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A Dogger's Life  Price: $22.00
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Autobiography of one of Australia's last dog and dingo trappers who worked over 30 lonely years in Outback Queensland. Ned had a lonely life, and his remarkable fondness for wild dogs was what led him to choose to work as a trapper because he knew he would be more humane than others would. A true insight into Outback living. ISBN 0-95781-820-3 There are few doggers remaining in Australia. This book tellsthe story of one of them. The setting is Outback Queensland, the lifestyle is hard and solitary, and conditions verge on impossible. Marauding feral dogs and dingoes continually attack livestock as well as native creatures, and in many respects the economy and livelihood of rural districts depends on the wild dog trapper's ability to limit the damage wrought by dogs going on killing sprees. Often the dogger is called in only after unsuccessful attempts to catch killer dogs have taught them to be more cunning than ever, making the dogger's tark even harder. Ned Wilson found many kinds of work - railway fettler, fencer,station hand, axeman, roo shooter - before deciding to become a dogger. For more than 35 years he trudged the Outback, tracking, trapping and matching cunning with wild dogs. His sensitivity toward these animals, his admiration for them and his insightful observations will surprise the reader. Ned's anecdotes and descriptions of life in the bush are a rich blend of humour and ability to cope with adversity, the essential spirit of the legendary Australian bushman. I've taken many a traveller into the Outback for a couple of weeks of soft adventure. Never have I taken someone who less needed me than Ned Wilson. Content with his own company, entirely self-sufficient, and on his first long social outing in something like 30 years I was concerned that he might become a loner and be left out of things. So I sat beside Ned at the campfire and began to chat with him. I very much doubt that anyone in the group of townsfolk would have been as stunned as I was by some of the things uttered by Ned. "Did you ever nearly run out of food or water?" I asked him. "Oh, once or twice," he replied, volunteering nothing more. "Tell me what you did about that," I inquired. "Well, I just watched the birds," came the unassuming reply. "Why did you watch the birds?" "Cos when you watch them you can tell if they're flying toward water or away from it," said Ned. As though everyone does this! "How can you tell, what is it that tells you that?" I pressed him. "I dunno, really, ya jist sort of get to know these things," he says in his laidback way. Never ruffled, eyes constantly scanning around him, picking landmarks, noticing unusual markings or plants, and unaware of his own skills, this uncanny bushman worked his way into the hearts of all those who met him. Here is the story I unashamedly begged him to tell. For a chap who left school early, writing this book has been a truly big effort. Many thanks go to those who helped us with photos of Ned's early days and who filled in the gaps we needed to know about. It became clear as the book emerged that many wished to ensure that this tale was told, and be part of its telling. At his 70th birthday people came thousands of kilometres, from far and wide to be with Ned. He is oblivious to the respect people have for him. So many wanted to share time with him. Ned is among the last of a group of Australian Outback icons, the lonely doggers who have been responsible for keeping alive the legendary canniness and talents of the Aussie bushman. His is a story which will touch the hearts of anyone who has known country living and the folk of the bush. I wish I had met him many years earlier. I'm glad you accepted the challenge to tell us about your life. I feel honoured to have made your acquaintance, Ned, mate. -- Lloyd Junor, Editor |
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