Pat Ritter. Books

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 11:

When she walked up the steps of the post office a police wagon drove past with a man shackled by his arms and legs. Ma glanced at the man with his head down looking at the floor of the wagon this must be the person who took Joe’s place. Ma bowed her head in respect to this person, whispered a small prayer and wished him a safe journey and hoped he wouldn’t suffer too much at the hands of the authorities.

Chapter 2

Hannah rode across the rickety old wooden bridge crossing the Warrego River on her way to visit her parents property. A cool breeze brushed against her face. She smiled, I’m pleased Joe loaned me his horse. I can catch up with my riding. Relief eased her mind to understand the events of the past days and shook her head in disbelief. I could stay a couple of days because I’m on holidays and it’d be great to help Pa. Her mind returned to when she first met Joe Ryan working as a shearer on her parent’s property. Five years rushed by quickly. She should now be married but under the circumstances pleased she didn’t marry Joe. I would’ve been in a worse position in my life than I am now. She pondered.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 12:

She did love Joe from the first moment she set eyes on him seated on the top step at the rear of the shearer’s quarters. I should’ve taken Pa’s advice, ‘not to mix with the hired help’. Joe was different. When he cut the belly of the sheep I thought Pa would sack him on the spot. She ed at the memory of seeing blood and her father’s face. Thinking about the present circumstances perhaps would've been a good thing.
She rode on until she sighted the broken sign ‘Kahmoo Station’, it’s about time the sign was fixed and urged her horse to a canter. ‘Not far now boy. Remember the last time you were here?’ She remembered the first Christmas Dinner she enjoyed with Joe and her family. Ma and her Nana realised they were long lost sisters separated at birth.
Her mind drifted to the moment sighting her Nana’s birthmark of a heart on the back of her left hand. What a glorious moment it was when Nana and Ma realised their birthright. She smiled at the memory. Then Joe wanted to be a leader of the newly formed ‘Queensland Shearer’s Union’. I think it was about this time I lost him. Now I have. I can’t believe what he’d gone and done, taken another person’s identity. Shame!
‘Hello mother.’ Hannah shouted reining her horse to a stop.
‘Hannah. What a lovely surprise. What are you doing with Joe’s horse?’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 13:

‘Mother, I’ll tell you over a cuppa. Where’s Pa?’
‘He’s down at the shearing shed. Shouldn’t be too long before he comes up for lunch.’
‘I’ll ride down and surprise him.’ She reined her horse in and headed toward the shearing shed. Dismounting near the entrance quickly fastened the reins to a nearby post, she walked inside. ‘Hi Pa.’ She ran to her father, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, ‘I've missed you.’
‘Hannah what are you doing here?’ Her father expressed excitedly, he hadn’t seen his daughter in months.
‘I’m on holidays and wanted to visit my parents, is there anything wrong with that.’
‘Where’s Joe?’
‘Can we talk about him later,’ her voice cracked, she laid her head against her father’s chest for comfort. ‘He’s gone Pa’, she sobbed the words.
‘Don’t worry, I don’t need to tell you but I did warn you about mixing with the hired help. I kind of liked Joe when he was here for Christmas Dinner and dad sure liked him. Never mind there are more fish in the sea, your Mr Right will come along one day.’ Nat rubbed his daughter’s shoulders to take the pain away from her broken heart.
‘It hurts Pa. You ever had a broken heart?’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 14:

‘Plenty times. When there's more time I’ll tell you about more broken hearts than I care to remember. Don’t tell your mother or I’ll be in strife. Speaking about your mother we should go up for lunch.’ Hannah led her horse and walked beside her father to the homestead.
‘About time you two came up for lunch.’ Martha yelled when Hannah and Nat approach the homestead. ‘Don’t forget to wash.’
They smiled, walked to the bathroom which wasn’t part of the main homestead and washed their hands and face, dried and returned to the dining room. Martha set a plate of sliced cold mutton and salad.
‘Don’t wait for me,’ Martha said, ‘I’ll get the kettle.’ She left to walk to the kitchen and soon returned with a pot of tea to join her family.
‘Isn’t it wonderful our family are together, especially now we know Nana and Ma are sisters?’ Hannah took a handkerchief from inside her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes. Thinking of the time she discovered her grandmother and Ma were sisters when Joe sliced the turkey and handed a piece to Nana, was the moment, she sighted the brown heart shaped birthmark on the back of her grandmother’s hand and suspected she was Ma’s lost sister.
‘Is everything alright Hannah?’ Her mother asked.
‘She’s getting over a broken heart. Joe left her.’ Nat said in between eating his lunch and sipping his tea.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 15:

‘How dreadful. Why did he leave?’ Martha replied.
‘You remember when he went on strike with the other shearers.’ Hannah started to explain when her father interrupted.
‘We fixed them bludgers. Fancy wanting more wages and better conditions. They’d have to be soft in the head, been out in the midday sun too much. Twopence a sheep should’ve kept them with plenty of money. If they didn’t waste their money on grog,’ Nat explained.
‘Pa, Joe told me he worked under terrible conditions, not here, your property should be made an example of what properties should be like, he always told me. No, Joe wanted to work hard to improve his mates working conditions and wages, that’s all, and where did it get him-nowhere.’
‘Serves him and other strikers right for trying to get more than what they’re entitled to.’ Nat remarked. ‘What happened to Joe?’
‘He’s gone Pa. He's never been around for almost a year before he joined his shearer mates and went on strike. He led them at the Cunnamulla camp. Yesterday morning he arrived home at Ma’s Guest House to tell Ma and me he wasn’t Joe Ryan any more, but now using the name Joe Gibson. He said it was Joe Gibson’s idea to change clothes and give him his identity. Joe Gibson took his place and arrested by the police.’ Hannah explained.
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 16:

‘What a mongrel.’ Nat exploded, anger showed in his face. ‘I should’ve sacked the bludger the day he cut the belly wool of my sheep.’ Nat took his pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, struck a match against his trousers and lit the top of his pipe. ‘Where’s he gone to?’ Nat asked puffing on his pipe.
‘I don’t know Pa. I returned his ring and necklace and told him I couldn’t believe what he did to change his identity and to act as someone else.’ Hannah explained. ‘I’ve come to warn you if he comes this way don’t give him a job because he’s not who he says he is.’
‘Let him come. It’ll be a pleasure to throw him off the place. Who is he then?' Nat growled.
‘He’s using the name Joe Gibson, who is the person who took his place. I went to the police station and spoke to him, he sounded a lovely fellow. He needed to be brave to do what he’s done and gave me the horse and saddle to take care of.’ Hannah answered.
‘What’s going to happen to this Joe fella?’ Nat asked, concerned.
‘From what he told me the police are escorting him to Rockhampton to face court with the other leaders. I suppose he’ll go to gaol.’
‘Sounds too nicer a fellar to take the place of a coward,’ Nat spat the words.
‘I only spoke with him through the cell wall, his reason for changing places so Joe and I could be together.’
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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 17:

‘Fat chance that happening now.’ Nat sneered.
‘Never mind dear,’ her mother leaned over and hugged her daughter. Martha’s mind drifted back in years to her youth, younger than her daughter is now. She lived in Sydney Town where her family belonged to the upper social class. They operated their own merchant business. She went to every social event on the calendar and it was at one of these parties she met and fell in love with Nat Young a young pastoralist from outback Queensland who visited Sydney Town for the wool sales. ‘I remember falling in love – don’t you dear?’ She asked Nat.
His eyes glanced sideways toward his wife who gave him a smile and a wink. Nat remembered the night he first sighted Martha across the floor at a social function he attended whilst he attended a wool sale in Sydney Town representing his father. It was almost a quarter of a century ago. His heart pounded, a beautiful woman stared at him. How he gathered sufficient courage to ask her to dance he still didn’t know to this day.
They danced the night away joyful in meeting one another. His thoughts went to his daughter to understand what she was now going through. In a way I’m pleased Joe and Hannah never married. How would she cope? At least now she can get on with her life, his thoughts broken by Hannah.
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