Pat Ritter. Books

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 29:

‘We’ll soon eat; the cook will call us. Something else I want to discuss with you before we finish here.’ Nat looked at his father.
‘And what else can I help you with,’ his father replied looking across to his son pride swelling his chest.
‘I’m worried about the shearers.’ Nat expressed in a solemn voice, concern spread across his face.
‘You’re right to be concerned because after the shearers strike we had recently, almost crippled the country.' His question astonished Nat. ‘Dad. There's some bad news which I don’t know what you'll think when you hear about what Joe did.’ Nat started to tell his father.
‘What happened. Did Joe and Hannah break up? I liked Joe when we enjoyed our Christmas Dinner with him here; I actually thought he would’ve been a good husband for Hannah.’ George finished drinking the last of his beer.
‘Yes, I should’ve told you before. Joe led the strikers in Cunnamulla and the morning the police were to raid his camp to arrest him, his friend Joe Gibson swapped places and took his place.’ Nat muttered, feeling ashamed and never thought Joe would run away from his responsibilities.
‘What! I don’t believe this. You telling me Joe ran out on his mate and Hannah?’ His voice raised in anger.
‘Hannah broke the relationship off after he told her and Ma later that morning what he’d done. Hannah visited the other Joe at Cunnamulla police station but couldn’t change his mind to tell the truth and wanted Hannah to ‘get on with her life’. Hannah is taking care of his horse whilst he’s away.’ Nat admitted to his father.
‘What a mongrel Joe Ryan is to do this to his best friend. A real coward if you ask me.’ George expressed in a concerned voice.
‘I agree as long as he never sets foot around here again or any of my properties. Lunch is ready.’
‘This friend of his must be a courageous fellow to take his place. I’d like to meet him one day.’
‘And you may. I’d like to shake his hand.’ Nat finished.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 30:

Chapter 4

‘You ready Ryan?’ Sergeant Gray bellowed unlocking the cell door. He stepped back to allow the prisoner sufficient room to pass, closed and locked the cell door and escorted the prisoner to a waiting wagon. He placed shackles on Joe’s wrists and ankles. ‘Step up onto the wagon. Sit on the seat at the back.’ Joe placed his foot onto the wagon tray and hoisted himself inside of the cage. ‘Take a seat, you’re a long way to go.’ Sergeant Gray closed the cage door.
Joe recognised Constable Fitzgerald seated on the front holding reins of the horse. ‘Good morning Joe. Ready for your trip?’ Constable Fitzgerald asked.
‘Fine, thank you. Are you taking me to Rockhampton?’ Joe asked.
‘No, only as far as Charleville, another police officer will escort you from there. We’ll be on our way.’
‘Safe trip.’ Sergeant Gray replied.
Constable Fitzgerald clicked the horse into a trot leaving the police station, headed north along Stockyard Street toward the outskirts of town on the road to Charleville. He failed to notice a lady standing on the steps at the front of the post office. Her head bowed.
Following the Warrego River along a track Joe sighted a fellow near the river rolling his swag. Joe Ryan; he must’ve camped on the riverbank. Did I do the right thing? Too late now to worry about what's been done. I wish you luck Joe, too bad about Hannah. Bloody hell, what's going to happen? he pondered.
‘Only been a couple of days since I arrested you Joe, for some reason you don’t appear to be the same Joe Ryan I knew a couple of years back when you helped me with your mate Bluey Simpson.’ Constable Fitzgerald threw the question over his shoulder.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 31:

Joe fell silent, do I tell him I’m not Joe Ryan but Joe Gibson, the real Joe Ryan is over near the river. Wouldn’t take much to tell Constable Fitzgerald about what I did to change identity. No! Not worth the trouble. I made the decision, ‘been a couple of years, a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then.’ Joe mumbled.
‘You do remember when we uncovered gibbers from your mate Bluey and you helped me load his body onto the back of the wagon?’ Constable Fitzgerald asked.
‘Yeah, he was heavy,’ come on Joe think what Joe Ryan told you at the pub. ‘We had a good cuppa’, was all Joe remembered and again fell silent. How long would this charade keep going?
‘We’ll stop at Coongoola for a cuppa. You remember the scones, don’t you?’
‘Of course,’ Joe couldn’t remember being told about the constable’s scones, rather than make a fool of himself he decided to go with the flow and see what happened and the least said the better otherwise the constable would click he wasn’t the same Joe.
They travelled in silence until reaching Coongoola. Constable Fitzgerald stopped the wagon, stepped down, walked to the rear door of the cage. ‘Climb down Joe, stretch your legs. You can’t run from here. I’ll put the billy on. Try my scones I cooked this morning. You remember last time I couldn’t tell you my mother’s secret recipe because wouldn’t be a secret any more’. He smiled.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 32:

Joe stretched to stand, bent his head and shuffled across to the rear gate of the cage. He stepped down instant blood flowed through his body in relief from sitting for the past couple of hours. ‘Could I have a piss?’
‘Somewhere away from the camp. I’ll make a fire and boil the billy.’
Joe shuffled his feet to stand behind a mulga tree to relieve himself afterward returned to the camp site. ‘Want a hand?’ He asked.
‘No – used to doing everything by myself. Because of what you did I was transferred to Cunnamulla? I liked Eulo; they wanted me to identify you, and transferred me. I suppose I should thank you.’
‘Sorry about that. You enjoyed working at Eulo.’ Joe muttered not wanting to get into conversation because the old saying: loose lips sink ships.
‘Ah, I don’t mind the move too much, a lot more work and good to work with an offsider for a change. You caused quite a ruckus doing what you did. What made you go on strike?’
Joe could share this information because his knowledge why the strike came about, he held full knowledge of each event. ‘I wanted to improve working conditions and wages for my fellow shearers’, he told Constable Fitzgerald.
‘Unfortunately you never succeeded. Now look what happened. You’re off to face justice for what you did. I kinda like you Joe and what you did is against the law by taking the law into your own hands. At times I’d love to say something about our work conditions and wages, but honestly mate I’d never in my wildest dreams ever incite my fellow officers to go on strike like you did.’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 33:

Joe fell silent sipping his tea and eating a scone, ‘what’s done is done and nothing I can do will change. I’ll serve my time and see where I go after I get out of prison. Hey, you were right, these scones are good. Can I have another?’ Joe’s face broke into a smile when handed another scone.
After they broke camp Joe climbed into the cage and sat behind Constable Fitzgerald. ‘At least you’ll be on the train from Charleville to Rockhampton.’ Constable Fitzgerald shouted over his shoulder. Midday was fast approaching. ‘Got your hat on Joe, starting to get hot.’
Joe pulled his hat tighter around his skull, ‘yeah, I’m right, can’t be too far from here?’ Joe wondered.
‘Almost at Wyandra, about half way, we’ll be in Charleville by late afternoon. They rode along in silence. ‘We’ll pull up on the other side of Wyandra so you can stretch your legs.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Joe answered.
After leaving Wyandra Constable Fitzgerald stopped his horse under the shade of a huge gum tree and stepped down to unlock the cage. ‘We’ll have a break and some lunch. I’ll let the horse loose while we have something to eat.’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 34:

Joe stepped down from the wagon. ‘I’ll make a fire to boil the billy,’ Joe gathered kindling to make a fire. ‘Have you a match to start the fire. Can't rub two sticks together with these things on?’ He asked Constable Fitzgerald who took a match from his trouser pocket, struck it on the side of his pants and ignited the kindling. ‘Where do I get water?’ Joe asked.
‘I’ll get it, you take a seat on the log over there and I’ll fetch some sandwiches.’
Joe shuffled to a nearby log and sat watching Constable Fitzgerald prepare their lunch. Hope he doesn’t ask too many more questions, I don’t think he’s caught on yet about changing places but if he does, I don’t know what will happen. Joe pondered.
‘What happens if you bump into Billy Wells in prison?’ Constable Fitzgerald asked.
‘Never thought about seeing him again,’ Joe answered, a crease formed on his brow.
‘I bet he doesn’t forget the night at Eulo you almost killed him when he wore the necklace and ring he’d stolen from Hannah.’
Joe thought back to the night and remembered what happened. He was there and saw everything. ‘Hope I don’t go to the same prison as he’s in. I don’t know what happened after you arrested him.’
‘He faced court and pleaded ‘guilty’. I was there at the court hearing, the judge gave him twenty years imprisonment. He still thinks the police murdered his brother. I think they sent him to St Helena Island Prison. It’s supposed to be one of the toughest prisons.’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 35:

Hope they send me to another prison, Joe pondered and fell silent.
‘We’ll have a rest for an hour.’ Constable Fitzgerald lowered his hat, ‘you won’t try and escape, will you?’
‘No.’ Joe slid to the ground and lay his head against a log closed his eyes and thoughts ricocheted through his mind seeing Billy Wells in prison. If it happens, it happens. I’ll deal with it whenever, these were his final thoughts until he heard Constable Fitzgerald’s voice say they were on their way.
As the sun dipped over the horizon they arrived at Charleville Police Station. After Constable Fitzgerald released Joe from the cage he escorted him to the front desk. ‘Prisoner Ryan for transportation to Rockhampton’, Constable Fitzgerald told the desk sergeant who appeared to be half asleep.
‘Right, Ryan you say, where’s he going?’
‘To Rockhampton Sergeant,’ Constable Fitzgerald answered in an authoritative voice.
‘Can’t see anything about him. Have you a warrant?’
Constable Fitzgerald handed over papers which included the arrest warrant. The desk sergeant scanned the papers, ‘thank you constable. We’ll take care of him from here.’
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