During the year of 1985 I was employed on a central Western Queensland sheep station named Drumlion and at the time of this incident, shearing was in full swing. As we were mustering we saw heaps of razor back pigs, which thrived in the black soil channel country and along with that and the sense of humour of one shearer I found myself in a pretty sticky situation.
- "Yeah it's true," said Runner as he explained an unusual way to catch a pig, for a local abattoir payed about twenty cents a kilo for them. He went on, "If you are on a motorbike and you happen to have some wire with you, ride up beside a boar and kick the bastard in the balls, it will fall over, you can tie it up with the wire and then pick it up with the Ute later on!" I wasn't sure if I believed Runner or not but what he was telling me sunk in anyway, for who was I to argue? Then about three or four days later as we had the yards full of sheep, the boss Allan Strang allocated jobs for myself and Jeff, the other jackaroo so as to keep us busy. As it happened Jeff was to work around the homestead while I was sent off on the motorbike to fix some sagging wire on a failing fence line, using wire strainers, pliers and some spare wire.
- I had just arrived out at the fence in question and was riding along its length when in the next paddock I spotted a young boar. So with Runners instruction still fresh in my mind! I whipped the motorbike around to the cocky gate that divided the two paddocks and after the black razorback, I rapidly tore. It wasn't long before I was right alongside him and with my target in full view, I let go a firm kick and the impact that it had would have made any human physically spew! However this young boar that I reckon was easily more than half grown, didn't flinch, stop running or at all seem affected by the terrible blow. Not at all discouraged by my still dashing prey I once more rode alongside him, gave him an extra hard kick and this time one with a much better aim. But what happened next as a result of this strong knackering pound, I found myself, motorbike and all upside down and sprawled on the ground! Yes that last boot had upset the razorback pig so much so, that he put his head under the bike and through the air! The bike and I was soon being thrown. Just as quickly as I had hit the dirt I was back up on my feet and standing three metres away looking at me with disgust was the razor back pig, with tusks about three inches long poking out of the sides of his pudgy little beak. Standing alone out there in the field we eyed each other in a drawn out awkward time then, he lowered his head, charged me full on and as I jumped up in the air and crashed down on his head, I think that I caught myself swearing blind. Then knowing full well of the danger I was in I got straight to my feet and started to run, to the fence line that was a hundred metres away! And as he chased me I could sense those tusks ripping their damage, as I still can today! In the days when I was of that young age I could run bloody quick especially when being chased across a paddock by a really angry pig. Although I could run in a way that some during my life have said fast, as I raced along I was silently praying for the boar to go past. However I was never going to be that lucky that day so I continued to run and I continued to pray! I reckon that if the men from the Olympics had been watching that run they would have said something like "Why don't we just sign him up for fun?" Because before I knew it I was in a huge, headlong dive up and over the fence without even breaking my stride. Then as I thumped on the dirt and rolled to see where he was, I could hardly believe my eyes! For when I jumped on his head and had gotten up for the sprint so did he, in the opposite direction! And he was at that precise moment disappearing over a nearby rise. So there I was out in a paddock on a forty thousand acre farm smiling and thanking my lucky stars that I had come to no harm. As I fixed the fence that I had come out to mend I planned a story for Runner and although I didn't know what, whatever it was that funny shearer named runner would hopefully be a goner!
