Pat Ritter. Books

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 15:

‘How dreadful. Why did he leave?’ Martha replied.
‘You remember when he went on strike with the other shearers.’ Hannah started to explain when her father interrupted.
‘We fixed them bludgers. Fancy wanting more wages and better conditions. They’d have to be soft in the head, been out in the midday sun too much. Twopence a sheep should’ve kept them with plenty of money. If they didn’t waste their money on grog,’ Nat explained.
‘Pa, Joe told me he worked under terrible conditions, not here, your property should be made an example of what properties should be like, he always told me. No, Joe wanted to work hard to improve his mates working conditions and wages, that’s all, and where did it get him-nowhere.’
‘Serves him and other strikers right for trying to get more than what they’re entitled to.’ Nat remarked. ‘What happened to Joe?’
‘He’s gone Pa. He's never been around for almost a year before he joined his shearer mates and went on strike. He led them at the Cunnamulla camp. Yesterday morning he arrived home at Ma’s Guest House to tell Ma and me he wasn’t Joe Ryan any more, but now using the name Joe Gibson. He said it was Joe Gibson’s idea to change clothes and give him his identity. Joe Gibson took his place and arrested by the police.’ Hannah explained.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 16:

‘What a mongrel.’ Nat exploded, anger showed in his face. ‘I should’ve sacked the bludger the day he cut the belly wool of my sheep.’ Nat took his pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, struck a match against his trousers and lit the top of his pipe. ‘Where’s he gone to?’ Nat asked puffing on his pipe.
‘I don’t know Pa. I returned his ring and necklace and told him I couldn’t believe what he did to change his identity and to act as someone else.’ Hannah explained. ‘I’ve come to warn you if he comes this way don’t give him a job because he’s not who he says he is.’
‘Let him come. It’ll be a pleasure to throw him off the place. Who is he then?' Nat growled.
‘He’s using the name Joe Gibson, who is the person who took his place. I went to the police station and spoke to him, he sounded a lovely fellow. He needed to be brave to do what he’s done and gave me the horse and saddle to take care of.’ Hannah answered.
‘What’s going to happen to this Joe fella?’ Nat asked, concerned.
‘From what he told me the police are escorting him to Rockhampton to face court with the other leaders. I suppose he’ll go to gaol.’
‘Sounds too nicer a fellar to take the place of a coward,’ Nat spat the words.
‘I only spoke with him through the cell wall, his reason for changing places so Joe and I could be together.’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 17:

‘Fat chance that happening now.’ Nat sneered.
‘Never mind dear,’ her mother leaned over and hugged her daughter. Martha’s mind drifted back in years to her youth, younger than her daughter is now. She lived in Sydney Town where her family belonged to the upper social class. They operated their own merchant business. She went to every social event on the calendar and it was at one of these parties she met and fell in love with Nat Young a young pastoralist from outback Queensland who visited Sydney Town for the wool sales. ‘I remember falling in love – don’t you dear?’ She asked Nat.
His eyes glanced sideways toward his wife who gave him a smile and a wink. Nat remembered the night he first sighted Martha across the floor at a social function he attended whilst he attended a wool sale in Sydney Town representing his father. It was almost a quarter of a century ago. His heart pounded, a beautiful woman stared at him. How he gathered sufficient courage to ask her to dance he still didn’t know to this day.
They danced the night away joyful in meeting one another. His thoughts went to his daughter to understand what she was now going through. In a way I’m pleased Joe and Hannah never married. How would she cope? At least now she can get on with her life, his thoughts broken by Hannah.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 18:

‘Pa and mother, I've got a couple of days before I need to return to school. Can I stay here? I can help Pa get ready for shearing.’
‘Yes, of course. You don’t need to ask.’ Her mother answered.
‘Shearing is only around the corner. You stay as long as you want.’ Her father expressed. His heart filled with joy. He had more important things on his mind. Like for instance, he was about to purchase his neighbours properties to expand his own landholdings. Nat smiled hope I can purchase sufficient properties before the powers to be decide on where Treasure House of Nations Heart will finally be.
‘Pa, you’re pleased I'm here. You’re smiling.’ Hannah frowned.
‘Just smiling because I’m happy. I’ll let you both in on a little secret. No one knows about this proposal. Not even your mother. I want to purchase as many properties in this area as possible.’ Nat explained.
‘Aren’t you happy with Kahmoo’? Hannah questioned.
‘Oh yes Kahmoo is great but I need to expand with the times. There is talk amongst the founding fathers of our country to select a grand capital of some 50,000 square miles starting at Cameron Corner taking in Cunnamulla, Charleville and Thargomindah.’ Nat explained excitedly.
‘How does this affect us?’ Hannah questioned her father.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 19:

‘This proposal has been published in a booklet: Federation, Imperial or Democratic. If this idea goes ahead I want to be the largest landholder in the area.’
‘Pa, I hope it works for you. Sounds exciting.’ She answered, sceptically.
‘More than exciting, imagine the people travelling to settle in this area, progress, more landholdings mean more wool production, more employment for the workers, where would it stop.’ Nat leaned back in his chair puffing on his pipe satisfied, his mind seeing people settled in the area. He would be the major landowner, enough wool to service the whole of Australia.
‘Are you sure you can do this?’ Martha questioned how Nat was going from a one property landowner to a multi-property empire. It wasn’t her place to interfere with her husband’s plans.
‘My dear wife, Professor Duncan Waterson wrote about an idea suggested by J.G.Drake, a radical Queensland journalist and politician who is fighting for a grand capital of some 50,000 square miles to be recognised as Treasure House of Nations Heart. It’s time for me to start working on buying as many properties as possible. Another fellow by the name of William Astley, a journalist wants Bathurst to be Treasure House of Nations Heart. I think Drake will beat him to the punch,’ Nat continued to smoke his pipe. ‘We can handle it better here than those southerners’.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 20:

‘Hope you realise what you’re doing.’ Martha finished. ‘I’ll clear the dishes.’
Nat didn’t want his wife’s blessing only he would make the final decision in the end to purchase these properties. In his mind’s eye Kahmoo Station would become headquarters to his grand plan, the epicentre. Managers would operate each station he purchased. His eyes grew wide with admiration to witness these properties in his mind’s eye, his own empire to govern the operations and become the largest wool grower in south-west Queensland or maybe Australia.
I’ll make it happen, Nat thought. His imagination glowed with a picture of the future, riding across his empire to inspect stock, speak to each manager, plan on further purchases of properties until he owned enough to be the wealthiest grazier in the south-west Queensland. May even think about entering politics.
He remembered his father telling him often how when he was growing up in Sydney Town he longed to own his own property after working at ‘Camden Park’ with John Macarthur. His father wanted to be as rich as the Macarthur family and soon realised growing wool became the road to riches.
Stories filled his mind when his father told him in 1847, one year after Thomas Mitchell discovered the district of Cunnamulla, aboriginal meaning, long stretch of water Cunnamulla was the future. He married Gloria. They purchased the property and named it ‘Kahmoo Station’ situated ten miles west of Cunnamulla. With 300 head of sheep and a new bride the trip took nine months. Nat was born on their arrival at the property.
Nat remembered his father’s stories of cutting local timber, building a home for his wife and new born child, building sheep yards, shearing shed. They lived in a tent whilst his father built their home. Over the years these stories embellished to such a degree his father became a super person who would do anything he set his mind to. Now Nat's mind was set to become the wealthiest land owner in the district. His plan to become a reality because of knowledge his father taught him from an early age. In his mind’s eye he would become the finest wool grower in the district and respected by many other property landholders and pastoralists.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 21:

Chapter 3

Nat’s decision to purchase more properties led him to his parent’s home in Spring Hill, Brisbane. Martha accompanied Nat and wanted to spend time with her mother-in-law to learn any latest developments in cooking and house keeping. Ma decided to go with them being the first time she left Cunnamulla to visit the city. She couldn’t get over the number of people, often commenting, ‘they’re like ants, never seen so many people in my whole life.’ Her eyes bulged leaving her mouth drop open at the uncommon sights. Although she’d grown up in Sydney Town she forgot what it was like to live among so many people. Cunnamulla only possessed a small portion of citizens as compared to Brisbane.
‘Do you think it’s financially viable to purchase those properties you speak of?’ George asked his son when they were alone.
‘If I don’t go ahead and purchase them now I’ll miss a great opportunity. J.G.Drake speaks of a grand capital of some 50,000 square miles situated from Cameron’s Corner stretching to Cunnamulla, Charleville and Thargomindah, our property edges the southern border. If I purchase enough properties before the declaration is declared of where they’re going to have this National Capital, I’ll beat everyone to the punch.’ Nat expressed puffing on his pipe. He valued his father’s opinion.
‘How many properties are you looking to purchase?’ George asked puzzled. He honestly thought his son would’ve been happy owning ‘Kahmoo Station’ which he’d built from nothing working fourteen hour days, seven days a week.
‘Depending on how much the bank is going to loan me,’ Nat expressed, he hated discussing financial details with his father before any agreement, Nat needed the costing. George required the full extend of the monies owed, for peace of mind, although he didn’t have any financial interest in the property, he still required how far his son went into debt.
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