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Tronson
Australia |
Seymour Vivian (1917 -
2002) |
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Live Stock Bulletin November 1939 Page 46 THE
RIGHT STUFF From the Editor - Last
month on this page I quoted a Hereford breeder as saying that youths of
today lacked enterprise and initiative. Walter Tronson wrote that
his 17 year old son Seymour had taken up a scrub selection on Dalrymple
Heights (N.Q., Crediton 60 miles west of Mackay). He’d received from
him this letter, so as to prove that all lads are not lacking in pluck
and stick-to-itiveness. The lad had moved some
calves from his brother’s-in-law farm at Pomona (Q) [Cyril Sealy’s
farm, ‘Ringwood’] by rail to his property [up on the Eungella range]. This
is the ungarnished tale of the journey. “I got everything fixed
up all right to start my journey last Wednesday. Could not have picked
better weather. Tom (the cream carter) got to the farm at 4.30am
Wednesday, and he backed into No.10 feeding pen. I got the poddies out
of the Kikuyu yard and got them on the truck, and I started on my
journey. We got to Pomona at 6.30, unloaded them into the yards, and
left them there till 2 o’clock, when I loaded them into the truck
(rail). Cyril came in to see me
off, and he brought in all my luggage. When it came to the time of
loading them there was an I.C. and a K wagon at the yards, and some
other chaps got in before me and used my I.C. wagon, so the
stationmaster let me have the K wagon at no extra cost. The poddies
fitted in less than a third of it. The freight was £9/-/3. I put my
tools in with the cattle. They connected the cattle on to the goods
train and we pulled out of Pomona at 2.15pm Wednesday. Got to Gympie at 4.30,
and had one hour there. Next long stop was Maryborough. Got there at
10.20pm and stayed for an hour. Then again at Bundaberg, arriving there
at 3.05am Thursday and stayed there for two hours. Arriving at
Mokowata, I found out we had to wait half an hour. Left there at 9
o’clock. The train stayed fifteen minutes at Gladstone, and I had some
dinner. Then again we had another
half-hour’s wait at Ragian, so I go to it then and gave the poddies
water. That was 3.15pm. The next stop was Rockhampton, at 5.30. I tried
to find out about giving them water, but no one there knew anything
about it; in fact, some of them were surprised when I told them they
had to have water. Any rate, I fed them and they were as good and
lively as anything, so I never watered them there. At all the big stations –
Gympie, Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rockhampton – they change the train,
even the guard’s van. I had to take my ports out and leave them on the
platform until they decided which van they were taking. That meant I
could not have a sleep – so I had a good look around. We left Rockhampton at
7.35pm, travelled all night and got to Sarina at 1.30am Friday. At
Sarina I gave the poddies the last of the chaff (the first bag). The
train was travelling right on time all the way, and when we were about
6 miles out of Mackay we had to wait half an hour for the signal. We
arrived at Mackay at 9.30am. I put my ports in the
cloak room and got to the trucking yards as soon as possible. The yards
are right next to the goods shed. I saw the manager of the goods shed,
and he came out and gave orders for the truck to be out near the yards
at once. There were other trucks in the road, so they got them all
shifted and my truck in position, and it was 10.30 when I let the
poddies out. The stationmaster got me
half a 44-gallon drum for water and a box for feed, and also rang up
the produce store and asked them to bring around a bag of lucerne chaff
for me at once. I wasted no time in filling up the drum with water.
After they all had their drink I left the drum full. I filled their box
with chaff. I spent three hours pulling up tall grass along the lines
and throwing it over to them. They would not eat the chaff while there
was grass. At 2 o’clock I refilled the drum with water, and before dark
I put them back in the truck. During the day I went and had a look at
the butter factory. We started off again at
five minutes to four on Saturday morning and got to Netherdale at
11.15am. On the way up I fed the remainder of the chaff to the poddies,
about three quarters of a bag. Bob Bell and Doug Mollenhagen were at
the station to meet me. We got them into the yard. They were all in
perfect order. Bob got all my luggage in his truck and went off with
it. Then Doug and I went to the hotel and had dinner. Then we brought them up
the range. We left Netherdale at 10 to 12. We took them out to Bob
Bell’s place. It took us 5½ hours for the 6½ miles, 4 hours to get up
the range. We gave them a drink at every place where there was water,
and they were feeding all the time. Bob suggested I take them to his
place and stay with him for a couple of days. I could not resist: it is
worth anything to have a man come and meet you at the station like that. He has seven poddies the
same age, we are going to put with them and drive them all out to my
selection together. He is going to pay me for agistment on them. Doug
and I were going to take them out to my block tomorrow, but it has
started to rain now and it might alter our plans. The poddies were
excellent. They travelled well, and no trouble to drive them up the
range, and none of them sick”. From the Editor – That is
the letter. It reads like the diary of an explorer, and it may awaken
memories in the minds of “Bulletin” readers who had similar experiences
when they were young fellows making a start. (Feb
2006 - Tronson Family editor: This certainly concurs with oral family
history, but note that Seymour was 19 yrs old when this event occurred,
not 17 as stated. Other explanatory notes in square brackets). |
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