Outback Corporation - 14. OBC Chapter 14

During our trip away from home, I had decided to accept Chris’s recommendations to purchase the additional three stations, which would add a further 14.5 million acres to the companies holding in station country, bring it to a total of a huge thirty-eight million acres.

With over twelve million acres in Murchison Pastoral Investments and over twenty-five million acres in Western Desert Pastoral Company and I had over 55% of the shares for both companies. Now it was time to start taking control of the administration areas of the companies and let the staff run all the properties, this also gives me the chance to spend more time with my family, who are growing up very quickly.

Once back home at the station, I made a conference call to all my station managers, and announced what changes would be happening almost straight away, this including the additional three stations that would soon be purchased.

The following day, I asked Chris and Daniel to take over managing Depot, Pondana and Lochabar stations, so that I could concentrate on the administration of the companies and looking after the family, and they said although they would miss spending time with the boys; they were happy to take over as managers of the three stations.

What I had not done was to arrange for a housekeeper to help with running of the household, it was gently reminded of this matter during dinner that evening, and it was during dinner that I received a call from my first cousins, Hannah and Joseph who are the children of Christine and Hamish.

They said they have heard about the new property purchase near Esperance, and asked me if there would be any chance that they could be employed to work on the new property, as the city was too crowded and the station life was getting too difficult. I laughed at that comment, although I am still reasonably young at 28 years old, I knew what it was like to be young, and wished that I were their age again.

I informed the brother and sister team that I would think about it and let them know in the next week or two. Later that evening I received a call from Christine, to tell me that she had been told about the earlier telephone call, and informed me that she would have no problem with me employing her two children as farm workers.

I informed my aunt that her two children would be very welcome and both very helpful on the property, and I would like them to be available to assist with the family packing and moving starting from next week. Over the next four weeks, the family was kept very busy sorting and packing all belongings that would be moved to Gentle Creek Farm, four days before the big move, Joseph and I along with a 4WD and trailer all packed to the brim, drove from Pondana to Gentle Creek.

The trip was a fifteen-hour long drive, leaving the station at 5am, so as to get to Gentle Creek by 8pm, and we unloaded the fridge and freezers, which were all stocked up with food, plus a box of linen and suitcases were also brought in, so they could shower and get to bed, for some much-needed rest.

By 6am, the next morning Hamish and I were up and moving all the boxes and luggage that was in the vehicle and trailer, and when they found the box with the kitchen electrical equipment, we stopped to have some breakfast, of toast and a cup of tea, fried tomatoes, eggs and bacon.

When we were sufficiently filled, we continued with our unpacking, and placing everything in the assigned rooms, according to what is written on each box lid. Some of the items were brand new, after a shipment of supplies that was ordered from Kalgoorlie had arrived a few days earlier, and were just added to the pile of goods to be loaded onto the trailer ready to be taken to Gentle Creek.

By lunch time we had completed the unloading; after a short lunch of toasted sandwiches, we drove into town and stored the vehicle and trailer, which we would be collecting late the following afternoon, and we boarded the chartered plane back to Pondana Station. Arriving just before sunset, where Hannah and my three oldest boys were waiting with two vehicles to transport us back to the homestead.

As we sat down to dinner, the boys told me of the fun things they had been doing with Aunty Hannah, while Uncle Joseph and I had been away, and I was pleased that they were getting along well. After dinner I informed the boys that the day after tomorrow, we would be flying to Kalgoorlie, while the truck with the remainder of our belongings will make its way to Gentle Creek, leaving tomorrow, I said that we would be spending the remainder of the day at Kalgoorlie collecting last minute purchases, before flying to Esperance to collect our 4WD and trailer, and driving out to the farm.

The boys were all very excited about moving to their new home, which was not going to be so hot and humid as before on the station, and that they would be going to a regular private school, instead of remote distance education. With the boys fed, showered and put to bed, I too soon retired to bed, having a few very long days, and a few more ahead before settling down to hopefully a more relaxed lifestyle.

With the last of the belongings loaded onto the truck by 9am, it began its two day journey down to the new farm, and I left Hannah and Joseph to spend most of the day with the boys, while I caught up on some last minute paperwork, the office had now been cleared of most of all main files & documents which had been boxed up and loaded onto the truck, since I would be doing most of the administration from Gentle Creek from now on.

After lunch, I went out on a short water run with Chris and Daniel, to have a final look around Pondana, before leaving all the running of the station to Chris and Daniel from now on and getting into the vehicle I took my last look around the homestead complex one last time, which has been my home since I was a young boy, before driving off towards Kalgoorlie.

When we had all finally arrived at our new home at Gentle Creek, everyone pitched in to unload everything, and place the boxes and luggage into the correct rooms, even the boys were a great help for a while, and when I realised that I had not seen them for a while, I went looking for them, and soon found all of them fast asleep on my bed, so I quietly closed the door to let them sleep, while the unpacking continued.

For three days the new house was very messy and chaotic, with boxes and sheets of newspapers scattered everywhere once they had been emptied of their contents. In the end I called a stop to all the work or unpacking until all of the newspaper was placed in the incinerator and cardboard boxes were folded up and placed in the shed, once that was done the final stages of unpacking were completed, till the house finally started to look like a home,

For the next few weeks the boys started to really settle into their new home, they enjoyed the large amounts of green lawn, shady trees, and the big tyre swings that Hamish and I set up for the boys on two of the bigger trees, that had huge branches fifteen feet off the ground, ideal for installing tyre swings.

Hamish noticed that also within the house paddock there was a tree that had lost it main trunk due to a direct lightning strike, breaking off at the fork with three other branches, about ten feet off the ground, and over the next few days, Hamish and I using two chain saws smoothed off the broken end of the trunk.

We also cut off the other three branches at the same level, which gave a perfect base for a tree house to be built gradually when the time allows, and the boys were thrilled with the idea of having a big tree house to explore and have fun in, and I was pleased that my boys were happy in their new home.

It took me a few weeks to get settled into a new routine, each time I step outside to go and do some station work, I remember that I am not on the station any more, and that I have other family members to worry about all of that.

I was still doing at least four hours a day in the office doing paper work, which I was now getting used to doing, which included regular phone calls to all of the cattle stations that the company now owns. Another change to the farm, was the construction of a large bunkhouse.

This consists of a high roof building, with a large living area, with a kitchen, pantry, laundry bathroom and store room along one end wall, with a large dining table, a lounge area and a games area in the rest of the open living area.

In the middle along each end wall, there is a spiral staircase leading to two mezzanine floors, the north end has a bathroom, lounge room and a huge master bedroom, while at the south end, there is two bathroomsand two large bedrooms, with each one having a single and a bunk bed in it, with room to sleep 3 in each room. This was so when Dad and his family visit next time, they don’t have to stay in a motel in town.

They had to stay in a motel, when they came to the wedding nearly eight years ago, and again three years ago, when they came to spend an Aussie Christmas with us, when Micah was only a few months old. After Christmas, 19 -year old Noel and 17 - year old Harcourt had stayed on for two months after Christmas, to experience working on an Australian farm, and they were disappointed, when the time had come for them to return home to Canada.

Dad had hinted that he was thinking of bringing the family back to the farm for Christmas this year, and that is when I decided to build the bunkhouse, so as to accommodate them all, especially now that dad’s step sons are now all teenagers. I was amazed at how much they had grown in that time, I hadn’t seen them, and now three years later, they would be teens and young adults.

The latest news I had heard that Jock Peterson and Noel have been boyfriends for the past three years, even thou Jock is two years older. His parents did end up selling the farm to Dad and Declan, and now as a joint run farm, it is doing very well, with Jock and Noel living in the house next door.

Declan’s second oldest son – Harcourt, has spend the past three years at university, studying Veterinary Science, and he has two more years to complete, before he graduates. The twins – Emmanuel and Gresley, have just completed their high school education, and they are planning to go to university next year, while Carter, the youngest son, is now 16 and still in high school.

The twins and Carter had elected to study at the local school, instead of being away at boarding school, like the older two brothers. It was late November, when I answered a call from Dad at lunch time, “Hi Dad, how are things in Canada this evening your time?” I said as I answered, “Good thanks, how are things on the stations in Western Australia?” Dad replied, and before I could answer, I heard “Good thanks Uncle” which was Chris’s voice, followed by some chuckling.

“This is a family conference call, I have Chris included in this call, Kes” Dad said, “Oh ok, so what is this all about” I asked, “As you know, Hannah and Joseph are going to the station to be with their parents for Christmas, so I have asked Chris and Daniel to join us at Gentle Creek for Christmas, if that is ok with you, son?” Dad announced to me.

“You and the Canadian clan are coming here for Christmas?’ I asked, “Yes, but not all of us, Jock and Noel are staying to manage the farm, while we are away, we have shut down the accommodation business so there will be no guests in the cabins and chalets, so it will be Declan and myself and the 4 youngest boys coming, and we will be staying for a month” Dad announced.

“That is great news, it has been way too long, since I have seen you all, I guess with Natasha and me trying to bring up six boys on my own, I haven’t been able to travel as much as before” I replied, “Yes, it has been three years, since we last had Christmas together there, Noel is a little disappointed that he is missing out on coming, but understands, someone needs to stay to take care of the farm and animals” Dad said.

“When are you arriving?” I asked, “A week from tomorrow, as soon as Harcourt has finished his university studies; before the holiday break, then we are on our way. “We arrive in Perth on December 4th, and we catch the regional flight to Esperance the following day, arriving at 3pm, can you organise accommodation for us in Esperance, like before please son?” Dad said to me.

“Sure, thing Dad, I will have it sorted by the time you arrive in Esperance, Chris, when are you coming down from the station?” I responded, “We will be travelling down on the 22nd and 23rd and leave to head back to the station on the 28th” Chris replied, “Ok, so you are staying for just five days, I will let you stay in the guest quarters, that way you can help with the boys, I am guessing that Han and Joe leave here on the 23rd, and arrive back on the 28th” I replied.