Snakes Alive – and Dead
Humans have always has a fascination for snakes – and a dread. Ever since Eve was confronted by the Snake in the Garden of Eden, we have had a fear and a healthy respect for them.
Such was the case when we moved to “Gunbar Farm”. The people who lived there before us must have had a snake breeding program. There were snakes everywhere. It didn’t take Mum long to find out the purpose of the strange , twisted wire stick behind each door. These snake killers had been placed in handy reach so that no matter which part of the house you were in, a ready-made purpose-built weapon was at hand.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t often that a snake was actually killed at Gunbar – not so much as I remember. One story I’m told is that the Robinsons (Kit and Harold) had just arrived from England and came to visit. Now there are not many snakes in England – probably only those you see in a zoo – so you can imagine the sight of the innocent Pommies confronted by a six foot snake twirled around the gate -albeit quite dead. It apparently took some members of the Robinson family some convincing that the poor old snake had bitten his last Pom.
On another occasion Mum had spied a snake sticking its head through a broken verandah board. Having chased it with a shovel she trapped it by holding down its head with the blade. The snake was striking at Mum but could only manage to bite the handle of the shovel a few inches below her hands. In the meantime Jimmy had been sent to collect a “snake killer’ and returned to dispatch the snake.
Mum never worried about a snake until she saw one, then until it was disposed of it was a big concern. Then no worries until the next one was spotted.
One friendly snake had made its home in the bottom of the toilet pit. Visits to the toilet were also akin to safaris in the jungle. Careful inspections of the surrounds and then a slowly opened toilet door- a check to see if the “snake killer” was in reach – then a peak into the toilet to make sure the “killer snake” was not at home. Imagination is a wonderful thing and it was always a terrifying thought that if one happened to “bomb” the friendly snake , he would very quickly become unfriendly and bite ones unprotected bare backside.
Another snake used to live in the laundry. Before doing the washing Mum would check to see if his head was poking out from the floorboards. If he was home, the washing waited a little longer.
Killing a snake was a cooperative business, because once a snake was sighted you had to keep your eye on it all the time. If you glanced away for a moment it would disappear as if by magic. Even so, few snakes actually became victims of the snake hunters. They seemed to manage tp slither away into a crack in the floorboards, under bushes or a pile of wood. That none of us were ever bitten was a reflection on good luck more than anything else.
Garbage Galore Yenda
Who would have thought that the Watts family of Jimmy, Colleen, Peter, Terry and baby John would create so much rubbish that a trailer load would have to be taken away. Well, we can believe it and that’s what happened.
Dad hooked up a tractor to a trailer and loaded up the accumulated family rubbish. Why he didn’t go to the tip I don’t know. Maybe it was too far away. Whatever the reason, our rubbish ended up on the banks of one of the irrigation channels near Yenda. The job was done, the rubbish gone, the yard was clean again and everyone was happy.
But were they? A couple of days later two gentlemen came up the front footpath. They were neatly dressed in suits and pork pie hats, obviously important people. They were very polite as they knocked on the front door and said, “Would Mr James Watts live here?”
When Dad answered Yes, they said, “Would this letter be yours?”
The answer again being yes, they continued with, “And the rubbish in which it was found?”
Dad was very quiet through all of this. He was embarrassed that the police (in plain clothes) had called on him and not too pleased when they told him to go and collect all the rubbish and shift it. This was the only time Dad ever crossed the line and became a criminal!
Runaway Cart – “Gunbar”
Terry, Dad and I had been over to visit our neighbours, the Muirheads, for some reason. It was a pleasant sunny day and I think there must have been some recent rain.
On the way back Terry and I were sitting on the floor of the cart as the horse quietly plodded across the paddock heading towards home. Dad was very relaxed sitting on the board of the cart with his feet inside just over the cart wheel.
Dad wasn’t concentrating very well – things were quiet, so was the horse, that is until the cart wheel hit a bump and dad fell off. As he fell dad caught his arm in the wheel of the cart. All this combined to give the horse a fright and it attempted to bolt. Dad, with his arm caught in the wheel, acted as a temporary brake as the horse dragged the cart and Dad along.
Dad managed to free his arm -it’s a wonder it wasn’t broken – and this released the “brake” and the horse took off. Terry and I sat stiff with fright on the floor of the cart as it careered across the paddock, Dad in pursuit, but falling further behind.
As things happened, the horse headed straight towards a dam. I had visions of it taking us straight through and on forever. However, as it got closer to the dam it was slowed by boggy ground. Neither Terry nor I panicked at this stage, we were both very quiet and sat tight in the bottom of the cart. As the horse slowed down I thought I might be able to jump out and grab the reins. I did, and the horse stopped and Dad arrived on the scene very quickly. Fortunately none of us were the worse for wear and as soon as dad calmed the horse down we were on our way again.
Horsing Around
Horses have been a part of our life for many years. Dad was always a horseman, and one or two early photos show him astride a beautiful horse. …to be continued
“Dobbin”, with Pat holding reins. L to R: John, Chris, Mick, Kathy, Tony. Circa 1958-’59
…to be continued
Houses
Yenda
Gunbar
Barringun
The Shed
The Woolshed
Shearers Quarters
…to be continued
Games WePlayed
…to be continued
The Watts Family 