Early years at Lake Cargelligo, I have fond memories of going to the farm. We lived in town but our farm was 30km out of town on dirt road. The name of our farm was Mount Melougel. Dad used to tell me that our farm had the highest hill in the district of Lake Cargelligo and Naradhan.
I loved everything about our farm. I loved the mystery of the pine forests, rocky hills and the springs that ran from the tops of Mount Melougel, all the way to the old farm house.
I loved our family picnics near a little waterfall in the hill, discovering Aboriginal carving rocks and looking for emus.
My sisters and I would collect tadpoles from the springs while sheep work was happening in the yards close by. I also loved droving the sheep when it was shearing time.
I remember a day, droving, when I was about 10 years old. I remember it because my grandfather told the story to everyone.
Dad was on the motorbike on the outskirts, 'Spider' the black kelpie was pushing the sheep up to assist and I was the driver of the old rodeo ute, along behind. My grandparents were there too, I cant remember their role but they were there. It must have been summer school holidays when mum was working. My mum was a nurse at the Lake Cargelligo medical surgery.
At one stage, maybe I was getting a little too fast (I'm thinking now) on this hot day, for the woolly jumbucks, so was the reason my grandfather Cobber waved his hat at me to pull over. Foot reached out as far as I could to the clutch, I slowed and listened.. He shouted to me 'what gear are you in?" Awkwardly now with both feet occupied (the other on the brake), I replied "shorts and t-shirt, why?"
Cobber's face changed from serious to humorous and he threw his hat to the ground. He said 'well, that will do me!"
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