Post by braided-rug on Apr 25, 2006 12:12:45 GMT 10
All this while the Railway from Quairading was on its way - coming nearer and nearer; and when J. B. Harris of Quairading opened a camp store at Kwolyin some 4 miles west of Shackleton townsite, we were relieved of the long 40 mile trip to Kellerberrin for stores and purchases them there - civilization was coming.
And now there were so many clearers that a Football teams of sorts was formed, and the first Shackleton Football Game was played at our homestead, Wirrilli, against Babakin, and we won! The Babakin players had come a long distance - some even walked miles; and we had Flags, good old Union Jacks flying; and Percy and Alf Foale were the first-rank players. I supplied pork pies and sponge cakes and everybody was happy; I wonder, if the roll were called today how many would answer?
The season of 1912 was fairly good, but as yet the settlers were farming in a small way, as most had only small patches completely cleared. Messrs. Beaton Bros, brought in the first flock of sheep, very fine merinos, but owing to the poor seasons and ravages of dingoes, they were complelled to dispose of them. Thy gave me four lambs which grew into magnificient creatures - one ram, which I called Hiawatha, cut 26lbs wool at his second shearing. Sad to say, this splended sheep was later practically torn to pieces by dingoes; but I have no doubt he left his mark on one or two of them before they finally bore him down.
Some dingoes prowled in packs, but others hunted alone - there was one in particular had a beat like a policeman. He had a round - called at Howses, on to Beatons, from there to us, and then on to Craigies, according as to how he scored. Finally he was poisoned by Mr. K. Beaton. The packs were more dangerous, and difficult to deal with, being very bold yet terribly cunning. One bright moonlight night I was awakened by my bulldog making queer woofly noises out of doors, and when I crept out to investigate I saw her slowly backing to the house while 3 dingoes with tails up over their backs followed her step by step.
Just as I cam in view one made a leap and grabbed at her neck which was well-protected by a four-inch collar and I gasped with horror. They heard and saw me at the same moment and instantly they shot off in different directions. Mr. Bland came out with the gun but had no luck - we would here a fence-wire jingle, then an eerie howl from another direction for a while, then silence. However the next morning when Mrs. Craigie came out, she found her fox-terrier had been torn to pieces - only the collar left, so the maruanders had scored again.
The packs were so bold they would enter the pigsties quire near the house and kill or carry off the suckers; and many a fine young porker was chopped to death by 3 or 4 big dingoes down in the paddocks before we could come to their assistance - the carcass would look as though it had been hacked by large-sized bucher knives. They killed and maimed for sport- just tearing the kidney fat out from the living sheep, and crushing the ribs of perhaps a dozen lambs, leaving them gasping on their feet. Bad as the fox is as a maraunder he pales before the terrible dingo; I have no doubt that given the climatic conditons of Northern Europe or America, our dingo would be every whit as great a menace to human beings as the wolf.
And now there were so many clearers that a Football teams of sorts was formed, and the first Shackleton Football Game was played at our homestead, Wirrilli, against Babakin, and we won! The Babakin players had come a long distance - some even walked miles; and we had Flags, good old Union Jacks flying; and Percy and Alf Foale were the first-rank players. I supplied pork pies and sponge cakes and everybody was happy; I wonder, if the roll were called today how many would answer?
The season of 1912 was fairly good, but as yet the settlers were farming in a small way, as most had only small patches completely cleared. Messrs. Beaton Bros, brought in the first flock of sheep, very fine merinos, but owing to the poor seasons and ravages of dingoes, they were complelled to dispose of them. Thy gave me four lambs which grew into magnificient creatures - one ram, which I called Hiawatha, cut 26lbs wool at his second shearing. Sad to say, this splended sheep was later practically torn to pieces by dingoes; but I have no doubt he left his mark on one or two of them before they finally bore him down.
Some dingoes prowled in packs, but others hunted alone - there was one in particular had a beat like a policeman. He had a round - called at Howses, on to Beatons, from there to us, and then on to Craigies, according as to how he scored. Finally he was poisoned by Mr. K. Beaton. The packs were more dangerous, and difficult to deal with, being very bold yet terribly cunning. One bright moonlight night I was awakened by my bulldog making queer woofly noises out of doors, and when I crept out to investigate I saw her slowly backing to the house while 3 dingoes with tails up over their backs followed her step by step.
Just as I cam in view one made a leap and grabbed at her neck which was well-protected by a four-inch collar and I gasped with horror. They heard and saw me at the same moment and instantly they shot off in different directions. Mr. Bland came out with the gun but had no luck - we would here a fence-wire jingle, then an eerie howl from another direction for a while, then silence. However the next morning when Mrs. Craigie came out, she found her fox-terrier had been torn to pieces - only the collar left, so the maruanders had scored again.
The packs were so bold they would enter the pigsties quire near the house and kill or carry off the suckers; and many a fine young porker was chopped to death by 3 or 4 big dingoes down in the paddocks before we could come to their assistance - the carcass would look as though it had been hacked by large-sized bucher knives. They killed and maimed for sport- just tearing the kidney fat out from the living sheep, and crushing the ribs of perhaps a dozen lambs, leaving them gasping on their feet. Bad as the fox is as a maraunder he pales before the terrible dingo; I have no doubt that given the climatic conditons of Northern Europe or America, our dingo would be every whit as great a menace to human beings as the wolf.