The Cattleman's Daughter
Page 32
Outside the sun was disappearing behind a high wall of clouds that hung together in great swollen clusters, like fat grey balloons poised to burst.
‘A storm!’ the girls said excitedly, clapping their hands and bouncing up and down on their knees.
‘The ute windows!’ Emily said, ducking out from the tent, Luke following her.
They wound the windows up as the wind moaned in the trees. Horses were shifting about, working out which way to place their rumps against the coming onslaught. Emily felt warm turbulent gusts of wind on her bare limbs. Huge, fat drops began to thud to earth, hitting blades of grass like bombs in a London blitz and belting the dust on vehicles into muddy rivulets. The storm flung tarps about so they whip-cracked in the wind. Card tables were turned topsy-turvy, spilling sauces and salt shakers. People ran for cover.
Emily bent down and checked Rousie under the float. His ears were pinned down and he looked miserable.
‘C’mon, fella,’ she said. He hunkered his way out, tail between his legs. She unclipped him and invited him into the tent.
‘Give him a cuddle, girls,’ she said to Meg and Tilly.
‘Can I put him in my sleeping bag, Mum?’ Tilly asked.
‘Maybe not. Just wrap him in a towel. He’ll like that.’ She had to shout above the wind that boomed in the tree-tops surrounding the valley. ‘Luke and I are just going to tie the tent off tighter, then I’ll be back.’
But the girls didn’t answer. They were already offering Rousie a muesli bar and putting Meg’s Winnie the Pooh coat with the fur hood on him. He looked very pleased with himself.
The rain hit like a fire hose and within seconds Emily and Luke were drenched. People scurried for cover all around them, but they stood in the torrential rain, arms around each other. They lifted their faces to the sky. Raindrops fell from heaven into their laughing mouths, and a blissfully warm wind on their bodies made them feel alive.
Emily and Luke kissed. Emily felt a rush of gratitude for this man in her arms. For his amazing energy, his spirit, his knowledge that the land was sacred. He belonged with her in the mountains. She leaned her head on Luke’s chest and listened to the steady knock of his heart and knew that their love was eternal.
Later, when the clouds had cleared and stars shone in bright swathes across the mountain sky, Emily looked heavenward as she spun about, dancing with Luke as Sam played with his band from the back of a semi. Above them on the hillside moths danced in the gleam of the generator lights that lit the bar area and people milled about, gathering before the makeshift stage. Thinking back to the last mountain cattlemen’s get-together Emily shivered. How far she had come.
There she was, with Luke, her daughters, Bridie, Rod, Bob, Flo and Baz. All of them rocking to Sam as he belted out new songs in celebration of the cattlemen and their life on the mountains.
Amidst the rabblerousing crowd of blokes and chicks in hats and singlets, the Flanaghan family stomped their boots the hardest and sang the loudest. From the crush of boozers and boppers, Emily gazed up at Sam. Beneath the spotlight he was the image of country-cool. A cluster of young girls at the front were calling out Sam’s name, but there, on the side of the stage, stood Bridie, her hands resting on her swollen belly. She was radiating even more beauty now that she was pregnant.
Every now and then Sam would turn his head slightly and give her a quick glance, a wink or a smile. Beside Bridie stood Bob, an earpiece jammed in his ears, ready to run on from back stage to check amps, feeders and foot pedals. He gave Emily the thumbs-up and she returned the gesture.
Luke spun Emily around and she held his hands and looked into his shining eyes. He nodded his head, a big grin on his face as they took in the comical sight of Baz getting down on one knee in front of Flo, a bit drunk and wobbly, but nonetheless offering up a plastic ring from a six-pack of stubbies.
Then Emily watched as Rod danced with his granddaughters, the love and laughter between them shining brightly. The future and the past of the mountains embodied in them all.
Emily gazed up to the stars and thought of the two people she knew would be watching them tonight from above. Evie and her mother, Susie. She saw the brightest star wink, and suddenly Emily realised they were one and the same. The splicing of two souls. Her guardian angel, her mother, come to earth in the form of Evie.
As Sam’s first song ended and the crowd cheered, Emily felt a rush of pure joy at the wonder and mystery of life. She thanked her stars she had seen the face of death in the horse race all those months ago, and that had opened up her mind and heart.
Her brother grabbed the microphone from the stand. In his fancy alligator-skin cowboy boots he stood at the very front of the stage. Everyone fell silent as he set his feet apart, his hands falling by his side, a beautiful smile on his face. Sam looked straight at Emily and spoke clearly into the microphone.
‘This next one’s for Evie,’ he said.
Afterword
It was Ian Stapleton’s book, From Drovers to Daisy-Pickers, that gave me the courage to write a novel based on my family’s eviction from the mountains. I’d like to share a section with you now. It makes me cry every time I read it. Thank you, Ian, for allowing me to reproduce it here.
As I write this book, the Victorian Government has just announced that it will not be renewing the grazing licences held by any of the families whose leases lie within the Alpine National Park. This decision effectively brings an end to 150 years of grazing, and has of course delighted some people, whilst devastating others. Some say it was inevitable in a changing world. But, regardless of your views on the relative impact of grazing and the role of the mountain cattlemen, few would surely not be saddened to see so many of the family names that have become synonymous with the mountains for so long, be hounded en-masse from their traditional High Country haunts. So many of them have been such tremendous contributors to life in the mountains, and such wonderfully colourful characters to boot. They leave behind not only their famous huts and names of many landmarks, but also a fabulous collection of stories and memories that will always be part of our mountains. Like so many others, I have been blessed with their friendship and support, and I only hope that books like this can help to dispel the prevailing urban myth that these families are being driven from the mountain in some sort of shame or disgrace. Our generation will never know the impact of another 150 years of ski village expansion, tourist development, road building, National Parks and bureaucratic management will be, but it would be enlightening indeed, to be able to briefly wind the clock forward 150 years for just a quick glimpse into the future, before too many hasty judgements are passed.
Bibliography
While a little family folklore has crept into The Cattleman’s Daughter, this novel is not an historic or present-day account of the Treasure family. The Flanaghan family, the government organisations and all the characters, events and shenanigans in The Cattleman’s Daughter have been made up by me. However, I have used my own experience at protest rides through Melbourne and Wonnangatta, and droving cattle on the Dargo High Plains as inspiration. Another ‘real-life’ event is the mountain cattlemen’s get-together, which happens every January in Victoria – see you there! Other sources of research are:
Attiwill, P. M. et al, ‘The People’s Review of Bushfires, 2002-2007, in Victoria: Final report’. The People’s Review, 2009.
Brown, Terry, ‘Mountain folk gather to the fray’. Herald Sun, 10 June 2005.
‘Call for Action on Fire Management’. Bairnsdale Advertiser, July 2008.
‘East Gippsland Fires: A retrospective’. East Gippsland Newspapers, 2006/07.
Environment and Natural Resources Committee, ‘Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria’. Parliament of Victoria, June 2008.
Grand, Danielle, ‘Plea for big attendance at city rally, “Back Us” ’. Weekly Times, 8 June 2005.
Hay, Louise L., You Can Heal Your Life. Hay House, 1984.
Hicks,
Esther and Jerry, Ask and It Is Given: Learning to manifest your desires. Hay House, 2004.
Holth, Tor with Jane Barnaby, Cattlemen of the High Country: The story of the mountain cattlemen of the Bogongs. Rigby, 1980.
Leydon, Keith and Michael Ray, The Wonnangatta Mystery: An inquiry into the unsolved murders. Warrior Press, 2000.
Marino, Melissa and Garry Tippet, ‘Alpine Grazing: 500 horsepower in support of the lows in the high country’. The Age, 10 June 2005.
Memoirs of Charles Langford Treasure, family collection of writing, provided by Ken Treasure.
Roberts, L. (ed.), ‘Black Friday, 1939’ from The Gap, 1969.
Stapleton, Ian, From Fraser’s to Freezeout: Colourful characters of the Dargo High Plains. Ligare Printer, 2004.
Stapleton, Ian, From Drovers to Daisy-Pickers: Colourful characters of the Bogongs. Ligare Printer, 2006.
Stephenson, Harry, Cattlemen and Huts of the High Plains. Viking O’Neil, 1980.
The Voice of the Mountains: Journal of the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria. Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria, 2007.
Tomazin, Farrah, ‘Minister may yet give in to the cattlemen’. The Age, 10 June 2005.
2006 Emu Committee and the Gippsland Grammar Foundation, Is Emu off the Menu? E. Gee Printers, 2007.
69 Days of Fire: A Gippsland community perspective.
Acknowledgements
There are so many people to thank for the journey of this book, and if I’ve missed you, I’m sorry – I’m trying to brainstorm without Bundy! Just know I am grateful.
Deepest thanks to my editor Belinda Byrne – big sister and best friend. Thanks to Ali Watts, for giving me wings with your feedback! To my other Penguins, Sally, Dan and the crew, thank you. To my literary agent, Margaret Connolly, you are my safety net, mentor and dear friend. To my webman, Allan Moult, thanks for thinking pink! Thanks to the Tasmanian Writer’s Centre for renting Kelly Street cottage to me at the crucial stages of this book. Thanks to my Hobart writer girlfriends for ongoing inspiration, and to Mev and Sarah – your love and friendship are a constant. Thanks to the Woodsdale Women, Levendale Ladies and Runnymede Rum’ens for giving me a life rich with laughter. (Sorry about the prank calls!) To Kathy Boulton, thanks for teaching me so much – about God, the Universe and Everything – and inspiring the character of Evie. Thanks to the Tate family for taking me trucking – a day that sparked the idea of our fodder fun factory. I’ll never forget those saggy silage bales, Ben! Thanks also to Roweena for minding the kids at crunch time. To KJ, for looking so inspiringly gorgeous in your ambo uniform. To Luella, for waddling with me until we both learned to fly. To Manty, my text buddy and third musketeer. Thanks to Heidi – my special phone-a-friend. To my Richmond team of oomphers, Judy, Danny and Helen, thanks. Thanks to Lou Loane for Emily’s inspirational underpants collection (Tractor Fat Inc). To Margareta, you shine like a star for me, thank you for your early feedback on the manuscript – I’ll be sure to do the same for you. Thanks also to Kathy, Jess and Pru. Thanks always to the Williams family, Maureen, Tubby and Jake, Grant and Brodie (a la Beauty in the Bush) – you are my biggest support and I couldn’t do any of it without you. And now to my treasured Treasure family, you are the reason I’ve written this book. Thanks especially to father-in-law, Doug, for the use of your MCAV speech within this book and to the Gippsland crew: Mary, Anna, Paul, Kate, Ben, Fee, Ken and Lynette, Linette, Christa, Rhonda, Bruce, Alan and the entire clan. Thanks to the cattlemen’s daughters, Lyric Anderson, Kate Treasure, Kate Stoney, Anna Treasure and Rose Faithful, for being beautiful girls and giving me the basis for Emily. To Marc and Andrea, Rod and Leeanne, Sharon and Rob, your help during visits to Tassie made all the difference at tricky times. Thanks to the MCAV for ongoing support. My gratitude to Parks Victoria, Heyfield – especially Mick – and Department of Environment and Sustainability, Bairnsdale, for help with research for the novel. I hope this book helps to create a new page in the history of the mountains. To my Tassie clan, Miles ‘the rock star’ Smith, Kristy and Val and Jenny, again eternal gratitude. To my darling farm animals – especially Edith, Rousie and our Hereford bovines – thanks always for your inspiration. The biggest dose of gratitude to my husband, John – thank you for sharing your family’s life on the mountains with me and for letting me leave so often for ‘planet novel’. To my little one, Rosie, thanks for inspiring the character of Meg. You are a gift to the world. To Charlie, thanks for loving your mummy so much – you are a cattleman and a character in the making. So thank you, dear family and friends, for giving me the riches of life in the form of love, laughter and chaos. And lastly thanks to Ian Stapleton, who is generous, humble, yet great. Ian, your life and your writings are inspirational. Your wisdom highlights the balance needed not only in the mountains but in life. You gave me the conviction that this story needs to be told.
The Cattleman’s
Daughter
Rachael Treasure lives on a farm in Tasmania with her husband, John, and her children, Rosie and Charlie. They run sheep and cattle along with a new venture producing hydroponic stock feed with their company T&T Fast Grass.
Rachael has an exciting, ever-changing website at rachaeltreasure.com featuring stories from her life on the farm and working-dog training information.
MICHAEL JOSEPH
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First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2009
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