by Tony Parsons
Apart from the property, which was hers and could not be touched, the only real cash-generating assets was the herd of Hereford cows, of which there were about seventy, and the thoroughbred yearlings. But the receiver soon discovered that most of these yearlings were in joint names, as were their dams, so a large portion of the proceeds after sale went the way of the rest of Rod Matheson’s property. The receiver couldn’t touch Starana because David MacLeod transferred her to Emily.
The cattle produced about $18 000 a year, out of which the family’s living expenses, shire rates, property and vehicle maintenance, and schooling were to be paid. Emily was aghast when she sat down and worked out what she actually owned and what money she had to live on. She herself had no skills that would enable her to obtain a worthwhile job because she had never had to work. True, she had helped on the family property when she wasn’t riding horses in the show ring but that experience didn’t count for much in the eyes of potential employers.
She had tried to explain the family’s changed circumstances to her daughters; that because their father had lost a lot of money she had had to withdraw them both from boarding school, and they would have to attend the high school in Scone from now on. This was a big enough shock, but to see the horses they had loved taken away shattered both girls. It was a situation so new and unexpected that for a time Dianne and Sarah had trouble coming to grips with it.
It was against the background of her reduced circumstances that Emily accepted David’s gift of Starana with heartfelt relief. She had no real belief that she could succeed in getting Starana in foal because if it had been possible, David MacLeod would have done it. What Emily needed was a morale booster for her girls and a horse they could focus their attention on after being told they would lose their own thoroughbreds. Starana, her famous sister Davana and the great mare that produced them were household names in the district. Starana’s grandsire, Star Kingdom, was known throughout the country.
Emily wasn’t destitute. She owned a 700-acre property that was free from debt, but it was not capable of giving Emily the lifestyle to which she was accustomed. It would take very careful stewardship to carry on. The alternative was to sell the property, which would allow Emily to buy a house in town and invest the remainder. When she proposed this to Dianne and Sarah they would not hear of their mother selling up.
‘You mustn’t, Mummy,’ Dianne pleaded. Dianne was fourteen-and-a-half and Sarah was just thirteen. ‘I can leave school at fifteen and get a job,’ she said. ‘I can do a secretarial course. Sarah is much smarter than me and she can stay at school to finish her leaving certificate,’ Dianne said magnanimously.
‘That’s very sweet of you, Dianne. Well, we shall see. I must say I don’t want to leave here and go to town,’ Emily said.
‘Oh, no, Mummy, we don’t want to leave here,’ Sarah chipped in.
‘Then we’ll just have to make the best of what we have,’ Emily said with a forced smile. ‘Losing the horses is a real blow. We are almost back to scratch.’
This was true, because the only horses they would be left with were those that Emily could prove actually belonged to her. There were a couple of her old show horses and three other mares she had acquired from her own resources.
‘But now we have Starana,’ Dianne said.
‘We mustn’t build our hopes up too much on Starana, sweetheart,’ Emily said as she hugged her. ‘If the MacLeods couldn’t get her to go in foal, you may depend it probably isn’t possible. David MacLeod is the best horse and dog man in these parts.’
‘He’s gorgeous, isn’t he, Mummy?’ Dianne said and giggled.
‘He is rather, isn’t he?’ Emily agreed, smiling to herself.
‘I should like to marry a man just like David MacLeod,’ Dianne said.
‘That’s a very worthy ambition, darling,’ Emily said, and laughed. She hadn’t felt like laughing these past few months. ‘I’m afraid the David MacLeods of this world don’t grow on trees and there are always girls like Catriona who win their hearts. Not, I must say, that you won’t be very pretty, Dianne. I am very proud of my two girls. I shall always be grateful to your father for giving me two such sweet girls. And you must remember your father for the way he loved you both.’
It was a tough transition for mother and daughters, but somehow they managed to make ends meet. Emily could have gone to her family for help but in the light of their opposition to her marriage to Rod, she was too proud to do that. Instead she skimped and saved where she could. She had plenty of clothes and made do with what she had so she could give Dianne and Sarah new clothes.
Dianne left school at fifteen and completed her secretarial course. She was a blonde, pretty girl, though not as classically good-looking as her sister. Her enthusiasm and her attitude landed her a job with a stock and station agent and it was not long before several young graziers took to calling in regularly on some pretext or other.
It was during the first couple of years following her husband’s suicide, when things were toughest, that Emily and her daughters had most reason to be grateful to David MacLeod. Like his father before him, David would help anyone he thought worthy of a hand up. Emily and Catriona had become very close friends and visited each other fairly regularly. Catriona was disturbed when she heard how little Emily had to live on and that she was going to lose her horses. She went back to David and told him what she had learnt.
‘Is there anything we can do, darling?’ she asked.
David looked away into the distance for a while before answering. ‘I suppose we could buy back some of Emily’s mares. The receiver will put them up for sale. They probably won’t make a lot of money. It’s a forced sale so might not attract much interest. If we can get some of the mares back – the best ones anyway – I’ll let her have free services to two or three of them when we pull Western Star out of racing.’
‘What a splendid idea, darling. Let me buy the mares back as my contribution,’ Catriona said.
‘If that’s what you want, Cat. I’ll get Lew Hooper to look into it and go and bid for them. He’s got plenty of time on his hands now he’s retired. The sort of job Lew would like no end,’ David said.
Catriona was in awe of her husband’s capacity to organise things in difficult situations. He had had this gift from boyhood. It had come to the fore when she went over the ledge on Yellow Rock and again when Kate broke her leg on Wallaby Rocks. It was David’s organisational skills that allowed him to handle five properties just as easily, or so it seemed to Catriona, as some people managed one. Given that David controlled stud cattle, sheep, horses and dogs, it was little short of amazing that he was able to keep so much in his head.
David went to see Lew Hooper who, since his retirement from the police force, had done several jobs for him. Hooper was a tough man who didn’t respect many people but he respected David MacLeod and would have done almost anything for him. He now had a very nice cottage on his 200 acres and a dozen good mares to keep him occupied.
‘I’ve got another job for you, Lew,’ David said. ‘It’s right up your alley.’
‘Sounds interesting. What is it, David?’ Hooper asked, curious.
David outlined the circumstances relating to Rod and Emily Matheson and added that the mares had been jointly owned and taken over by the receiver. ‘We want to buy back the best half-dozen for Emily. There might be one or two that would suit you, too. I want you to have a look at the list and when the sale comes up, buy them for us to give back to Emily. Cat will go with you to pay for them. You can pick up our truck at High Peaks and when the sale is over deliver the mares to Emily, if you wouldn’t mind. Can you do that for me, Lew?’
‘On my head, David, no worries at all. Will Mrs Matheson be at the sale?’
‘No, she told me she couldn’t bear to see the mares sold. There’s some good stuff in those horses, Lew. When Rod had money they didn’t stint on what they spent. They should have bred more than they did – maybe they used the wrong sires. Can you afford
a couple more mares?’
Some people would have been offended by this question but Lew Hooper knew that David MacLeod didn’t beat around the bush. If he told him that he couldn’t afford the mares, David would offer to pay for the mares until Lew sold a horse or two and had the money to spare.
‘I got a big super, David. I can afford a couple more mares,’ Hooper said and grinned.
David nodded. ‘Just thought I’d check. Pity to see good mares go elsewhere. Let me know what I owe you.’
‘You’ll owe me precisely nothing for this job, David. I’ll be glad to do it for Emily. If I buy any of her mares, I’d like to use your truck to bring them back here – that’s all I ask,’ Hooper said.
‘Of course, by all means. If you’ve got any time on your hands, I’ll have a couple more jobs for you, Lew,’ David told him.
‘Not like this one, I’ll be bound,’ Hooper said with a grin.
‘No, a lot different, Lew. I want you to set up computer programs for us to keep record of the livestock side of things. Advise on what system to buy and all that sort of thing. Cat has taken over the bookwork from Mum and has mastered the financial aspect of the business electronically, but I think we can take it further. I want to put all the stud stock on computer discs because with the cattle, especially, there’s weight-gain figures and the like that need recording and accessing easily.’
David knew that Hooper was something of a computer expert and that he had set up a system for himself that gave him instant access to thoroughbred pedigrees from around the world.
‘Sounds interesting. I wonder what Andy would have thought of that!’ Hooper said. It was his summation of how far David had come in a relatively short space of years.
‘An interesting observation, Lew,’ David said, and grinned. ‘Dad took Aberfeldy in his stride so I reckon he’d see the value of computers. Nobody could be bushier or more stock-minded than me and I can see how they will help us – so long as I don’t have to work the mongrels! Sitting down in front of a screen isn’t my go. Once we’re on top of the computer business I’ll see about getting someone else in to handle it a couple of days a week. I want Cat to learn the software so that someone in the family is computer-literate rather than an ignoramus like me!’ David said. What he didn’t tell Hooper was that he already had someone in mind for this particular part-time job.
Hooper laughed. David MacLeod might be an ignoramus where computers were concerned but he was the smartest man with livestock that he knew. It seemed to Lew that David knew things instinctively while other people tried all their lives to amass the same degree of knowledge.
So it transpired that with Catriona sitting beside him Lew Hooper acquired what he considered to be the best six mares in the receiver’s catalogue of Matheson horses. He bought a couple of mares for himself, as well, but not until he had purchased the best six horses for Emily. As David had predicted, there weren’t a lot of people present at the sale but there were a couple of ‘sharpies’ who knew the value of some of the horses. Fortunately people like the Inghams and their ilk were not represented. Even so, Catriona outlayed a tidy sum for the mares.
When Hooper, driving the High Peaks International, drove in to Glengarry with the mares and began unloading them, Emily and the girls couldn’t believe their eyes. Lew had once judged Emily in the show ring and she had met him several times since then. The last occasion was when David and Catriona had taken her over to Glen Morrison to see the shedded cattle and they had visited Lew.
‘What is this, Lew?’ Emily asked, astonished. ‘These are our mares?’
‘David and Catriona bought them back from the receiver. I bought a couple, too,’ Hooper said, a little gruffly – he wasn’t a man to show emotion but it was hard not to looking at Emily and her girls.
‘They bought them back? For me? Oh, how could they? Did they make much, Lew?’
‘Some did and some didn’t,’ Hooper said.
‘This is unbelievable. How shall I ever thank the MacLeods for their generosity?’ The girls couldn’t believe that the mares were back because they had believed them lost. It seemed awful that people could take horses from you but that was what had happened. Now, six of them were back.
‘And I see you bought Cindy and Lady – that’s what we called them, Lew,’ Emily said, ‘I’m so pleased to see them go to such a good home,’ as she peered in through the stock crate.
‘I bought for you what I thought were the pick of the bunch, Emily. That’s what David asked me to do. When I had done that, I bought these two. I’ll look after them and you can come and have a look at them and their foals any time you like,’ Hooper said.
‘Thank you, Lew. Oh, I must phone and thank David and Catriona,’ Emily said brightly, overwhelmed by the goodwill of her friends.
‘I think Catriona actually bought them, Emily. I reckon David has something else up his sleeve,’ Hooper said, as he got in the cabin of the International.
Emily stood with her daughters and watched the red truck as it went down her road. ‘Well, it looks as if we are back in the thoroughbred business, girls. How we are ever going to repay David and Catriona I have absolutely no idea. Let’s get the mares back in their old paddock and then I must phone Catriona.’
‘You go and phone, Mummy. Sarah and I will take the mares down,’ Dianne said.
‘Very well, Dianne. I really do want to ring Catriona straight away.’ Emily walked back to the house with a renewed spring to her step.
Catriona gave her husband the credit for the purchase of the mares but admitted that she had paid for them. ‘It was David’s idea, Emily. I offered to pay for them. David will talk to you about the mares.’
‘How on earth can I ever repay you?’ Emily asked.
‘We aren’t worried about that, Em,’ Catriona said.
‘Bless you, Catriona. And do thank David. I’ll give him a hug when I see him,’ Emily said brightly. ‘I’ll think of some way to repay you both.’
‘You’ll breed a top yearling one day or race a horse that wins a heap, Em. You can pay us back then,’ Catriona said and laughed.
‘That could be a long way off, I’m afraid,’ Emily said.
‘Don’t worry about it, Em. We certainly aren’t. You’re a good friend, and we’re pleased to be able to help you.’
Back at High Peaks Lew Hooper set up a computer system that provided David and Catriona with details of pedigrees and all the figures relating to the stud sheep and cattle. It didn’t take long for Catriona to master the system. As David had said, she preferred to be away with him but she realised he depended on her to handle this side of the business. Anne had looked after the books almost from the day she had come to High Peaks as a new bride and it was now Catriona’s turn.
But the following year David pulled another rabbit out of his hat, which more or less relieved her of the bookkeeping chore. It came about when David and Catriona went across to Glengarry to have lunch with Emily and her girls.
‘I hear you’re doing well at the agency, Dianne,’ David said over lunch.
‘I think I am, Mr MacLeod,’ Dianne said.
‘Know your way about a computer too, I’m told,’ he said.
‘You get a good grounding on computers at school these days, Mr MacLeod. They’re not hard once you know the basics,’ Dianne said.
‘They didn’t have them at school in my day. What do you do at weekends?’
‘Oh, this and that. Help Mum. Do my washing and ironing so that I’m set for the week,’ Dianne said with a smile.
‘What about all the fellows who, so I’m told, find the agency a very interesting place to visit?’ David asked.
Dianne blushed. ‘I’m too young to worry about boys, Mr MacLeod.’
‘The boys don’t seem to think so. If you’re not too busy at weekends how would you like to come and work for Cat and me? How would each Saturday appeal to you?’
Dianne looked from David to her mother. ‘What would you want me to do at High Peaks?’
‘Take over our bookkeeping. We’ve got everything on computer now, stud figures and all. Cat’s been doing it but her heart’s not in it. She’d sooner be with me and I don’t want her doing something she doesn’t like. It’s quite a big job with five properties to account for. I thought you might like to earn a few extra dollars,’ he said.
‘It sounds wonderful,’ Dianne said.
‘Personally I wouldn’t call sitting in front of a small screen all day “wonderful”, but I appreciate the technical significance and I shall use it to our advantage,’ David said. ‘You would be doing us a favour if you could spare the time,’ he added.
Emily guessed that Catriona could have managed the computer very well and probably would have carried on. This was another initiative to help her and the girls, and it had David’s imprint all over it. But if Dianne wanted to do it, Emily certainly wouldn’t stand in her way.
Dianne was now making an important contribution to her family’s support. She was very unselfish with her wages so any extra money would come in handy. So virtually every Saturday Dianne drove the Mathesons’ utility over to High Peaks for her day’s work and each week David filled the vehicle with petrol on top of what he paid her.
It didn’t take Dianne long to realise that the High Peaks Pastoral Company was a significant operation. There were over 3000 head of cattle on Aberfeldy, about 300 commercial breeding cows on the three hill-country properties and a hundred stud Hereford cows. Then there were the sheep, about 12 000 all told. And as a minor consideration there were about thirty stock-horse mares plus the working horses.
Of course, the expenses, which included wages, shearing costs, fuel, stockfeed and a host of other expenses, were considerable. There was also tax, including provisional tax, which David complained was very unfair. It all amounted to a considerable operation and Dianne could understand why David needed a better system of control.
‘I don’t know what my father would have thought of computers, Dianne, but the fact is that it’s getting very difficult to keep up with everything now. I was born a hill-country boy but I’m not wedded to the old ways. You need to be abreast of the changes. In the old days a lot of graziers recorded their stock information in a little red Cooper’s notebook. These days there’s a lot more to running a successful grazing operation. You need to be able to call up details of your stud sheep and cattle enterprises. I could see that computers could make me a better operator.’