| 'The Boss Drover and His Mates' begins in the years of the Great Depression.
It follows the story of Clarrie Pankhurst, who left home at the age of twelve
with his older brother, to relieve some of the burden from his mother's
shoulders - making his own way in the world.
Anne Marie Ingham brings the past to life as she unfolds the tale of
hardships and deprivation, of spirit and determination. Life along the stock
routes becomes startlingly real. Old hand and 'city swells' alike will be
transported out to places such as the endless Barkly Tablelands, and the dreaded
Murranji, to dusty tracks and lonely evenings around the campfire.
The reader will experience the unrelenting harshness of the outback, as well
as the weight of responsibility on the shoulders of a boss drover. In Ann
Ingham's words 'the boss had a signed contract with the owners undertaking to
deliver a given number of beasts to a predetermined location on a certain date,
and come hell or high water, that was the expectation. High water was not often
a problem, but of hell there could be an abundance!'
The story of Clarrie Pankhurst is one of many tales of the outback that has
been waiting to be told. As road trains have replaced men and horses, the
numbers of those who took part in that way of life are becoming fewer and fewer.
Anne Ingham has captured the spirit of the outback in this story of the life of
a boss drover before the chance slipped by.
Contents:
Foreword
Acknowledgements
When it All Began
1. Old Heads on Skinny Young Shoulders
2. On Their Own
3. The Young Ringer
4. An Eventful Initiation
5. The War Comes to Australia
6. The Boss Himself
7. Confidence Returns
8. The Larrikins
9. The Unholy Alliance
10. The Larrikins Wed
11. Enter Emily
12. Love of a Lifetime
13. The Drover's Dancing Cook
14. The Partnership
!5. If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em
Epilogue
Appendix A: A Drover's Contract
Appendix B: Report on Northern Territory Stock Routes
Appendix C: Voices from the Past
Appendix D: Northern Territory Administrative Droving Program 1957 |
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