Chapter 1

Richard’s “roomie” was Ferd Miller. He was from Lamorbey, a station near Alpha, a town of under 400 between Emerald and Longreach, in the Shire of Jericho, nearly a thousand kilometers to the northwest. “We’re north of the Capricorn,” Ferd had told him, “an’ south of Isaac. Water comes from the Native Companion Creek, part o’ the Belyando system.” [The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Belyando River are the Wakelbura people, including the smaller Auanbura, Dorobura, and Metherabura clans. ]

An Early Residence (c. 1900) (Bldg 8258) is located along Services Road in the northeast sector of the Farm Square precinct, near the Shearing Shed and Wool Classing Shed. It is timber-framed and clad, and is high-set on concrete stumps. It has a half-gabled bungalow-style roof, with the roof of the core extending down over verandahs on the front and rear elevations and wrapping around the sides. The gable ends have weatherboard in-fill beneath wide eaves, decorative timber slats in front of the weatherboards, and tapered and shaped timber bargeboards. The verandahs are enclosed with weatherboards to sill height and a mix of multi-paned timber casement windows (on the western side and part of the front (north) elevation) and later metal-framed windows. There is an early, one-roomed wing with a hipped roof, on the eastern side of the rear (south) elevation. There is also a later (c. 1940s) gable-roofed extension attached to the western side of the rear elevation. This is clad externally in chamferboards and has a corrugated metal roof. The house sits within an open, grassed and fenced yard. A number of mature trees just outside the front and eastern fences contribute significantly to its aesthetic setting.

Two weekends into the year, they got into trouble.

They’d taken a bus into town and made their way to a local hangout with a less-than-stellar reputation and several girls in tight shirts and loose skirts. Ferd said they were “available prozzies.” Richard wasn’t sure. His contacts with the opposite sex had been with his sister’s (willing) fellow students at St. Hilda’s. Less brazen yet better-educated. Several of these girls were far darker than the schoolgirls. Ferd told him that “dark meat is sweet.”

“Got an hour or two?” Ferd asked one.

“More like a minute or two for you, boy-o!” was the response.

“Got a timer?”

“Got the courage?”

“How much?”

“Ten shillings.”

“Deal. Her too?”

“Pound.”

“You in, Richard?”

“You bet!”

Indoors there wasn’t much. Two mattresses on the floor, a chair and a set of drawers. The girls tossed their shirts and skirts on the floor. Neither was wearing underclothes nor shoes. The boys kicked off their shoes and shed their clothing.

Ferd grabbed one and pushed her to the floor. She understood and began pleasuring him orally. Richard waved at the bed and the second girl just lay down and spread her legs. He got right on top. A minute later, Ferd was on the other mattress with his girl on top.

Richard’s date said, “if you wan’ her ass, now’s the time.” “You first,” he responded. And later: “Clean me off.” She did.

“Wanna switch?” Ferd asked.

“Sure.”

So they did. Ferd’s girl got on top of Richard and leaned forward so Richard could tongue a long nipple. Ferd positioned himself and thrust into her other hole. Richard could feel Ferd’s penis. It took a few minutes before Richard came again and then Ferd released. The prozzie yelped and cried “pull out!” and Ferd did. The other girl got down and slurped the drippy arse. The girl rolled off Richard and took his deflated member in her mouth, then rolled the rest of the way and offered herself, legs akimbo. Richard realized that Ferd was already dressing and pulled on his shorts and pants, the prozzies were doing each other in a frenzy.

The boys finished up and Richard took out a pound note.

“Hold it,” Ferd said, handing Richard a crown. “Extra for the show.” They went to the door.

“Here’s a pound and a crown, ladies,” Ferd said. “Pleasure doing your business.” He put the money on the chair seat.

Not five minutes later, they encountered the lecturer on bovine anatomy.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

“Good afternoon, sir,” Richard said. Ferd mumbled something.

“Exploring this part of town?”

“Uh ... yessir.”

“You might teach Mr. Miller how to button his shirt correctly. And I believe you’ve each got one of the other’s stockings, Hollister. You might straighten up a bit prior to returning to the College.”

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”

“And I hope you haven’t caught anything.”

“Oh. Yes sir.”

After federation, criminal law was left in the hands of the states. But criminal law relating to prostitution only dates from around 1910. These laws did not make the act of prostitution illegal but did criminalize many activities related to prostitution. These laws were based on UK laws passed between 1860 and 1885, and related to soliciting, age restrictions, brothel keeping, and leasing accommodation.

Happily, neither of them did catch anything.

The Agricultural College had ten days off in April, from the Thursday before Easter till the Monday after ANZAC Day. Not really long enough to travel to Alpha and back, but more than enough to get to Southport. So, after clearing it with Sybil, Richard invited Ferd to the coast.

Cat, as she was called, was 16, but Ferd knew enough to recognize that she was out of bounds. But on Saturday morning the Hollisters were invaded by four gorgeous gigglers. Well, perhaps not all strictly gorgeous, but all scrubbed, kempt, healthy, and (most important) each with a pair of unfettered breasts. Richard and Ferd were in bliss when it was decided that all seven of them would go to TSS Aquatics to swim – an alien activity to Ferd, as Alpha was 500 kilometers west of Rockhampton and even further south of Townsville.

Richard, Cat and two of the girls swam while Ferd sat on the verge, a preening girl on each side, a lower cheek on each hand.

The next day was Easter. Sybil asked: “Do your folks go to church?”

“Not much.”

“Cat and I have to at St. Hilda’s. But we rarely do at Easter. But I make lamb roast.”

“We eat lamb and beef at home. Sometimes a chook that ain’t layin’.”

“Is yours a big station?”

“Not too. Nothin’ like Anna Creek [Anna Creek in South Australia is about 6,000,000 acres – bigger than Belgium]. Maybe 50,000 acres. My dad bought the lease from a bloke named Ross. He’d near cut his leg off with an axe and a coupla years later moved to Emerald.” [The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton) reported: “Mr. W. Ross, of Lamorbey, when using an axe recently cut his leg severely, necessitating the insertion of 17 stitches.” (13 April 1933)]

Cat looked at him. “Is it a hard life?”

“I don’t know. Two months at College and I think I’m fat and lazy. No real chores to do. No fencin’, no brush clearin’, just readin’ an’ sittin’ and observin’.”

“You actually work hard!” Richard said. “I’ve seen you in the lab and reading the textbooks and working problems.”

“That’s hardly work.”

“Well, what about me?” asked Andy. “I teach the boys maths and watch them row. Am I working?”

“Course you are! But I’m useta gettin’ up by six and doin’ somethin’ afore brekker an’ then doin’ the distance learnin’ and goin’ out to work after lunch.”

“‘Distance learning’?” asked Cat.

“The school in Alpha only goes to grade 10. So I got lessons sent and near every mornin’ I’d sit by the shortwave an’ talk it over with a bloke in Brisbane.”

“And that’s effective?” asked Andy.

“It depends. I wanted to get into the College. I don’t want to spend my life musterin’ or earmarkin’. What you might call bein’ a jackeroo.”

“Wouldn’t you use ‘jackeroo’?” Sybil asked from the kitchen.

“Nah. Jackeroos are snots that work fer a coupla months and then go back to their city lives. Jilleroos are worse. They just want the outdoorsy thrill.”

“Like Cat’s friends yesterday?” asked Richard.

“Yep. They weren’t really innerested in me. I was just the strange meat. But a bit scary, too.”