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Pat Ritter. Books


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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:42 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘Best of luck to you both.’ he left them standing in the shearing shed.
Joe and Harold gathered their swags early the next morning after a hearty breakfast, farewelled the cook and both headed north. Along the way they meet other shearers and roustabouts looking for work and followed the sheds. Finally after a couple of months shearing at different sheds along the track they arrived at Charleville.
‘Harold, we’ll camp by the Warrego River and see if we can find any work on our way to Augathella. We should be able to find work there,’ Harold agreed with a nod of his head. Charleville was larger than Cunnamulla with wider streets to enable bullock wagons to turn around.
At the top end of town the railway station where most of the bullock wagons could be found. There they unloaded bales of wool onto rail wagons to be trained down the track to Roma and beyond.
Joe noticed a bullocky unloading his load near the railway line, ‘g’day mate, where you from?’ Joe asked this huge bullocky wearing a beard grown almost to cover his enlarged stomach.
‘Heading to ‘Barduthulla Station’ soon as I reload at the general store,’ the bullocky answered in a slow drawl.
‘You mind if my mate and I tag along? We’re heading to Augathella.’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:22 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘Don’t mind at all, great to have company, gets a little lonely talking to old Bobby. You’re welcome to join me. Not going as far as Augathella.’
‘Where’s the general store? We’re camped on the Warrego River on the outskirts of town.’
‘I’m going that way, got to cross the river to head home. What about I meet you and your friend at the crossing, you know the one at the north end of town.’
‘Yes, I do, thank you very much. See you there after lunch.’
Joe found Harold wandering along the main street, ‘Harold,’ he called, waving, ‘we’re got a lift out of town, a bullocky is going to give us a lift to ‘Barduthulla Station’. He’s heading there after lunch.’
‘We’d better eat before we head off. Where’s this place, ‘Barduthulla Station’? Harold asked.
‘Don’t know exactly, must be on the road to Augathella,’ Joe explained.
After finishing their meal at the café they waited for the bullocky on the edge of town. ‘Here he comes,’ called Joe waving to the bullocky.
‘Get up there Bobby,’ the bullocky shouted each bullock moving in unison, ‘hey there, you want to jump up on top of the wagon, make yourself comfortable, and we’re a way to go until sunset.’ The bullocky shouted to Joe and Harold who threw their swags upon the wagon, jumped from the ground and swung their weight onto the wagon tray amongst the load. The bullocky kept on driving his beasts of burden and walked beside them with a long whip thrown over his shoulder.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Tue Apr 21, 2015 9:48 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

Nearing sunset the bullocky stopped, ‘we’ll camp here tonight, I’ll unharness the bullocks while you fellars build a fire to put the billy on and have something to eat.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Harold replied excited to be doing something, his bum sore from each bump on the road. He quickly gathered sticks and soon had a fire blazing. After filling the billy with water from a nearby creek he placed it beside the fire. Harold loved the bush, sounds of birds calling the close of the day, smell of the wattle, mulga while watching the billy boil.
‘Got some dried corn beef in the tucker box. By the way, the name's Salty,’ he shook hands with Joe and Harold.
‘Sure appreciate the lift’, Joe said after releasing the broad hard hand, ‘I’ll get the corn beef. Got any bread?’ Joe asked.
‘Yeah, damper's there, only a couple of days old, should do.’ Salty answered, ‘pleased you fellows joined me, awful lonely here at times.’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:07 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

Chapter 7

Joe and Harold stopped at Blackall on their journey to Barcaldine. ‘We’ll stay here awhile.’ Joe told Harold. They'd become quite close accompanying one another on their journey. They worked together at different stations and started to become almost inseparable.
‘Are we going to the pub?’ Harold asked. He wanted a couple of beers to quench his thirst. Although he wasn’t twenty-one years old, it would be a couple of years before he reached the age of consent to enter hotels and drink at the legal age.
‘You shouldn’t be drinking. You're not old enough. What if the local copper comes in. They’ll lock you up.’
‘It’s only a couple of years before my birthday. Everything’s been alright up until now.’
‘As long as you don’t get caught. Duck out the back and disappear if the local copper comes in, until he’s gone.’ Joe smiled at Harold when they entered the public bar. ‘Two beers thanks barman,’ Joe called to the person on the other side of the bar. They sat on stools facing the bar.
‘When do I start shearing?’ Harold asked Joe after he swallowed a tumbler of beer and licked his lips; he wanted more of the amber coloured fluid. Made him feel relaxed.
‘When I say you’re ready.’ Joe replied in a tight voice. ‘How many sheep did you shear at the last shed?’ A stranger sat on a bar stool next to Harold close enough to hear their conversation. This stranger, a huge man, leaned closer to Joe and didn’t mean to listen to their conversation but when sheep and shearing mentioned, his ears pricked to listen to what they had to say.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:46 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

‘Ten big weathers before lunch,’ Harold smiled, proud of the number he achieved.
‘That’s not near enough to earn a decent wage, stick to being a roustabout.’
‘Ah, don’t be too hard on the lad. Ten big weathers sounds he’s learning,’ the stranger interjected.
‘Who might you be to know what’s best for my friend,’ Joe stared across at the stranger.
The stranger reached across to Joe to shake his hand, ‘Jackie Howe, is the name, shearing the game,’ the stranger smiled.
Joe’s flung his hand out taking the stranger’s hand, it was the size of a dinner plate and shook the hand until it almost fell off, ‘Jackie Howe, honestly, you’re a legend mate. I’m so proud to make your acquaintance, Joe Gibson and this is my cobber, Harold Reardon. Harold if you want to know anything about shearing, here is your man.’ Joe couldn’t believe meeting Jackie Howe whose name among his peers placed him as the best shearer in Australia.
‘Pleased to meet you Mr Howe,’ Harold shook hands with the legend, a quiver sounded in his voice.
‘Don’t worry about the legend bit. I think I’ve got to be dead before one becomes a legend.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:33 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

In fact, I’m in training at the moment to shear a record number tomorrow at Alice Downs Station, not far from here. You’re welcome to join me.’ Jackie told his new found friends.
‘You betcha we’ll come. How far is Alice Downs Station from here?’ Joe asked.
‘I’m leaving late this afternoon. You want to join me with the other lads. We’ve got a wagon.’
‘Right you are. We’ll be there.’ Joe finished his beer. ‘Where will we meet you and what time?’
‘How about four o’clock, at the front of this pub. I’ll tell the others there'll be two more. The more the merrier.’
Joe and Harold bid their new found friend farewell and couldn’t wait until they meet him at the time and place he told them. Joe couldn’t believe his luck, fancy running into the legendary Jackie Howe. Dreamed of this day but never ever thought it would happen.
Before they left the hotel the barman approached and said, ‘you having another?’
‘Not at this time, we’re going with Jackie Howe out to Alice Downs for shearing. He’s going for a record tomorrow.’ Joe explained, excitedly.
‘You fellars are lucky; Jackie is going for a record in an Australian-wide competition to witness how many sheep can be shorn in one day. Last week he shore fourteen hundred and thirty-seven sheep in 44 hours and 30 minutes. He’s a champion alright.’ The barman shared this information while he collected the tumblers from the bar.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:21 pm

'Click Go The Shears':

Joe and Harold smiled and left the bar to find a café. They were excited to be witnessing this great event hardly tasted their steak and eggs they ate at the café. Joe looked at his fob-watch. ‘Better get going. I don’t want to miss this shearing for all the tea in China.’
Right on four o’clock Joe met Jackie and his friends outside of the hotel, ‘climb aboard, introduce yourselves. I’ve forgotten your names.’ Jackie drawled in a trick Aussie accent.
Joe introduced Harold and himself to the other two occupants. They weren’t shearers. After a couple of miles each shared their information. One said he represented Coleman & Sons, eucalyptus manufactures from Cootamundra and the other represented Wolseley Shearing Machines Company. They’d been sent by their companies to watch Jackie Howe and witness how many sheep he’d shear in one day for the Australia-wide competition. Joe and Harold shocked to be seated amongst such distinguished gentlemen.
Reaching Alice Downs Shearing Shed Joe’s eyes lit up astonished to see so many men present. There must have been about thirty or more. Joe and Harold climbed down from the wagon gathered their swags and asked one of the men, ‘what’s going on.’
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/497192
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