Thread: When men were men

When men were men. Well..here's couple of hard case 1960 stories from the kids' perspective ...Even the little hunters were tough!

Tale 1:

Our farm backed onto huge bush area and in 1960s there wasn't much to do but hunt – all the time. Occasionally old man would gather up half a dozen local farm boys, put em all on the trailer, and head off for couple of days way out in the bush hunting. Travel for hours on rough logging tracks with the tractor – way out in the wop-wops to an old sawmill site called Opa. Had been milled in the 1930s-40s and the old bullring (clearing) still there, plus one old shack that we'd stay in. Great place.. Minus 4 star accomodation.

On this trip we got lucky, ran into some sows on way out, farmboys jumping off trailerr in all directions, and we ended up with 3 little wild pigs. Little fellas – couple about a foot long and a bigger brown/black one about 3-4kg. Took them to the shack and kept them in a back 'room' - if you could call it that, with the doorway blocked off. We'd climb in and play toreadors, try to catch them, and the little brown boar would always go for you. Much fun..Then one of the older boys – like 13 or so - has a brainwave. Says he's heard if you hold wild pigs over smoke it tames them!!. Next thing big fire in fireplace with scrub and fern piled on, smoking the hut out, and boys all clamber up on roof with the stroppy brown pig. They hold him over the chimney that is belching smoke, he wriggles like hell for a bit, then he does get tame – goes all quiet – floppy even. Farmboys not strong on science. So everyone else then clambers down or leaps off the roof – leaving 7yr old me with no way to get down. Couldn't climb back down and 10 foot jump not appealing for a little fella. But .. nothing for it but to leap off – landed bad and next thing excruciating pain in right hand. Really bad.. Very really bad! But you can't cry or talk about pain with the older boys, and you can't tell the old man as he'd clip you for climbing on the roof. So – agonising pain for next day or so. Just had to tuck hand away and carry on. No doctors way out there in the bush. No medicines. Many hours on the tractor even to get back to farmhouse....When I got home still didn't tell mum and dad – might get into trouble. Pain went away over the following weeks/months.

Fast forward 55 years now to about 2016. I'm having a health checkup and conversation with Doc goes something like this.. Doctor: “When did you do that?” Me: “Do what?” Doctor: 'Break that right wrist..” Me: “What?” Doctor: “ That wrist has been broken. Those bones in your hand should be flat, but yours stick up. Its had a bad break some time” Me: Dead silence. Flashback. Memories. Pig Smoke Roof Pain.... Then “Ahhhhhhh!! .. So that's .. what .. bloody .. happened...”

1960 farmboys were tough little buggers..

Tale 2: Got my own back on that stroppy wild pig...

We took the little pigs home to the farm. Not uncommon for kids to arrive home after hunting with a shirtful of wriggling baby bunnies from burrow, or little pigs etc - and we'd raise them. This little brown boar always caused trouble. Dairy cow took a shine to him – and I'd come out in the morning to find he'd chewed on her teats, scratching them up and making them very sore to milk. So she'd kick like horse in the cowbail. Aaargh! Then when he was about 40lb he learned new party trick – he'd put his nose under the gates and pop them up off hooks – esp the smaller gates in the yards so he could walk through. One day dad does some drafting in the yards – seperating lambs from ewes etc – and pig goes for a stroll and pops off couple of gates. Old man has to go do all the drafting again. Comes back to house, sits on the porch, takes off his boots, gives pig a long look! I know that look.

Didn't see pig for a bit. Then couple of days later its a real treat. Heaps of crunchy crackling and roast pork for sunday lunch. Old man and I sitting there chuckling away.. Crunch crunch. Porky's latest trick. His last trick. Life's pretty tough on the farm, but revenge can taste bloody good..