Strikers Saved Life Of A Strike Breaker

Strikes are generally regarded as a luxury for city workers, but it was not always so. A strike-breaker was given short shrift in the outback once, but 'M.' in this real life story considers that their uncompromising treatment saved his life.

I once saw a vain attempt by a station manager and a bullocky to break a carriers' strike. It was an effort that certainly merited better results. At the time mentioned a new award for carriers had just been announced, but the bullockies and Afghans in a certain district in New South Wales refused to accept the rates set down in the new Award; both went on strike and vowed no wool would be taken from any station in the district unless the old and higher rates were paid.

At the station where I was spelling my horses word passed around that a bullocky was coming out to load under the terms of the new award, and as shearing was in progress at the time, shearers and shed hands vowed there'd be trouble if any station employe helped to load the wool. The station manager, however, realised that any man asked to load would refuse and ask for his time, so he decided to assist the bullocky himself.

In due course the bullocky and the manager loaded the waggon and all was set for the former to start off for the railway next morning, during the midday meal hour, when the station manager was away at lunch, the representative of the shearers had an interview with the bullocky and tried to persuade him to throw off the wool.

The bullocky refused and intimated that he was within his rights and intended to work under the new award. Just after sundown that evening the representative again approached the bullocky, but the latter was adamant and refused to heed the threats made by the representative.

For half an hour the bullocky was left in peace, but just as he prepared to turn in for the night he was disturbed by the tramp of many feet. Down to the waggon came the whole of the shearers and shed hands, and once again the representative asked the bullocky to unload. Unafraid of the show of strength the bullocky stuck to his guns and said he intended to leave in the morning with his load. At a word from the representative the mob made a charge for the waggon and in a few second wool bales were being rolled off the waggon.

Unable, of course, to do anything the bullocky stood by and watched his waggon unloaded, but he raised a voice in protest when his bows and yokes were picked up and carried away. But the protests of the bullocky were of no avail; the bows and yokes were taken away and thrown into the nearby lake.

On arriving at the shed next morning the manager was naturally furious, and told the bullocky that he would get police protection for him. But during the night the disconsolate bullocky must have thought matters over, and he told the manager he was afraid of having his waggon burnt if an attempt was made to load it again. Further persuasion made by the manager failed to move the bullocky, so the former had to accept defeat for the time being.

The bullocky, unable to move away without his bows and yokes, then approached the shed representative, saying he would pull out and not come back again until the strike was settled if he had his bows and yokes returned. As the lake was shallow the missing gear was restored that night, and next morning, to the cheers of shearers and shed hands the bullocky, who twenty-four hours previously was being called all the objectionable names imaginable, was giving a rousing send off.

Possibly events as they turned out were for the best, as some days later when passing on my way I came to where a crowd of Afghans and bullockies were encamped. They knew all about the attempted loading at the station, and one husky young bullocky told me that the attempted strike breaking bullocky would never have passed their camp alive; he said the Afghans had threatened to take drastic action when the bullocky arrived at the camp. If the looks of the 'Ghans counted for any thing, the arrival with his load would have been fatal for the bullocky.— 'M.'