History – A tale of three cattle

When The Albertlanders was being compiled in 1925, those original settlers who were still alive wrote down their memories of the early days. Some of their stories didn’t get included in the book, possibly due to lack of space, but still make interesting reading.

In one letter to Harold Marsh, Hovey Brookes, then in his 80s, asked if Thomas Inger Snr remembered buying three head of cattle from William Pettet at Port Albert. The one poll cow and two red and white heifers looked ‘splendid’ in the stockyards but were as wild as March hares. When the men entered the yards the cattle charged them. The animals had to be blindfolded and roped with two men to each beast to prevent them charging. The cattle were to go from Port Albert to Wharehine.

Hovey and his brother-in-law Sam White took charge of the poll cow. Sam led and Hovey held the cheek rope. Not long after setting off, the cow bolted in the stunted ti-tree. Even with the young men still holding onto the ropes, she got away some distance. Sam’s rope got tangled round his arm so he fell and got dragged through the scrub until they managed to pull her up.  Hovey thought Sam’s arm was broken the way he yelled, but it was only strained and rope-burned.

Even though the cattle were blindfolded they would lift up their heads to listen and when they heard a sound they charged. The cow kept charging until she tired and as Hovey says ‘we arrived home about sunset, as tired as the cow.’

He believed that Tom Inger and Ben Yates had the same trouble with their heifer which charged the whole way home, finally dropping dead by Minniesdale Chapel. He recalled that Mr Grant had the other heifer with William Armitage helping. That heifer also charged to the last, dropping dead about half-way. What a lot of effort for very little return. Hovey also recalled one of his cows getting away and being tangled up in the bush. The cow was always afterwards called ‘Ryneck’ after the position in which she was found. His letter concludes: “Such were the trials of the early settlers dealing with cattle with no roads and scarcely a track.”