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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sun Sep 24, 2017 11:02 pm

'The Drover' - Page 87:

Harry reached the slip rail in time, he grabbed the slip rail and quickly placed it across the barrier to stop the horses’ escape.
Mick rode up to Harry with a smile on his face, ‘good on ya mate – you did it, we’re got em.’
They trapped almost twenty including the black stallion.
Over the next couple of days each horse was handled and roped to quieten them enough to make them used to humans.
After quietening each mob they caught, eventually the entire mob was handled and calm enough to drive to Cunnamulla.
It took both men six weeks to trap 280 brumbies by using this method.
After handled and quietened the mob; they drove them to Cunnamulla where they received 10 quid a head.
Harry kept the black stallion. In the mob was a foal, black maned – tailed buckskin creamy. Claire wanted this colt as her own.
‘We’ll break him in Daddy – can I have him, he’s beautiful’, Claire pleaded with her father. She named the colt Dusty.
Chapter 11

Rose was pleased to be home in her cottage and once more living in town. Most of the day she lay on her bed and read Mills and Boon books, she didn’t want to do any housework or look after the children.
Harry continued droving and on one return trip home was surprised to discover Rose was expected another child.
‘This could be the best thing that could happen’, Harry told Rose in an excited voice.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:27 pm

'The Drover' - Page 88:

‘Not likely.’ She replied in a harsh voice. She didn’t want another child to take care of, she couldn’t look after the two she already had.
‘Perhaps it may be another boy and we could put behind us the death of little Harry.’ He continued. It was twelve months since they lost their son.
Rose gave birth to a girl, her name Annie. Unfortunately Annie was born with a disjointed hip. Her left hip socket torn away from her hip, it was a birth defect, which caused the hip to fracture from the socket.
‘What else could go wrong?’ Harry queried, ‘at least the child is alive.’ He whispered to Rose.
Annie became the centre of attention with Rose and Harry spending more time with her than their other two children. Many trips to hospital became Annie’s life with operations to mend the injury.
‘Annie will always walk with a limp.’ The doctor told Harry and Rose, ‘she should live a normal life.’
Claire and Louise felt they weren’t receiving the attention from their parents, particularly their father which hurt Claire’s feelings whenever she wanted to be alone with him. It didn’t matter to Louise because she was closer to her mother than she was her father.
Life continued with Harry still droving taking a mob of sheep to Bourke each month whilst Rose remained at home with her children mainly to take care of Annie. When Annie crawled, she dragged her injured leg behind her and always called out to be carried. After a number of operations the recovery period seemed it would never end.
Claire was now nine years old, Louise five years old and little Annie almost twelve months. Harry’s sister, Anna was in the hospital giving birth to her eleventh child which turned out to be twelve because she gave birth to twins.
After giving birth to the twins Anna fell into a coma. Although the twins were properly cared for at birth by hospital staff nothing could bring Anna from the coma. Ten days into the coma Anna’s life support was switched off. She died a dignified death with her husband Les by her bedside.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:00 pm

'The Drover' - Page 89:

Harry didn’t know what to do. Les, his brother-in-law grieved for his wife and his other children aged from only a fortnight old to nine stayed with Rose and their children.
‘How can I live without Anna?’ Les sobbed holding onto Harry’s shoulder.
‘It’ll be okay mate, I’ll make it right – don’t worry we’ll work it out.’ Harry consoled his brother-in-law.
After lying Anna to rest next to the grave of Harry’s son at Cunnamulla Cemetery the family returned to Harry and Rose’s home for the wake. Family and friends journeyed across the country to say farewell to their friend and relative.
Later that night after Harry and Rose retired to bed Harry said to his wife, ‘I want to take care of Anna’s children?’
‘How many do you want to look after?’ Rose inquired.
‘Nine including the twins; Rachael, Dorothy, Hector, and the others, it’s the least we can do for her. She looked after me since I left home and now it’s my time to help.’
‘What about Les, what’s he going to do?’ Rose asked.
She thought about Harry’s demand and knew it was the only solution. Les couldn’t raise these children, particularly the twins. What else could they do? Les lived a nomad lifestyle and he liked the taste of rum.
‘He’ll take the older boys to work with him. He couldn’t be expected to look after the twins; Anna would turn over in her grave to know I didn’t look after them.’
‘Yes, we have a responsibility. It’ll be tough but I agree Anna would have done the same for us in a similar situation.’
Rose at that moment forgot about her own self pity and made up her mind to take care of the children. It would make their family twelve children. The kids would need to get on with each other or else.
Rose put her arms around Harry’s neck and lightly kissed him on the lips, ‘you are a good man Harry Williams and that’s why I love you so much.’
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:17 pm

'The Drover' - Page 90:

Harry returned her kiss and whispered, ‘it’s great to have you back Rose. I love you too. We’ll get there – don’t you worry about a thing.’ They fell into a deep sleep holding one another in their arms.
Early the next morning Harry and Rose spoke to Les about their decision. Les sobbed, through tears in his eyes tried to thank his precious brother-in-law and sister-in-law in doing what they would be taking on.
‘I’ll help when I can, I’ll try and pay you when I can but thank you, it’s a huge relief to know my children will be raised by a good family.’
‘What’s family for if we can’t help one another.’ Rose interrupted.
‘Can I tell the children?’ Les requested.
‘Yeah, of course, I’ll tell Claire and Louise, Annie is too young to know the difference.’
At the dinner table that night, twelve children sat around the table to enjoy their meal. Harry sat at the head of the table with Rose by his right hand side. Everything would turn out right; Harry would make certain it did.

Months went by and believe it or not the family became one. Rose had more washing and ironing to do and when possible Claire helped as did some of the older children.

Harry returned from one of his trips to meet his new family. The older children called him Uncle Harry and called Rose Auntie or aunt.
When in bed that night Harry thanked Rose for helping him make the decision to look after his sister’s children. His voice rang with a little excitement when he told Rose he had a drove of 500 head of cattle from Bulloo Downs to Clifton Hills in South Australia.
‘This will be enough to keep us going for the next twelve months, Love.’ He told Rose with a dash of excitement in his voice.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK CLICK HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/95766
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:08 pm

'The Drover' - Page 91:

‘What are you talking about Harry? Do you want me and the kids to come along? What about the little ones. It’s a long time on the road for them.’
‘It’ll be right. I’ll ask Les to come along and I’ll need a few more ringers. It’s like as if Anna sent this to me from her grave. What’re think Love?’
Rose couldn’t think, what she was thinking was how in blazes she would care for twelve children, a couple in nappies, living out of the back of a truck and crossing the harshest country in south-west Queensland for the next twelve months. If Harry wanted to do it then that was it; she would go along with him.
‘Yes, of course I’d love to go. I couldn’t think to be away from you for twelve months.’

Early the next morning he contacted Dennis Cottrell, the manager of Bulloo Downs to accept the job.
Harry found Les at his home, ‘how’s everything going?’ He asked.
Les was seated on the front steps of the house smoking a cigarette and gazing into space.
‘I’m trying to get on with life but it’s tough without Anna.’ He told Harry.
‘I have some good news.’
‘What – it’d want to be good.’
‘How would you like to come on a droving trip with Rose and me?’
‘Where’re you going?’
‘From Bulloo Downs to Clifton Hills in South Australia, it’ll take about twelve months.’
‘Well, I’ve got nothing better to do. I’ll bring along the boy as the horse tailer. When do we head off?’ Les’s voice gained a little excitement. It would do him good to go on the road again. He’d never been with Harry but he was rest assured they’d work well together.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK CLICK HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/95766
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:51 pm

'The Drover' - Page 92:

Bullo Downs is a property, 150 kilometres south of Thargomindah and managed by Dennis Cottrell, a tough bushman in his own right. The property stretched from New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland borders one of the largest cattle stations in south-west corner of the State. It was large enough to be the size of a small country, the like of Wales in England.
Dennis Cottrell’s reputation as a grazier in the harsh outback was a legend. His workers respected him as their Boss, their loyalty ran through their veins and they did what was expected, to go to the end of the earth, to get the job done. Mustering camps of mainly males were made up of ringers, station hands, a camp cook and jackaroos.
Three mustering camps were absent from the main homestead for half the year, to muster cattle, wean calves, castrate and brand all unbranded stock. It was hot and tough work from sunlight until sunset.
In the outback ringers rode their horses through all sessions and places. It was gibber country – open plain and timber scarce. One beast to every 100 acres was the count if the seasons were good otherwise the country only bred kangaroos and emus. This was a drought year.
In one mustering camp the men mustered 500 of the best shorthorn bullocks on the property and were ready for drover Harry Williams to take overland to Clifton Hills in South Australia. It would be a tough and arduous journey.
Bulloo Downs homestead surroundings is the size of a small country town with their local sheriff Dennis Cottrell to administer law and order. The main homestead was huge in size compared to similar homesteads in the district. Gauzed in verandas avoided the immense fly population. In the middle of summer the heat rose to well above 50 degrees Celsius making the flies target human perspiration. Black with flies on the back of a worker’s shirt was likened to bees to a honey pot.
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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:26 pm

'The Drover' - Page 93:

A covered in vestibule separated the main homestead from the kitchen, a building sufficient size for a stove feed by wood to keep it going all through the year. A cook employed by the station lived in quarters adjoining the kitchen with another small room to house the cowboy. It was the cowboy’s job to have sufficient wood in the kitchen to fuel the stove so the cook prepared all meals for the men including the Boss and his family.
From the kitchen along a walkway, a long building, similar to a dormitory, housed the men working on the station. The outbuildings and stables was similar to a scene from the movie Fight at the OK Corral with huge open stock yards to draft and work cattle.
Many a young boy arrived at Bulloo Downs wanting to become a stockman and left as a man. They travelled by the Westlander, a train from the city to Cunnamulla and the final leg to Thargomindah by mail truck. Life was rough and tough with long days in the saddle.
The overland drove was about to begin at daybreak with 500 bullocks driven from Bulloo Downs in south-west of Thargomindah on the Bulloo River, through to Cooper Creek onto Birdsville to Clifton Hills in South Australia, a journey to take 12 months.
‘G’day Dennis,’ Harry said taking a firm grip of Dennis’s hand as a welcome.
‘Good to see you again, Harry’. They’d known one another for many years.
‘We’re ready to take your cattle – they look in good order.’ Harry replied in his deep western drawl.
Both men respected each other in their own field of expertise. Dennis knew Harry Williams was the best and most honest drover in the Cunnamulla/Thargomindah district.
In turn, Harry knew he trusted Dennis to be fair and honest as long as he got the cattle to the destination in better condition than they were when he took delivery.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK CLICK HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/95766
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