Old-Timers (Magnificent Stories From Mighty Australians)

Sandy Thorne has a remarkable rapport with older Australians—they tell her stories that even their kids haven't heard. Meet a great old publican, a policeman, a hospital matron, you name it, they are in this book. A horse breaker, farrier, trainer, and rodeo star will amaze you as he continues to ride the tough ones with his broken leg in a cast at the age of 79! Meet Lesley Webber, Australia's best helicopter-mustering pilot; she didn't learn to fly until she was 40. Years mustering in the Kimberley, N.T., and the Gulf of Carpentaria, she often landed clients at waterholes to fish for barra where white people had never been before. She's also flown water-bombing missions over bushfires many times, flown the coroner into crash sites, plus carting wild pigs, slung under the machine, from the croc-filled swamps of the Daly River region—highly dangerous work. You'll be introduced to Jenny Marshall, contract musterer, ex-amateur jockey, known as "F. . . kin' Jenny" after her favorite word, which she roars frequently in her booming gravel voice, anywhere, in front of anyone. She wears men's clothes and a huge ten-gallon black Stetson everywhere, even in city restaurants. The hat hides the massive scar where she had a "f . . . kin' huge f . . . kin' tumor" cut out years ago. Jenny is pleased that she has beaten the family record—all her family have died from tumors by sixty-f . . . kin'-five mate! She still works like a brown dog, from dawn to past dark, and is a master at finding stragglers in the scrubbiest country, which she then ties up to f...kin' trees like dogs, and goes back for them later, to collect the f...kin' rogues. Jenny will not let any beast beat her. F...K no! She's rough as hessian undies, tough as a gidgee limb. And then there's Ron Canlin: Cooper Pedy opal miner Ron was 20 meters underground when he suddenly felt an urge he could not resist. He began sculpting the sandstone walls of his mine, and 10 years later, every drive and tunnel in Ron's claim is full of wonderful sculptures—the eighth wonder of the world and the tourists are absolutely amazed.