Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 60:

Chapter 7

Joe and Harold stopped at Blackall on their journey to Barcaldine. ‘We’ll stay here awhile.’ Joe told Harold. They'd become quite close accompanying one another on their journey. They worked together at different stations and started to become almost inseparable.
‘Are we going to the pub?’ Harold asked. He wanted a couple of beers to quench his thirst. Although he wasn’t twenty-one years old, it would be a couple of years before he reached the age of consent to enter hotels and drink at the legal age.
‘You shouldn’t be drinking. You're not old enough. What if the local copper comes in. They’ll lock you up.’
‘It’s only a couple of years before my birthday. Everything’s been alright up until now.’
‘As long as you don’t get caught. Duck out the back and disappear if the local copper comes in, until he’s gone.’ Joe smiled at Harold when they entered the public bar. ‘Two beers thanks barman,’ Joe called to the person on the other side of the bar. They sat on stools facing the bar.
‘When do I start shearing?’ Harold asked Joe after he swallowed a tumbler of beer and licked his lips; he wanted more of the amber coloured fluid. Made him feel relaxed.
‘When I say you’re ready.’ Joe replied in a tight voice. ‘How many sheep did you shear at the last shed?’ A stranger sat on a bar stool next to Harold close enough to hear their conversation. This stranger, a huge man, leaned closer to Joe and didn’t mean to listen to their conversation but when sheep and shearing mentioned, his ears pricked to listen to what they had to say.

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 61:

‘Ten big weathers before lunch,’ Harold smiled, proud of the number he achieved.
‘That’s not near enough to earn a decent wage, stick to being a roustabout.’
‘Ah, don’t be too hard on the lad. Ten big weathers sounds he’s learning,’ the stranger interjected.
‘Who might you be to know what’s best for my friend,’ Joe stared across at the stranger.
The stranger reached across to Joe to shake his hand, ‘Jackie Howe, is the name, shearing the game,’ the stranger smiled.
Joe’s flung his hand out taking the stranger’s hand, it was the size of a dinner plate and shook the hand until it almost fell off, ‘Jackie Howe, honestly, you’re a legend mate. I’m so proud to make your acquaintance, Joe Gibson and this is my cobber, Harold Reardon. Harold if you want to know anything about shearing, here is your man.’ Joe couldn’t believe meeting Jackie Howe whose name among his peers placed him as the best shearer in Australia.
‘Pleased to meet you Mr Howe,’ Harold shook hands with the legend, a quiver sounded in his voice.
‘Don’t worry about the legend bit. I think I’ve got to be dead before one becomes a legend.

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 62:

In fact, I’m in training at the moment to shear a record number tomorrow at Alice Downs Station, not far from here. You’re welcome to join me.’ Jackie told his new found friends.
‘You betcha we’ll come. How far is Alice Downs Station from here?’ Joe asked.
‘I’m leaving late this afternoon. You want to join me with the other lads. We’ve got a wagon.’
‘Right you are. We’ll be there.’ Joe finished his beer. ‘Where will we meet you and what time?’
‘How about four o’clock, at the front of this pub. I’ll tell the others there'll be two more. The more the merrier.’
Joe and Harold bid their new found friend farewell and couldn’t wait until they meet him at the time and place he told them. Joe couldn’t believe his luck, fancy running into the legendary Jackie Howe. Dreamed of this day but never ever thought it would happen.
Before they left the hotel the barman approached and said, ‘you having another?’
‘Not at this time, we’re going with Jackie Howe out to Alice Downs for shearing. He’s going for a record tomorrow.’ Joe explained, excitedly.
‘You fellars are lucky; Jackie is going for a record in an Australian-wide competition to witness how many sheep can be shorn in one day. Last week he shore fourteen hundred and thirty-seven sheep in 44 hours and 30 minutes. He’s a champion alright.’ The barman shared this information while he collected the tumblers from the bar.

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 63:

Joe and Harold smiled and left the bar to find a café. They were excited to be witnessing this great event hardly tasted their steak and eggs they ate at the café. Joe looked at his fob-watch. ‘Better get going. I don’t want to miss this shearing for all the tea in China.’
Right on four o’clock Joe met Jackie and his friends outside of the hotel, ‘climb aboard, introduce yourselves. I’ve forgotten your names.’ Jackie drawled in a trick Aussie accent.
Joe introduced Harold and himself to the other two occupants. They weren’t shearers. After a couple of miles each shared their information. One said he represented Coleman & Sons, eucalyptus manufactures from Cootamundra and the other represented Wolseley Shearing Machines Company. They’d been sent by their companies to watch Jackie Howe and witness how many sheep he’d shear in one day for the Australia-wide competition. Joe and Harold shocked to be seated amongst such distinguished gentlemen.
Reaching Alice Downs Shearing Shed Joe’s eyes lit up astonished to see so many men present. There must have been about thirty or more. Joe and Harold climbed down from the wagon gathered their swags and asked one of the men, ‘what’s going on.’

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 64:

‘Mate, we’re here to witness Jackie Howe break a record for shearing tomorrow. Wouldn’t want to miss it. We’ve come from all over the district’. The stranger told Joe.
‘This way you fellars, follow me,’ Jackie called to his four companions. They walked toward the shearing quarters Jackie threw his swag on the veranda, ‘I’m sleeping out here.’
‘I’ll join you if you don’t mind,’ Joe said and threw his swag along the veranda, Harold joined them, ‘hate sleeping in those small rooms’, Joe finished.
The crowd of men walked toward the shearing quarters, one called, ’we got a book going Jackie, if you’re interested, reckon you can’t shear three hundred sheep tomorrow in eight hours.’
‘What’re the odds?’ Jackie called back standing on the edge of the veranda.
‘Five to one’.
‘I’ll take a hundred.’ Jackie called back, took his wallet from his pocket and handed the caller five twenty pound notes. The caller handed Jackie a ticket.
Suddenly a roar from the gathered crowd erupted when men swamped the caller to place their bets, fists filled with pound notes being pushed toward the bookmaker. Joe and Harold followed the others to place their bets on Jackie.
After a meal at the kitchen they returned to the veranda, ‘catch up with you fellars in the morning, got to get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow.’ Jackie lay on his swag and was soon asleep.

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 65:

‘Isn’t this exciting, Joe, I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my life.’ Harold told Joe before he rolled over and was soon asleep. Joe lay in his swag thinking about if Jackie would break the shearing record, he’d never met anyone like Jackie Howe before. Many stories about his shearing feats, he'd been told, like shearing on average of one hundred sheep a day; also about his athletic ability when he ran 100 yards in his socks to beat more accomplished runners. Joe grinned with excitement about the next day. He rolled over and was soon asleep.
Just as daybreak glistened across the horizon, Joe woke to sounds of huffing and puffing from someone near where he was sleeping. He rose and looked toward the sound. To his astonishment he saw Jackie performing exercises of push-ups, running on the spot, stretching his arms and legs and other exercises punishing his body, sweat running from his face and body.
Joe estimated Jackie weighed about 18 stone, his huge chest, much larger than his own, his legs and upper thighs, the size of tree trunks and his biceps. Joe couldn’t believe the strength of the man seeing him push his body up and down from the ground.
‘What’re you doing?’ He called to Jackie.
‘Working my body, I do it each morning before I start work, it loosens the muscles, less pain when I’m shearing,’ Jackie stopped, wiped perspiration from his forehead, arms and legs with a towel, ‘I’m off for a shower, then breakfast before I sharpen my shears.’ Jackie finished his workout and entered the showers. Joe felt tired looking at this man of steel.

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 66:

A couple of minutes before seven-thirty Jackie with his entourage, walked from the quarters to the shearing shed, others gathered to witness history. ‘Good on ya Jackie’, a call came from the crowd of on-lookers, ‘you show em mate, best of luck.’ Jackie raised his arms in recognition.
Everything appeared official with the cocky of Alice Downs standing on the board ready to ring the bell, or in this instance clang an iron bar onto a steel triangle to start the day. Jackie earlier sharpened his shears said to be so sharp they glided through the wool instead of cutting it.
Silence until sharp on seven-thirty the only noise, clattering of steel against steel to start the run. Jackie dressed in his renowned ‘Jack Howe flannel shirt’ cut off at the shoulders, blue in colour, his brand and design. First sheep took him less than eighty seconds to shear.
Crowd astonished to witness an event which would go down in Australian history. Some of the other shearers, who’d bet against him, tried to tickle him, to no avail, even jumped on his back to slow his pace, nothing stopped Jackie. On and on Jackie sheared only taking the required break called by the cocky.