Pat Ritter. Books

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'Tilbaroo Station' - Page 41:

‘Didn’t take him long to change his mind about Ryan.’ Hannah expressed. ‘Who’s going to exploit him now. His own father.’ She raised an eye brow.
‘This is an opportunity I never thought possible. Imagine boring for water out here especially now we’re going through the greatest drought in Australian history, ‘Great Australian Drought’. Without water, we’re all dead.’ Joe explained.
Next morning after they finished breakfast Joe said, ‘I’m off to the blacksmith to ask if he’s finished the delver tongue.’
‘Can I expect you for morning smoko?’ Hannah asked.
‘Probably. Depending on how long I’m with the blacksmith. I’ll try to be back in time.’ Joe rose from his chair, placed his battered hat on his head started walking toward the rear door.
‘I’ll cook some scones. Like Ma used to make. Don’t be long. What about a kiss good-bye?’
Joe returned to his wife, wrapped his arms around her shoulders kissed her on the lips. ‘Will that do until I return.’ Smiling he left the kitchen.
Hannah prepared the mixture for the scones, stoked the stove to cook them. She remembered how Ma cooked scones but her scones never turned out the same as Ma’s because she didn’t have the secret recipe. Hannah’s scones cooked moist crumbly not like Ma’s scones soft tasty. She tried her best. Whatever she cooked pleased Joe.
Joe’s visit to the blacksmith proved fruitful because not only had he completed the tongue for the delver but exactly how Joe had in his mind’s eye. After thanking the blacksmith paid him for his services returned home to the sweet aroma of cooked scones.

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'Tilbaroo Station' -

‘These scones are as good if not better than Ma used to bake.’ Joe told his wife whose smile flashed across his face.
‘I tried something new. Pleased you like them.’
‘I need to return to ‘Tilbaroo Station’. I want to try out this delver tongue the blacksmith made. The idea I have is to dig a bore drain from our bore to Moonjaree Creek. If water flows from the bore head into the creek, will be sufficient water to keep the sheep alive.’ Joe explained to Hannah.
‘Can I come too?’ She didn’t want to miss out on a trip to their property.
‘If we leave shortly after smoko we’ll arrive in enough time to set up camp before dark. How long before you return to school?’ Joe asked.
‘Another week. I took the time off for Ma’s funeral.’
‘A week should do. I’ll take enough harness for both horses to plough the delver. I need to find strong thick branches from a gidgee tree. This is pure trial and error. My idea will work. I’ve got everything up here.’ Joe pointed to his temple while eating another scone.
Preparing for their trip Hannah packed sufficient food for seven day’s absence. They crossed the Warrego River heading toward their property. Joe’s mind filled to capacity with ideas to move water from under the ground to flow into dry creek beds. The natural flow of water through each creek bed would provide sufficient water to keep their stock from dying of thirst. Without water, they’d die.
‘Joe, wonderful to be home again.’ Hannah’s mind relaxed, a tingle passed through her body. ‘Can we make camp near the bore this time instead of near the burnt-out homestead?’ Hannah asked nearing the front gate.
‘Yes, whatever your heart desires my love.’ Stopping Joker, Joe climbed down from the sulky to open the front gate. After passing onto the property refastened the gate drove to the point under the huge gumtree near the bore. Before dark prepared their accommodation of the tent they lived in during their honeymoon.

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'Tilbaroo Station' - Page 43:

‘My wish. To stay here forever.’ Hannah smiled.
‘One day we will. I promise.’ Joe commenced building a fire. Sunset glowed across the horizon sending the sun below for another day. A fire blazed to throw sufficient light for Hannah to cook their dinner. Hannah started to sing, her sweet voice flooded the landscape. Joe sat on a nearby log listening to the words his wife echoed through the bush. His life couldn’t be better. After washing their dishes, they retired to bed totally exhausted looking forward to a week on their property doing what they want to do enjoy one another’s company.
Sunrise the following morning Joe prepared his day. First to cook Hannah breakfast leave her sleep. This past week mourning the passing of Ma, preparing her funeral, attending the wake now being involved with one of the greatest discoveries of far western Queensland to be on a committee of ‘The Great Artesian Water Basin Committee’ had taken its toll. How life has improved, thought Joe.
Hannah joined her husband at the fire. ‘You’re up early Joe. Wet the bed.’ She rubbed sleep from her eyes.
‘You’ve beaten me again. I wanted to serve you breakfast in bed.’ Joe continued with the cooking. ‘Take up a stump. Your breakfast will be ready in a jiffy.’ Hannah leaned across kissed Joe on the lips.
‘I’m the luckiest woman alive to have a husband as good as you Joseph Gibson’. Hannah found a seat on a nearby log to wait for her breakfast.
‘I’m the lucky one.’ Joe told her handed the enamel plate filled with delicious bacon and eggs plus johnny cake. Odour vaporised through her nostrils.
After making tea they sat side by side listening to the call of the kookaburra ing perched on a nearby branch of the gum tree. A slight breeze flowed throw their camp.

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'Tilbaroo Station' - Page 44:

‘Isn’t this delightful, Joe?’ Hannah smiled, looked across at her husband.
‘Life couldn’t be better Hannah.’ Joe finished his breakfast stood up.
‘I’ll clear the dishes. You go ahead. Do your thingy. Leave the house work to me.’ Hannah quickly took Joe’s plate and mug.
‘Alright. Do you want to come with me when I choose the timber I’m looking for?’ Joe asked handing Hannah his pannikin.
‘No. You go because I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with my work. I love being here in the quiet doing whatever I want. The peace quiet on our place Joe.’
‘I mightn’t be back until after midday depending on how quickly I find what I’m looking for.’
‘Everything’s okay.’ Hannah smiled. ‘I’ll have a go to try cook a damper in the camp oven.’ Hannah rose from her seat kissed Joe on the lips started to clean the camp area. Her smile told Joe he need not worry because Hannah believed she was at a comfortable place in her life. Why wouldn’t she be because Joe possessed the same comfort.
Throwing the axe over his shoulder he looked about for a suitable gidgee tree to select the right shape of branch to make the delver, also a yoke to hold the horses together to pull the delver. His plan cemented in his mind. His eyes roved from one gidgee tree to another looking for the correct branches to cut.
Joe walked across a paddock of gidgee trees arriving next to a huge tree taller than most. His eyes focused onto a twisted branch in the shape of a fork. This is the one I want. Paring away smaller branches with his axe he cut into the base of the tree. Once on the ground Joe cut off branches to finally have the section of tree he required. Trimming this portion of tree shelling the bark finally his wish came true in the shape he desired.

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Now to find the yoke. Still working on the same tree, he fell cut away branches to finally find a twisted branch he chose for a yoke. Removing the bark, trimming the branch finally shaped the branch into a yoke to fasten to his horses to pull the delver. A smile spread across his face, perspiration across his brow. Satisfied, he gathered his axe dragged his material back to the camp.
With the sun, high in the sky Joe reached the camp exhausted. Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, ‘water’, he called to Hannah who stood near the fire opening the lid of the camp oven. Instant aroma seeped through to Joe’s nostrils to sense the damper ready. Hannah quickly poured a pannikin of water from the canvas water bag handed him to drink. Joe gulped down the golden liquid some entered his mouth whilst the remainder soaked the front of his shirt. Perspiration caused his shirt to stiffen soaked with sweet from his labour.
Alongside the camp water gushed from the bore filling a pool. Joe handed the pannikin to Hannah, instead of allowing her to take hold of the mug, he reached grabbed hold of her hand bringing her close to him.
‘Joe. What are you doing.’ Hannah screamed.
Without answering her question, he picked her up in his muscled arms throwing her over his shoulder. Hannah shouted to put her down kicking her legs at the same time hitting Joe with her closed fists on his back. Joe carried her over his shoulder to the pool dumping her into the centre, jumped in after her fully clothed. Their arms reached for one another; soon bound together water covered their bodies.
‘Joe, we have our clothes on.’ Hannah looked into Joe’s smiling eyes.
‘I’ll fix that’. Joe removed his shirt in one swift movement, unbuckled his trousers, slipped them off throwing his clothes across the pool onto the ground. Hannah stood in shock. She’d never undressed in front of Joe before ashamed to undress in front of him now.

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‘Turn around. Close your eyes.’ She instructed. Joe turned his back whilst she removed her clothing leaving her undergarments covering important parts of her body.
Water spewed from a bore into a pond of water, cool refreshing.
‘Can I turn around now?’ Joe asked his eyes squeezed shut.
After Hannah threw her dress she’d been wearing, on top of Joe’s clothing she said, ‘Yes, I’m decent.’ Joe turned to his wife in her underwear standing not two steps from him. Their eyes glued to one another. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around his wife passionately kissed her on the lips.

Chapter 7

They would have stayed longer in the pool only for the sound of a horse whinny in the distance. Each looked along the track leading to their camp Nat and Martha approached. ‘Quick Joe. Pa and Mother.’ Hannah shouted.
‘Why are you worried? We’re married. We can go skinny-dipping in our own dam if we want.’ Joe said lifting Hannah into his arms walked from the pool placing her onto the ground beside their clothes.
‘G’day.’ Nat called approaching their camp. ‘Thought we’d find you here. Followed your tracks from the gate.’ Nat stopped the sulky near their camp climbed down to help Martha from her seat.
‘Hi, Pa, Mother. I’ll be with you in a minute.’ Hannah called trying to dress quickly as possible embarrassed her parents seeing them swimming with little clothes on.

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'Tilbaroo Station' -

‘Don’t mind us. You remember mother after we were married acting like these two?’ Nat smiled.
‘Nat, I can’t remember those times. Too long ago. I’ll heat up the billy.’ Martha walked into the camp to stoke up the fire to boil the billy to make tea. ‘You’ve made a damper. Did you know we were coming?’ Martha said.
‘We had no idea.’ Hannah finished dressing walked to her mother, gave her a kiss on the cheek, gave her father a similar kiss then helped her mother prepare a cup-of-tea.
‘Mother had never seen your property before. Wanted to show her around. Terribly dry at home but here with the bore plenty of feed and water. Like an oasis in the desert.’ Nat said shaking Joe’s hand in welcome.
‘Take a seat on the log. I’ll make us a cuppa with fresh cooked damper. Cool under this huge gum tree. Pa this is where Joe is building our home. Right here.’ Hannah explained pointed to the spot.
Joe sat beside Nat while Hannah handed them each a pannikin of tea a plate with a slice of damper covered in strawberry jam. Martha inhaled a deep breath. ‘You have a great spot here.’ She sat on a nearby log after Hannah passed her a pannikin of tea slice of damper.
‘What’s that?’ Nat pointed to the forked branches Joe cut earlier.
‘I’m making a delver to dig a drain from the bore onto Moonjaree Creek.’ Joe explained in between slurping his tea eating his slice of damper.
‘Are you sure your idea will work?’ Asked Nat with a frown.
‘No, not for certain. If we don’t push water into Moonjaree Creek, the creek will dry up. The weather doesn’t look like rain. Too bloody hot. As soon as this heat cools down. I’m ready to give anything a go.’ Joe finished his tea returned his pannikin to Hannah.