Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

'Click Go The Shears' - Page 67:

Seven hours and forty minutes later Jackie Howe busted the Australian record for shearing 321 sheep in that time. Cheers erupted from the crowd of on-lookers. Joe raised Jackie’s hand to show what a champion he became. Joe started to sing:
Oh, down at the catching pen an old shearer stands,
Grasping his shears in his long bony hands ;
Fixed is his gaze on a bare belled ewe,
Saying " If I can only get her, won't I make the ringer go."
Others joined in the chorus:
Click goes his shears; click, click, click.
Wide are the blows, and his hand is moving quick,
The ringer looks round, for he lost it by a blow,
And he curses that old shearer with the bare belled ewe.
Joe continued singing:
At the end of the board, in a cane bottomed chair,
The boss remains seated with his eyes everywhere ;
He marks well each fleece as it comes to the screen,
And he watches where it comes from if not taken off clean.
The "colonial experience" is there of course.
With his silver buckled leggings, he's just off his horse;
With the air of a connoisseur he walks up the floor ;
And he whistles that sweet melody, "I am a perfect cure."
"So master new chum, you may now begin,
Muster number seven paddock, bring the sheep all in ;
Leave none behind you, whatever you do,
And then we'll say you'r fit to be a Jackeroo."
The tar boy is there, awaiting all demands,
With his black tarry stick, in his black tarry hands.
He sees an old ewe, with a cut upon the back,
He hears what he supposes is--" Tar here, Jack."
"Tar on the back, Jack; Tar, boy, tar."
Tar from the middle to both ends of the board.
Jack jumps around, for he has no time to sleep,
And tars the shearer's backs as well as the sheep.
So now the shearing's over, each man has got his cheque,
The hut is as dull as the dullest old wreck ;
Where was many a noise and bustle only a few hours before,
Now you can hear it plainly if a pin fall on the floor.
The shearers now are scattered many miles and far;
Some in other sheds perhaps, singing out for "tar."
Down at the bar, there the old shearer stands,
Grasping his glass in his long bony hands.
Saying "Come on, landlord, come on, come!
I'm shouting for all hands, what's yours--mine's a rum;"
He chucks down his cheque, which is collared in a crack,
And the landlord with a pen writes no mercy on the back !
His eyes they were fixed on a green painted keg,
Saying " I will lower your contents, before I move a peg."
His eyes are on the keg, and are now lowering fast;
He works hard, he dies hard, and goes to heaven at last.
Others joined in the chorus:
Click goes his shears; click, click, click.
Wide are the blows, and his hand is moving quick,
The ringer looks round, for he lost it by a blow,
And he curses that old shearer with the bare belled ewe.

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 68:

The song went on until everyone sounded horse from singing, slaps on backs extended, Jackie stood in front of the group raised his arms. Silence fell across the gathering. Jackie said, ‘thank you all for coming.’ He went to walk away when the representatives from Coleman & Sons, and Wolseley Shearing Machine Company stood before him each shaking Jackie’s hand expressed their delight in witnessing the greatest shearing record of all time. They each placed a gold medal around his neck for establishing the record of shearing the most number of sheep in one day with blade shears.
Joe and Harold couldn’t believe their good fortune of meeting Jackie Howe at the hotel at Blackall, being invited to witness this great event and now needed to be on their way. Joe wanted to reach Barcaldine, his reason to meet the real Joe Gibson who by now would’ve been released from prison. Joe had much to explain to his friend who’d taken his place after the strike.
Word reached Joe that when the thirteen leaders of the strike served their time in St Helena Island Prison they would return to Barcaldine when the town celebrated to welcome them back where the strike commenced. His feelings for allowing his friend to take his place and serve his time in prison repeated in nightly nightmares. To make amends he needed to speak with his friend and tell him how sorry he felt for allowing him to do such a brave deed. He would never forget his bravery and courage to carry out such a feat of unselfishness for another human being.
Much water had flowed under the bridge of life since they changed places. Joe wished he could return to that moment when his friend wanted him to change places. He’d not only ruined his chances with Hannah, he’d lost Ma who’d been like a mother to him. Since the time of their exchange Joe had learnt much about comradeship, particularly learning from Harold, who only was a boy in Joe’s eyes but since their journey together become mates. How was Joe going to explain his feelings to his friend? He hadn’t worked out at this time, but by being there when they arrived at Barcaldine would help.

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 69:

Chapter 8

A beautiful sunny day dawned on Barcaldine; a crowd of hundreds lined the roadway in front of the railway station headed by a committee of union delegates waiting for the train from Rockhampton to finally arrive with thirteen special travellers. Earlier the committee met under the ‘Tree Of Knowledge’ in the centre of Barcaldine. This ‘Tree Of Knowledge’ became a symbolic place for shearers to gather to discuss their business.
The significance of this tree, when shearers staged a torchlight procession through the streets of Barcaldine to hold their meetings to begin ‘The Great Shearers Strike of 1891’ on the 28th February of the same year to declare their strike against the pastoralists for better wages and working conditions. Now their heroes returned home after being imprisoned at St Helena Island Prison. Their imprisonment served to represent all the shearers who went on strike.
News of their release reached Barcaldine the previous day instantly throwing events of their return into a celebration. These thirteen men sacrificed three years of their lives in St Helena Island gaol, each man, woman and child saw them as their town hero and wanted to join in the celebration on their return. This became a memorable day for the townsfolk of Barcaldine.
Smoke puffed from the chimney, steam gushed from the engine coming to a halt in front of the platform at the railway station. The station master quickly left his office to attend his duty of meeting these thirteen important guests of the railway department. People swarmed onto the platform each trying to get a bird’s eye view of these thirteen important travellers. A carriage door opened, a huge man stepped from the carriage followed by other men, ‘there they are,’ someone called in a loud voice, ‘how’re you going Bill, welcome home,’ another called and tried to push his way through the barrage of people standing on the platform.

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 70:

‘Steady!’ called the station master, ‘here gentlemen, follow me’, and he escorted the thirteen visitors from the train onto the footpath outside the railway station. ‘Welcome home’. His words lost in the cheering and noise from the gathered crowd. A woman rushed to one of the thirteen, threw her arms around his neck, kissed him on the lips to welcome her husband home after three years.
Order began to take shape when a member of the celebration committee raised his hand to silence the crowd. ‘Welcome home gentlemen.’ His words sincere, he shook each hand before calling on a photographer to take a photograph of the men who each showed on their faces astonishment to know everyone cared on their return.
After the photographer took sufficient photographs of the thirteen men they mingled with the crowd to find their love ones and friends who they missed since being imprisoned. Joe and Harold waited their time to meet the thirteen leaders, especially one Joe Ryan. Would he recognise him after three years? Deep seated in his mind he remembered that faithful morning when they swapped places?
‘Do you know any of these fellows?’ Harold asked excitedly.
‘There’s something I need to tell you.’ Joe said to Harold.

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 71:

‘What is it?’ He questioned, most concerned. Joe had never been serious about anything since they met more than three years ago. This instant concern worried Harold who would give his life for Joe.
‘I’m not Joe Gibson. That’s Joe Gibson who lay on the ground in front of the others.’ Joe explained pointing at the men having their photograph taken.
‘What’d mean you’re not Joe Gibson?’ Harold screwed his face in amazement, his eyes almost popped from his head.
‘I’m Joe Ryan. He took my place more than three years ago because I am a coward.’
Harold couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. ‘Were you one of those leaders who went on strike?’ Harold asked in a stern voice. He stared Joe in the eye.
‘Yes, Joe came to our camp on the morning the police were coming to arrest me and we changed places. He was arrested as me and I continued his life as Joe Gibson. I hated lying to you Harold but I couldn’t tell you the truth. I’m sorry.’
If Harold’s face was a dagger, he would've struck him dead on the spot, ‘you were one of those bloody shearers who went on strike and almost crippled the country? You lied to me! We’ve been together for the past three years, living and working together. I believed in you!’ Harold’s eyes filled with tears.

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 72:

‘I’m sorry Harold, I couldn’t tell you. I'm ashamed another person took my place. I didn’t want to go to gaol.’
‘The way this is Joe, he’s the hero and you’re nothing but a bloody coward for what you did. I never want to lay eyes on you again.’ Harold walked away and joined the crowd heading toward the hotel. Joe bowed his head in shame.
A crowd forced their way into the hotel when the thirteen leaders entered. Joe followed, purchased a tumbler of beer and found a seat in a corner of the public bar. He wanted to be alone to think of a way to speak with Joe and explain how sorry he felt to swap places with him; I should have been man enough to go myself.
Everyone appeared overjoyed to celebrate the return of these fine men who took on the establishment, served their time and returned as heroes. What was he going to say when his turn came to speak with the true ‘Joe Gibson’. In actually fact, he’d tied of the charade being someone he wasn’t and wanted his old identity back as ‘Joe Ryan’.
Once the celebrations died down Joe noticed a stranger approach him, ‘can I sit here?’ The stranger asked.
Joe immediately identified him as Joe Gibson. He stood, put his hand out to shake the stranger’s hand not knowing if the stranger recognised him or would shake his hand. ‘I've been waiting for you Joe.’

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'Click Go The Shears' - Page 73:

The stranger’s right hand shook Joe’s hand. ‘Who are you?’ The stranger said.
‘I’m Joe Ryan!’
Fury began to show in the stranger’s face. If this meeting was going to finish the way he thought it would, he'd receive his punishment without fighting back. Having told his friend Harold about his true identity Joe had no knowledge of what was about to happen. I can’t blame him for hating me for what he’s gone through the past three years, just got to take whatever is coming to me, Joe waited to be punched in the face. Without reason the stranger said, ‘Joe Ryan. Thought about this moment for the past three years. Dreamed about when I’d finally meet you again and what I was going to do to you when this moment arrived. When I think back to the moment we swapped places, it was my idea and not yours, so I take full responsibility for what happened. Could I get my old identity back please?’ They shook hands as if they were old friends who hadn’t seen one another for a long time.
‘Mate, I’m pleased to. I want to be Joe Ryan again’. Joe placed his hand inside his coat pocket and extracted the proper Joe Gibson identity and handed the documents to him.
They spoke about their private journey since each had changed places. The longer they spoke, the better and calmer each became reminiscing about their past. ‘Who do you think I met in St Helena Island Gaol?’ Joe Gibson said with a grin on his face.