Stockman (Australia)
In
Associated terms
Stockmen who work with the cattle in the Top End are known as ringers and are often only employed for the dry season which lasts from April to October. A station hand is an employee who is involved in routine duties on a rural property or station, which may also involve caring for livestock. With pastoral properties facing dire recruitment problems as young men are lured into the booming mining industry, young women from the cities are becoming a common sight on outback stations, often attracted by the chance to work with horses.[1] An associated occupation is that of the drover, who, like the shearer may be an itinerant worker, and is employed in tending to livestock while they are travelling on a stock route.
A station trainee is known as a
History
The role of the mounted stockmen came into being early in the 19th century, when in 1813 the
Early stockmen were specially selected, highly regarded men owing to the high value and importance of early livestock. All stockmen need to be interested in animals, able to handle them with confidence and patience, able to make accurate observations about them and enjoy working outdoors.
In 1911, rural stockmen received only £1 to £1/5/- a week plus keep after a decision was made by the Arbitration Court. The award of 1918 increased wages by up to 50 per cent to a minimum of £2/13/-. Head stockmen received about £1 extra. Stockmen now work under a state or federal award, which is reviewed regularly.[3]
Role and description
A stockman is responsible for the care for livestock and treatment of their injuries and illnesses. This includes feeding, watering,
A head stockman is responsible for a number of workers and a range of livestock and property operations including the supervision of operations that includes feeding, mating, managing artificial breeding and embryo transfer programs; managing vehicle and equipment maintenance; repair and maintenance of property structures; supervising and training of staff.[citation needed]
Mustering is done with horses or vehicles including all-terrain vehicles (ATV), and some of the large cattle stations use helicopters or light aircraft to assist in the mustering and surveillance of livestock and their watering points. Cattle mustering in the Outback and the eastern ‘Falls’ country of the Great Dividing Range often necessitates days camping out in isolated areas and sleeping in a swag (bedroll) on the ground with limited food choices. Damper is a traditional type of bread that was baked by stockmen during colonial times, or nowadays when the bread supply has been exhausted. It is made with self-raising flour, salt and water and is usually cooked in a camp oven over the embers of a fire. In these areas the days in the saddle are often very long as the cattle have to be mustered and then driven to yards or a paddock where they can be held. After the stock have been yarded they may then require drafting prior to branding, shearing or whatever procedures are required or have been planned.[3]
The employment of mounted workers to tend livestock is necessitated in Australia by the large size of the "properties" which may be called sheep stations or cattle stations, depending upon the type of stock. In the inland regions of most states excluding Victoria and Tasmania, cattle stations may exceed 10,000 km² with the largest being Anna Creek Station at 24,000 km² (6,000,000 acres).[citation needed]
The traditional attire of a stockman or grazier is a felt Akubra hat; a double-flapped, two-pocket (for stock notebooks) cotton shirt; a plaited Kangaroo leather belt carrying a stockman's pocket knife in a pouch; light coloured, stockman cut, moleskin trousers with brown elastic side boots. The moleskin trousers have now largely been replaced by jeans. The plaited belt is often replaced by a working stockman or ringer with a belt known as a Queensland Utility Strap which can be used as a belt, neck strap, lunch-time hobble or a tie for a "micky".[5] This attire is still used in Australian Stock Horse competitions. Pocket knives may be used to castrate and/or earmark an animal, to bang cattle tails or in an emergency to cut free an animal entangled in a rope or horse tack.[6] Specially designed and cut for riding, oilskin Driza-Bone coats are used during wet weather. The horse typically wears a ringhead bridle, a saddle cloth, a leather Australian stock saddle, which may be equipped with a breastplate in steep country, and saddlebag and quart-pot.[3]
Changing times
Stockmen traditionally ride
Some stations are now making changes for the employment of women by building female living quarters and installing hydraulic
Transportable steel yards are now often carried on a truck to an area where stock-work can be completed without having to drive stock long distances to permanent yards. Stockmen and their horses can be unloaded at these yards and then the cattle can be branded and also transported from these yards if required. Lambs are also often marked in temporary yards as a means of reducing infection.[3]
Sports
A number of equestrian sports are particularly associated with stockmen. These include
Cultural depictions of stockmen
The role of the stockmen has often been celebrated in various media, with the stockman being generally more highly renowned for his ability to bring down a bullock than an
Two well-known songs commemorate the death of a stockman, the anonymous "Wrap me up with my stockwhip and blanket" and Rolf Harris's "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport".[citation needed]
Through the 19th and early 20th centuries the writing of
"The Man from Snowy River" was to become the source of three movies, one in 1920, and another in 1982 to be followed by a sequel. A TV series followed called Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River.[citation needed]
In 2002 the story was shown as live musical theatre called The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular. The inspiration for this musical performance came from the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, when the performance opened with 121 stockmen and women riding Australian Stock Horses in a tribute to the Australian pastoral heritage and the importance of the stock horse in Australia's heritage.[10] The pastoral tribute took place to music written by Bruce Rowland, who composed a special Olympics version of the main theme for the 1982 movie "The Man from Snowy River". David Atkins and Ignatius Jones, who were the artistic creators of the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, were also the co-creators of the musical, The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular.[citation needed]
A further tribute to the stockman derives from the fact that for a number of years the promotions of the Sydney Royal Easter Show have referred to it as "The Great Australian Muster".[citation needed]
In
Famous stockmen
- Nathaniel Buchanan
- Big John Dodo (c. 1910 - 2003)
- Ben Hall (9 May 1837 – 5 May 1865)
- Sidney Kidman
- William Henry Ogilvie
- James Alpin McPherson
- Breaker Morant
See also
References
- ^ The Telegraph - Jillaroos bring feminine touch to Outback farms Retrieved on 2009-6-9
- ^ Leconfield 5 day Jackaroo/Jillaroo school
- ^ ISBN 1-875202-01-3
- ^ Rowley, Max (1 September 2021). "It's 55 years since the Wave Hill walk-off, and Aboriginal workers are still fighting for their stolen wages". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ Solid Hide Belts Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6-2-2009
- ^ Traditional pocket knife Retrieved on 5-2-2009
- ISBN 0-7301-0040-5
- ^ Campdraft Rules Archived 18 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Snowy River Stockman's Challenge Archived 10 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2008-12-6
- ^ Commentary on the official DVD of the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics
External links
- Stockman mustering cattle — photo — CSIROwebsite
- King on the Ranges — includes Stockman mustering horses
- Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame — official website
- Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame — Queensland Government website