Merchandise - Australian Stockman`s Hall of Fame

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Curator's Report
This year is proving to be another busy year for the museum at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. In March, the launch of the Queen
Air Exhibit took place. This fantastic exhibit, installed by Brandi Projects, was jointly unveiled by The Honourable Bruce Scott
MP the Federal member for Maranoa, David Brook OAM, the chairman of the board of directors of the Australian Stockman’s
Hall of Fame, and Mr Bill Mellor Chairman of the Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland Section. In late May the Indigenous
Stockworkers exhibit was completed, replacing the old Discovery exhibition which had been presented since 2003. This display
was, again, installed by Brandi and is very effective and popular with the touring public with it’s interactive exhibits, great historical
content, objects, photographs and theatre. The content and research for this exhibition was completed by Ms Delyna Baxter with
some input by the Curator David Masel.
The museum of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame is also pleased to have had help from several volunteers this year. Barbara
Huff continues to do a great job cataloguing the photograph collection of the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. The Hall was also joined
by Ms Vida Whale in May, who was here for a week cataloguing, and currently Mr John Shaw is doing wonderful work also
cataloguing the Hall’s large photograph collection. The Stockman’s Hall of Fame is very fortunate and pleased to have them here as
their contribution has been very valuable.
The Hugh Sawrey Art Gallery, Information Centre and Library will be presenting six exhibitions this year. It is currently hosting
Wayne Strickland’s “Outback Heritage” and is a very successful exhibition. Mr Strickland has been involved with the Stockman’s
hall of Fame since 1991 and this exhibition is the second one that he has presented, the first being in 2009. Mr Strickland’s
exhibition are works presenting outback scenes in every state and the paintings are in the oil medium, but he has also presented
three bronze sculptures including one of the Light-horse soldier of World War 1. This exhibition continues at the Art Gallery until
the 28th of June.
Staff Profile
Bebe Manns
Role: Retail/ Morning Meet and Greet with Shadow (Horse)
Background on yourself:
I grew up in Quilpie and went to high school at St Ursula’s in Toowoomba. Once I left school I went to a
thoroughbred stud for a few months before I landed a job with S Kidman & Co on Glengyle Station outside of
Bedourie in the Channel Country. I was at Glengyle for three years and loved it! I then moved on to Nappa Merrie
Station on the SA boarder, home of the Dig tree. Sadly the lease (of the property) expired after only a year of me
being there I moved to South Galway for only a few months than got a job at the ASHOF. So needless to say, I have
had a very good look at the Channel Country.
Love: Campdrafting and working with horses
What is the best thing about working for ASHOF?
Doing something different every day as well as still being able to ride every morning. The staff are great and it is just
a great organisation to be involved with.
Favourite food: A good piece of steak
Favourite actor: Rebel Wilson
Special thanks to R.J.Dumke for a $200 donation to the Hall
Merchandise
CEO Report
Name: Alexander James (Jimmy) GUNSTON
Born: 11th June 1896, Hillgrove (Armidale) NSW
Died: 6th September 1992, Caboolture QLD
Parents: Alexander Johnston Gunston married
Amanda Faulkiner
Siblings: Two sisters and one brother
Married: 1925
Spouse: Thelma Violet Kerr
Children: Joan, Shirley, Lindsay
Alexander Gunston, better known as Jimmy, was born at
Hillgrove NSW, on the 11th June 1896. He ran away from
home at the age of 12 to Brisbane then to Mackay QLD. He
found work at Nebo (2hrs west of Mackay) as a butcher and
also learned to read and write. It was here he also learnt to love
the outback country life and horses. Jimmy was well respected
as a stockman.
He enlisted in the Army on 28th January 1915 at Clermont
QLD and served in World War 1 as part of the 11th Lighthorse
AIF and served at Gallipoli, Gaza, Beersheeba and rhe Sinai.
When Jimmy returned from the war he returned to the west
and managed several stations in the Nebo area. He met and
then married Thelma Kerr of Blackall in 1925 and they settled
in Blackbutt QLD and reared two daughters and a son.
$15.95
code 23058
Welcome back to the mid year newsletter of the Australian
Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. As
I write this we are in the middle of our tourism season with
many travellers visiting and revisiting the Hall. With new
exhibits, a refresh of the reception area and the development
of the Outback Stockman's Show we are seeing many visitors
enjoying the facility.
Akubra Riverina
Kangaroo
Ladies Polos
$44.95
$190
code 4021
code 5041
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Akubra Cattleman
Suede Caps
Outback Show
- Mens Shirts
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or please charge my credit card
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His great nephew, actor Peter Phelps, was given a part as a trooper in the film 'The Lighthorseman'.
Banksia Scented
Pots - Small
Alexander's wife Thelma predeceased him and is buried at Warwick QLD. He resided at the Caboolture War Veteran's
Home for eight years, before his death at the age of 96 years, on the 6th September 1992. Jimmy was buried at Warwick
beside his wife.
He was a honorary member of the 11th Lighthorse associations of Caboolture and Pine Rivers and the Pine Rivers troop
have an Annual Jimmy Gunston Award for the best trooper.
Registered by Australian Post Publication No. PP 424022/00037. International Standard Series Number ISSN 0812-7328 Edition 117 - July 2015
$11.95
code 5055
Spoons
Price
Stubbie
Coolers
$8.95
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Tom Quilty Gold Cup
Subtotal
The Tom Quilty Gold Cup Endurance Ride National Championship is the premier ride on
the endurance calendar in Australia, and was established in 1966. The prestige associated
with winning this event, as well as competing, is immense. It is the goal of all Australian
endurance riders to attempt and be successful in this ride. The original Tom Quilty gold
cup is held in the ‘Stockman’s Hall of Fame’ in Longreach QLD as the inception of the
Quilty Cup ride was nurtured by Queenslanders Erica and RM Williams who loved their
distance riding and their beloved Arabian horses. RM’s Rockybar Stud was situated in
QLD. The Quilty was named after RM’s old mate Tom Quilty of Spring Vale Station in the
Kimberley Ranges of WA, who on request donated the valuable gold cup.
Plus Postage & Handling
(within Australia only)
Less Members Discount 10%
Mugs
$ 12.95
code 24228
$ 24.95
$ 15.95
code 54250
In May the team completed the installation of the Indigenous Stockmen Exhibit also. Three years in the making, the completed
project educates all visitors to the valuable contribution Indigenous Stockmen and Women made to the development of the
bush. Over 350 interviews were recorded which provides the Hall with the most complete set of digital records in the country.
The stories are told on a large 6-meter screen with beautiful images of the Australian bush painting the picture of life in the
Australian outback. The exhibit also captures many of the interviews and the people through a series of touch screen animation.
A great story told with respect that is proving to be very popular with all visitors to the Hall.
This year we celebrated the 25th year of the Drovers Reunion. With over 85 Drovers in
attendance it was without a doubt a great weekend. They say age will not weary them and
to that we can attest. The ladies and gentlemen in attendance are a great reminder of the
qualities that make our country so great. It was an absolute pleasure to host each and every
one of you, congratulations to you all for 25 years and we look forward to hosting you for
many years to come.
code 156
Travel Mug
In April we officially launched the Royal Flying Doctors
“Queen Air” aircraft. Not so much a launch but more of a hanging. The aircraft is now suspended
from the rafters of the roof and takes pride of place looking down over the Hall. We are delighted with the finished product after
10 days installation and many months in the planning. The aircraft was rescued from Mareeba in North Queensland, refurbished
in Brisbane and sent out by truck in pieces to the Hall. The aircraft is illuminated by a series of lights, which take the aircraft
from the early morning dawn through to a bright red sunset. This is truly a terrific addition to the Hall.
Whilst the drought grinds on we continue to work hard in attempting to keep the grounds and
gardens in the best possible condition we can. This is a difficult task in the trying conditions
however we are replanting and irrigating with what little water remains. To put the drought
situation in Longreach into some perspective, many members will be aware of the two large
dams located at the Hall. These dams are capable of holding four years water supply, they are
now empty for the first time in our history. Please spare a thought for our graziers and also
our local communities and businesses who now more than ever need support.
$7.95
Cowbells
Over the past few months the team at the Hall has been
very busy reorganising the layout of the facility adding new
exhibits and welcoming our guests.
$ 6.95
TOTAL $
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Become an Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre
Member today email [email protected]
In finishing I would like to express my thanks to all the staff and all the members from the
local area that are making such an effort to ensure the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
and Outback Heritage Centre retains its position as the true custodian of the Australian Bush.
Best regards,
Lloyd Mills
RFDS QueenAir
Stor y
The Drovers
Reunion
Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
soaring to new heights with RFDS
Queen Air installation
An exciting new addition was
unveiled at the Australian
Stockman’s Hall of Fame (ASHOF)
in Longreach on Tuesday 10th
March, just in time for opening
of tourist season in Outback
Queensland.
An original Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) aircraft, a Queen Air built in 1977, has been meticulously restored and is
now on display, suspended in the atrium of the Hall.
CEO Lloyd Mills said the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame had long been interested in featuring the Queen Air and is
delighted that that vision has been realised today by their continued close collaboration with the RFDS.
“In 2012 we were pleased to partner with the RFDS to host the Flying Doctor story. The addition of the restored Queen
Air will certainly complement the existing exhibit and give visitors further insight into the operations of this iconic
organisation,” Mr Mills said.
The 25th Anniversary of the annual
“Drovers Reunion” was held at the
Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
on the Queen’s Birthday weekend
(June 6 and 7).
As most of our members/readers are aware, each year
outback workers, drovers, stockmen and women come
together to honour the Drovers of days gone by. Sitting
around the campfire they tell yarns and remember those
who lived lonely in the saddle moving stock through the
Australian Outback.
‘Boss Drover’ and organiser of the reunion, Hank Cosgrove, said their get-together included a few Outback Games, a few
yarns but nothing too strenuous.
“We’ll see how well they can still crack a whip, make a damper and boil a billy; and chucking a boot at the drover’s dog — a
pretend one of course — is a favourite.
"It's intense rivalry, but it's friendly rivalry," said Mr Cosgrove
Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) CEO, Nino Di Marco, said the installation was an impressive
engineering feat and that the aircraft represented an important part of RFDS aviation history.
Despite Johnny Green vowing to reclaim his ‘Best Ringer’ award from 2014 winner Bill Ward, Bill reached a milestone by
claiming back to back ‘Best Ringer’ by taking out the title again in 2015.
“Queen Airs were well regarded aircraft in their time and were operated by the RFDS in Queensland from 1967 – 1992,”
Mr Di Marco said.
Sadly the number of drovers attending the reunion has been dwindling over the past 25 years, and this may be one of the last
opportunities to meet some of the true legends of the bush.
Retired Pilot Capt. Nick Watling, who flew the Queen Air aircraft for the RFDS, said the entire Queen Air fleet played a
vital part in delivering healthcare to rural and remote Queensland for 25 years.
Mark the June long weekend in your Calendar for what is sure to be a weekend of hilarious games, good old fashion story
telling, and iconic Australian history.
“This particular aircraft operated from 1978 – 1992 and was involved in both clinics and patient evacuations while being
based at Cairns and Mount Isa,” with its last flight on April 7th of that year” Mr Watling said.
OUTBACK GAMES RESULTS 2015
CHAMPION RINGER: Bill Ward
DAMPER MAKING: Gloria Matthews
BILLY BOILING: Azzie Fazulla
WHIP CRACKING: Bill Ward
BOOT THROW: MENS: Bill Ward / LADIES: Noeleen Lindsay
NAIL DRIVING: MENS: Brian Matthews / LADIES: Bub
ROLLING PIN: MENS: Bill Ward / LADIES: Hayley Sharp
CRICKET WICKET: MENS: John Wheeler / LADIES: Judy Cosgrove
HORSESHOE THROW: Bub
For more information about this must-see exhibit, please visit the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame website
outbackheritage.com or call (07) 4658 2166.
Can you help?
It has become evident that travel costs are going to have an impact on Drovers attending the annual reunion in the
future. Are you or your business in a position to be able to ‘sponsor’ a Drover attending the 2016 reunion? We would
love to hear from you. Please email [email protected] if you or your business is in a position to
be able to assist. Thank you in advance.
Indigenous Heritage Project
Indigenous stockmen and
women honoured in outback
Queensland museum display
A new display in an outback Queensland museum has opened to tell the
stories of Indigenous stockmen and women across Australia.
Mr Wharton said Indigenous people were vital to life on outback stations.
"The first squatters would not have existed without them - they played the biggest part - it wouldn't have existed without
them," he said.
"Not only the men, but the women, they wouldn't have existed in the outback without the house maids and the cooks, and
the governesses.
"Where my tribal people came from, they had a different connection altogether with the pastoralists - it is a story worth
telling.
The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach, in the state's
central-west, received federal funding for the project, which involved
years of research and hundreds of people being interviewed across
Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania.
"Like a lot of places there were massacres and everything, but on this place, which later became the Cubbie cotton farm,
and when the first settler came there, he kept the Aboriginal people there and they were my mother's mob."
Curator and researcher Delyna Baxter said the role of Indigenous people
on outback stations had sometimes been overlooked, but this was the
first "national" approach to preserve the history for future generations.
"But none of them would wear riding boots - they all rode bare-footed," he said.
"I think so - there have been other projects - I know the Canning Stock
Route project was based in Western Australia, on life on the Canning
Stock Route, but this exhibition looks at people's lives and contributions
across Australia, particularly the northern part of the country," she said.
Dan Crombie from Cluny Station near Bedourie, south-west of Longreach, and his sister Joyce are also in the display. Mr
Crombie is now in his late 70s but has lived all his life in the Channel Country, and was 13 when he started working with
cattle.
He said they were great horsemen.
"That's how I learnt to ride - well, we learnt to ride because we didn't have boots."
"Some of the people that I spoke to have already passed away, so those stories that we have at the hall are very valuable."
Ms Baxter said the display included a "wall of honour" and aimed to highlight the varied roles that Indigenous people
played throughout the nation's pastoral history.
"We worked together, it doesn't matter what colour you were - we pulled together and got on pretty good," he said.
"Without Aboriginal people, I don't believe it would have been quite as successful as it was," she said.
"I am so over the moon - it is one thing to be recognised, after so long not being recognised, but just to find out that it is in
the Hall of Fame, I am absolutely pleased that it is in there," she said.
"That knowledge of country, the knowledge of where the good grasses were, and where the waterholes were, and also - their
almost 'sixth sense' if you like, working with animals.
In coming issues of the Stockies news we will be featuring some of wonderful stories of those interviewed.
"Some of them I have heard stories of people who were able to count cattle as they were coming into the yard - they knew
which cow belonged to which calf, and they sort of knew bloodlines of cattle as well."
Ms Baxter said she travelled across the country to meet people in their home communities and to collect stories and
interviews as part of the research.
"I think officially there were about 200 people I interviewed on tape, but there were probably up to about 300 that I spoke
to unofficially in order to get stories, or get contact with other people," she said.
"Everybody was always very open to talking about their stories and some stories had a lot of hardship and a lot of
heartache.
"They were still willing to share that because they wanted their perspective - the Aboriginal perspective - of life on stations,
to be at the Hall of Fame, so people could get a feeling of what life was like for Aboriginal people on stations."
One of those on the Wall of Honour and part of the display is former stockmen and now renowned author and poet, Herb
Wharton, from Cunnamulla in south-west Queensland. Mr Wharton is an elder of the Kooma people, and in 2013 he was
also named a 'Queensland Great'. He was born in Cunnamulla and started his working life as a drover when he was 13.
"I have been working in the bush and in shearing sheds, in railways and with councils - but I always went back to the
station jobs," he said.
Joyce Crombie said she was delighted the stories of Indigenous people were now included in the hall's galleries.
Story by Chrissy Arthur, 11 Jun 2015, www.abc.net.au