A Ringer’s Recreation – Part 1
Host: Newcastle Waters Station
Written by Katrina Rudd.
The first round of muster can be full on at the quietest of times, and this year was no exception! With a huge demand for boat cattle and good prices for fat cows down south, as well as the annual mustering, drafting, and processing to be done the crew often found themselves working two to three weeks straight between days off. Because most of our staff are here for the full year, it’s important that we provide facilities and activities to keep the work-life balance.
We have a social club/rec club called the “Bundy Bear’s Social Club” (even though we don’t serve rum!). It has a bar stocked with cold beers and softdrink, as well as chocolate bars and chips. There’s a pool table and tv above the bar which is more or less always tuned to the Country Music Channel, a bbq and picnic area outside, and a flatscreen TV and some couches in the rec room for movies and the very odd quiz night. The social club is open for an hour before dinner each night of the week and we have “late night rec club” on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s a great way for whoever is around the homestead to wind down from the days work and catch up with other members of the crew.
Our cook, her son, head stockman’s wife, camp cook, and secretary catching up over a beer.
The station babies are often a main attraction at social club!
Something exciting must have been on the TV here!
When the coveted day off arrives the staff try to make the most of it even though there is generally a big pile of laundry waiting to be done! Being four hours from the nearest regional centre, the local roadhouses are often frequented the night before a day off for a famous “Dunmurra Road House feed” or “Hi Way Inn Club Sandwich”. The actual days off themselves are often spent chilling out watching movies.
On the very rare occasion that everyone on the station has the same day off try to organise a group activity and make the most of it, such as at Easter time when we went to the Longreach Waterhole for watering skiing, tubing, and a specially ordered lamb on a spitroast.
The new recruits excited for a day on the lake!
The first years having their turn on the biscuits.
The crew awaiting their turn behind the boat.
Hold on!
First years enjoying the chance to chill out and get to know each other.
Tune in tomorrow to see what else we get up to when we’re not getting covered in dirt, dust, and cow poo!