty quid: twopence per sheep.
‘Here’s your pay.’ John handed Joe a cheque for the amount of forty pounds, ‘thanks for helping us out. Here’s your pay Harold,’ he handed the young lad a cheque for ten pounds.
Joe shook hands with his Boss, ‘may be back next year. Young Harold’s coming with me. We’re heading north.’
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/497192
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