Dear Fran, Love Dulcie
Page 12
Sure messes things up. We have done fifteen miles of fencing since December and put in three dams and one bore for extra water. All this at our own expense to house other folks’ cattle. For their sake and ours I hope rain falls in the west before too long.
Had a broken foot and two toes in February. A bull jumped the gate, knocked me over and jumped on my foot. A half-ton [508 kg] bull sure is heavy! Slowed me down for a few weeks but is okay now.
Terry had his share of trouble too. His horse tripped and fell and Terry got a few nasty scratches and bruises. He didn’t think to check his horse for injuries and remounted the poor thing. He came galloping up behind some wild steers and the horse went down again. Len gave Terry a sound scolding for riding an injured horse and packed Terry and the horse off home, both limping. They are both recovered now, thank heavens.
We had an outing last weekend, the first time we’ve been out since Christmas. A friend’s son celebrated his 21st birthday. Was a wonderful party and we really enjoyed ourselves even though it was hard to get out of bed next morning.
Well, Fran, I must catch the mail transport with this letter so excuse the shortness and write soon. I love getting your letters and wish I could manage to write to you more often.
Love from,
Dulcie
23rd August 1969
Dear Fran,
Winter appears to have left us, thank heavens, and the days and nights are becoming lovely again. We still have all the cattle on drought relief with no sign of rain for the western areas.
Len, Terry and Len’s father went out through the drought areas last week and spent a couple of days digging for sapphires on the gem fields. Terry found one and is quite pleased with himself. It’s back to school again tomorrow after 2 weeks mid-term vacation.
Remember me telling you about the little kitten Terry brought home last year, Fran? Somewhere along the way his name got changed to “Sugarplum” and he is now a full grown cat. Just now he brought his “catch” in to show me and as a result there are feathers all over the room. He loves me to admire him when he has caught something. One night he brought in a possum - still alive - and let it go on the bed.
Len is putting down a bore for more water. It is 58 feet deep [17.7 metres] and seems to have quite a good supply although it is rather salty, 360 grams to the gallon. Still it should be good for cattle.
Well, Fran, like time, news is scarce so have a happy birthday, do something nice to celebrate and write and tell me about it.
Love,
Dulcie
27th November 1969
Dear Fran,
I’ve been thinking of you so much since I received your last letter. Somehow, I feel that something is wrong. You don’t seem to be your usual cheerful self. I hope it’s nothing wrong in the family, Fran. If it is just the winter getting you down, come over and share our summer. It’s only just started but the temps have been over 100 [38ºC] for days now.
Len and I have been felling timber - Len carrying a chainsaw about all day - but the heat has reduced me to an axe. Even that is hard enough to swing all day. Had quite a good storm 2 days ago which yielded 160 points of rain. [One point is 0.254 mm or 0.01 inches.] Much needed too as the feed quickly burns off in the heat. Our drought cattle are still with us and look as if they are here to stay. Two Brahman cows died calving last week and I have the calves here to feed. I start them off sucking my finger in a bucket of milk until they learn to drink. One feeds quite good but the other bites.
Posted off a Christmas parcel for you last week. So hard to find anything unusual. The little koala for you is made of kangaroo skin, the kind known as Blue, hence the blue fur. Terry selected the ’roo skin caps for the boys and Dick. The large colourful map you might like to hang in the basement. Len suggested the Australian beer, etc. for Dick to celebrate with. Hope you have a good time!
My eldest brother Tom was married on 25th October, his 35th birthday. His bride looked so nice. A small girl always does, I think. Me and my skinny 5 feet 6 inches [168 cm], I look and sometimes feel ungainly!
Terry is doing his final year exam this week and starts 6 weeks holidays on 14th December. He is now a member of the Yeppoon Swimming Club and hopes one day to take my title from me which I still hold for the 100 metres overarm. The club meets every Wednesday night for competitive racing and although it’s tiring, I enjoy the cool off.
Well, Fran, I’ve guests to dinner tonight and although I finished work early to come home and prepare I’m afraid I’ve not even started yet, so I guess I’d better think seriously now as it is nearly 6 o’clock.
Trusting all is well with you and your family.
Love,
Dulcie
5th February 1970
Dear Fran,
What fun we had opening the parcel you sent. It arrived Christmas Eve while visitors were here. The space food was sampled by everyone and is delicious. Since school started, Terry’s “Space Pen” has been quite an item of interest. Thank you very much, Fran, and I trust you enjoyed unpacking yours as much as we did.
We are having rather a wet year. Just what the drought-stricken west wanted. Since New Year’s Day we’ve had 43 inches [110 cm] of rain. We wanted the assistment [also agistment] cattle off the place and ordered the semi-trailers. What a time!
The big semis would not go the last ½ mile to the yards and we had to truck the cattle 10 at a time in the small truck and back onto the semis until they were loaded. Took us 3 days in rain and mud to load the 400. Anyway they are all gone and there’s just our own stock to care for now.
Len went up to St. Lawrence last week to see my brother. Rain has poured down ever since and Len is unable to get home. The road report on the radio last night stated one bridge was 22 feet [6.7 metres] under water, and still rising 3 inches [7.5 cm] an hour, and it’s still raining! Terry and I were going with him for the day but at the last minute I had a phone call to go to Rockhampton.
Aren’t we glad now that we didn’t go. One day turned into 2 weeks. Anyway he is okay and there’s nothing he could do if he was home. I shifted the horses to higher ground yesterday and opened the gates on two extra paddocks for the cattle to get onto the hilly country and that is about all that can be done for a while.
Dad and I are going to cross the bridge in the tractor today to get food and mail over before it rises too high. Needless to say Terry is enjoying the fact that the school bus can’t get over and so he has no school. The army helicopter still goes over every day so if there is any emergency we can always hang the flag up to bring him down. So we are not isolated really.
Do you remember me mentioning Terry’s old collie dog at times, Fran? Poor old thing was 10 years old and for the past year she wasn’t too well. She died 3 weeks ago very quietly in her sleep. We miss her about the place.
The working dogs, Queensland blue heelers, aren’t to be petted and played with so we haven’t any pet dog now. The old ginger cat who was about the same age died a few days ago too. The wet weather seemed to affect him and he had a cold.
Well, Fran, I have a few letters to get ready before Dad comes, so I must away.
Hope you are all well.
Love,
Dulcie
3rd April 1970
Dear Fran,
After waiting to hear from you about the parcel, I can only presume it didn’t arrive. I’m so sorry Fran. I know if yours didn’t reach us we would be unhappy. In our remote part of the world, your letters and Christmas parcel are eagerly looked forward to. It is a pity we are unable to insure our overseas parcels, as you can. I made inquiries at our local post office but of course they cannot trace the parcel. I went to Rockhampton yesterday and selected some more gifts for you. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the same things as before and could only procure a small bear for you.
Nevertheless it is a bear and I’m set on the idea that you must have a bear! I hope this parcel will arrive in time for your birthday in August if not before. Please don’t be too
disappointed about the other one, Fran, just look forward to the next one.
We have had a very hectic time lately. I’ve been in hospital for 3 weeks with kidney trouble and Len was flat out coping with home and outside work. A disease has spread through the coastal cattle making them go down and unable to move for 5 or 6 days.
Going through the paddocks taking water and feed to them twice a day has kept us busy. So far we have 250 of them down. Dingos are troublesome at night, killing calves and biting and half-eating the sick ones. We laid out strychnine baits today but with the defenceless beasts about I don’t think the dingos will eat the baits. The cruel devils would rather kill.
My two brothers and their families came to stay for the 4-day Easter break. I didn’t get much time to talk to them unfortunately, having to leave home before they rose and getting back late at night.
Ann and Coral were wonderful though, always had the meal cooked when we came in at night and they finished my huge pile of ironing and other jobs I just couldn’t catch up on after being away in hospital.
Well, Fran, I must hurry as Len is ready to go again after this lunch break.
I hope this parcel will not disappear.
Love,
Dulcie
23rd April 1970
Dear Fran,
Many thanks for your letter and the greeting card.
I agree with you, we are getting old. I’m like an old car, pieces wearing out inside and the bodywork all dents and scratches. Still, guess we will hang together for a few more years.
Hope your diet is working well for you, Fran. My mother often goes on a diet but never sticks to it long enough to do any good. Still it is worse to be like me, 5 feet 6 inches [168 cm] tall and weighing 112 pounds [51 kg]. Len calls me “Old Skinny”. Oh well, when I retire and have nothing to do - maybe I’ll get to be “Old Fatty”!
I can imagine Ricky being excited about his bike. Terry loves motors too and he has been driving the car and truck for over a year now. One advantage in having a property, he is able to drive miles anywhere on it but not on the road until he turns 17. Then he can get a drivers’ licence.
He still plays the recorder and guitar and plays football, cricket and swims for the Yeppoon Primary team. He was elected Captain of the Primary Science team as well. He started school with the idea of becoming a scientist and he is still bearing that way.
Has been raining here for over a week now and everything is damp and mouldy. Just one day of sunshine would be nice. Well, Fran, it’s out into the rain to work again.
So love till next time,
Dulcie
16th September 1970
Dear Fran,
Wonderful to hear from you again and to read all about your travels during the holidays. The snaps are so nice too.
Summer is well and truly with us again, with century temps [38ºC] and only a few dry thunderstorms so far. Bad seasons and stock losses have forced Len to go away to work again. He is working for the Broads and Shire Council near Mackay - quite an easy job - truck driving. He likes it very much. Drives home Friday nights and goes back Sunday afternoons. So we do see him each weekend.
Makes the work here seem doubly hard after having him home for over a year. Bush fires were bad about a month ago and Terry and I worked day and night for three days, on tractor and dozer, making fire breaks to head it off. But all to no avail as it finally burnt right through our property.
Fortunately with the new bores we put down last year, the stock have plenty of water but I’m kept busy carting hay and fodder out each day. Stock losses have been heavy, especially cows with calves. Makes it hard as I have to shoot the calf when its mother dies.
Dingos are not troubling us too badly as I’ve kept the baits laid out. They killed my pet calf in the house paddock last week. He was just a calf, I know, but I was fond of him and cried when I had to burn his little body.
Len sent a message via the radio telephone on Tuesday. His Holden had broken a timing cog in the motor, 192 miles [309 km] from here, when he was on his way back to work last Sunday. He had it towed into a cattle property “Garmount” and asked if I could go up and tow it home.
I obtained a permit from the police for Terry to steer it while I towed and we went up yesterday and brought it home. It was a long, tiring, hot day and Terry was utterly exhausted when we reached home last night. The road is extremely bad, rough and stony with deep pot holes, and it took us 5 and ½ hours to get there after leaving home at 4:30 a.m. Took us 2 hours to set up the tow and have lunch and 9 hours to make the journey home by 8:30 pm.
The slowest part was the pull over the Great Dividing Range - over 20 miles [32 km] in the lowest gear with the engine boiling all the way. However we had no serious trouble and Terry did a mighty job for an 11 year old. He had a bath while I made his tea and then went to bed while I carted hay to the stock until 3 am then started the water pumps.
Wasn’t worth going to bed then so I let Terry sleep in and miss another day’s school and started in on the usual work today. Had a few minutes sleep in between jobs today but am looking forward to bed tonight.
Meanwhile Len’s car is safely at home and he will get a ride down to Rockhampton Friday night with a friend so I can pick him up and have the parts ready to fix his car over the weekend.
Just wasn’t our lucky day - one of the engines on the water pump broke down last night, too. Was nearly daylight before I got it going. Had broken the key out of the keyway that holds the flywheel on.
Fortunately, we had a spare one so I had it going about 4 am while all the stock in that paddock waited and kept me company, looking for water. Poor things, they are so trusting, just seemed to know that I was fixing it and waited patiently for a drink.
Well, Fran, think I’ll go to bed. Do write. I love to hear from you even though I don’t get around to writing very often.
Love,
Dulcie
11th November 1970
Dear Fran,
It’s so hot today and being busy makes the heat seem worse. During the lunch hour I came back to the house to try and catch up with a few house jobs. Started the generating engine and finished the ironing and I am now waiting for meat pie and cakes to finish baking. With the big diesel engine thumping, and the heat, I have quite a headache.
Something I’ve always meant to ask you, Fran. Do parts of US lack electricity the same as most country areas here? Or is it because our farms, etc. are so big with so few people living on them that it is not profitable for the electricity authorities to take the power into the country? We nearly all have private power plants run by engines to generate electricity.
Most people have the low voltage ones, 32V, but in the last 3 or 4 years the 240V ones have become very popular. All town areas are 240V and so the radios, TV, washing machines, refrigerators, etc. are all made for this. Anyone with a 32V plant must pay extra to have these things altered to run on low voltage.
I really don’t envy you your job as tax consultant, Fran! Makes me shudder to think of the time I have when I must file our tax at the end of June each year. Horrible! Horrible! Depreciation on this, that and everything else. Income derived from sale of cattle, fodder and other produce, loss from crop failure and stock deaths. Income from other sources, deductions for everything. Brainwave! I may send it all over to you! Anyway, Fran, good luck with it. I sincerely hope you find it profitable and interesting.
We have an election day next Saturday, too. Senate elections. There’s been talk of lowering the voting age to 18 here, too. Not only the voting age but adult age to 18 instead of 21 as it is now. I really can’t see any harm in a lower voting age, but I most certainly do not agree that anyone of 18 should be classed as an adult and allowed to handle financial affairs, etc.
No, we don’t seem to have much time for musical entertainment anymore. Since Tom married and had to settle down to steady work, we haven’t seen very much of him. Coral (his wife) often drives out to see us but usually I’m away working and j
ust find a note she has left.
Len came home for a weekend 2 weeks ago. Brought a baby parrot he’d found fallen from its nest and a horrible big lizard with spikes and lumps all over it. I named it Len Lizard and it lives in the rockery. The little parrot is growing feathers now and goes everywhere with me (so I can feed the little pest). He or she is such a happy little thing and sings most of the day.
Terry has guinea pigs, a possum, a bandicoot and a wallaby (plus pigeons and white mice, caged) all running about the garden, too. I often think that one of these days there will be a big fight between the lot. Old Sugarplum, the house cat, seems to tolerate them all, although he sometimes looks longingly into the glass mouse-house!
Terry is doing his final exams for the year this week and school breaks up for 7 weeks holiday on December 11th. He is looking forward to the break as this year has been most tiring for him also. The long dry season and the heat are bad enough but he has been extra busy helping me.
When he gets home at 5 pm he takes the Land Rover down to start the water engines on each water point. It is quite dark by the time I’ve turned the horse loose and he picks me up to come home. We got him an electronic project kit a few weeks ago and he loves to tinker with it and make things but there’s so little time. So the vacation will be good for him.
I have some of my Christmas shopping done already and I must get your parcel away before the end of the month. I hope it fares better than last year’s did!