Afleveringen
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On July 25, 2024, a tragic helicopter mustering accident claimed the lives of Peter Ritter and Gavin UâRen.
It was a privilege it was to not just know them and work alongside them, but call them mates.
Gav, Ritter â you two were bloody good blokes, and funny buggers. The absence of youâre presence will be felt immensely, but I have no doubt you will live on through our memories, which will be traded over cold beers, and around campfires for years to come.
Since getting the call about the accident, Iâve started listening to this episode a couple of times, but I couldnât bring myself to finish it until today. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to record this conversation. It was such a privilege to hear all of Ritters yarns, told in true Ritter style â the ones that made it into this episode, and the ones we thought best to keep off-air.
Anyway thatâs enough from me, Iâm going to pass it over to you now Ritter â you always did spin a good yarn.
This episode was recorded in January 2022, and originally published in March 2022.
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Welcome back to our fourth episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. When we last left Garry, he had just wrapped up his time in the stock camp at Blina Station. But the end of one chapter marked the beginning of another. Garry found himself working in mining exploration, and trust us, the adventures only got wilder from there.
In this episode, Garry takes us through another round of jaw-dropping stories from teaming up with a Dutch mercenary to the unexpected experience of accidentally smoking weed and being abandoned out bush. And if thatâs not enough, he recounts the harrowing day he survived both a helicopter crash and a light aircraft engine failure.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Welcome back to our third episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. In his first two episodes, Garry shared tales from his adventurous childhood, filled with close calls involving snakes, motorbikes, horses, motorcars, deadly fevers, UFOs, and even circus lions!
In this episode, we pick up right where we left offâat Calwynyardah Station in the West Kimberley. True to form, Garry has no shortage of unbelievable tales from this chapter of his life. From mishaps during cattle musters resulting in rear-end injuries to ghostly encounters, moonlit cattle musters, and catching his first wild scrub bull, gready for another round of extraordinary adventures with Garry.
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When Munro Hardy said he wanted to be a pilot, his year 11 careers advisor shut down the idea pretty quickly. So, Munro filed the idea in the back of his mind and started thinking about other options. Once he finished school, he set off on a gap year that would turn into the adventure of a lifetime, as he spent the next decade trying his hand at various roles in agriculture, mining and tourism.
But, the dream of being a pilot was always there, lingering in back of his mind. And each time he saw helicopters used for mustering cattle, the dream got a little bigger.
In the fourth and final part of our chat with Munro, he shares the story of how he finally got his pilots licence - or, as he says, a license to learn - and fulfilled his dream of flying choppers on cattle stations throughout the top end.
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One moment can change your entire life.
Ashley Dowden learnt that lesson at age 11, when he survived an accident that claimed his mothers life and left his father with one arm.
Ashleyâs childhood was cut short as he stepped up to support his father in running the family sheep station.
In the 4 decades since, Ashley has continued to face his share of challenges, but his commitment to the family property has never wavered.
In this episode Ashley shares parts of his journey, and we explore how his deep love of the land he calls home has allowed him to not just persevere through the hard times, but build a life full of joy and love.
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The first year out of school is equally exciting and terrifying â youâre considered an adult by society, and with that comes both freedoms and responsibilities.
With her high school experience not being the best, and her first job on a station getting off to a rocky start, Pip Bain felt like she had finally found her feet only to learn that her mother had passed away by suicide.
The profound loss of her mother was only amplified by the shock, as Pip learnt she had been sheltered from her motherâs mental health struggles.
In this episode Pip shares her story of how the next decade of her life would be shaped by losing her mother, and how it led her to take the long away around to find her place in this world.
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The time we spend with people and places doesnât determine the impact they can have on our lives.
That is so very true for todays guest, Pip Bain. Although her family sold Mt Clere Station when she was just 8 years old, those 8 short years shaped Pips life and love of the land. The same goes for her mother, who passed when Pip was just 18 years old.
In this episode, Pip recalls memories of her time at Mt Clere and how she found her way back to the land. She also speaks candidly about losing her mother through suicide and how it influenced her views on mental health.
For our long term listeners, if any of this sounds familiar, that is because this episode was recorded and published in 2020 when the podcast was fairly new. Pips story is so compelling that I thought it deserved a second run. Be sure to tune in next week for a follow up episode with Pip.
If you are experiencing depression or are suicidal, or know someone who is, help is available. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 Lifeline: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.com.au Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 www.beyondblue.org.au/ Mindspot: 1800 61 44 34 http://mindspot.org.au/ Menâs Shed: www.mensheds.org.au
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Nick Ormsby has flipped the script on what it means to be a "high school dropout". Despite leaving school at just 14 and having his teachers tell him he'd never make it, Nick's proved them dead wrong.
Now, before he's even hit 40, Nick's running the show with not one, not two, but three companies in horticulture, agriculture, and forestry up in the Northern Territory.
But Nick's journey hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. In this episode, he's taking us back to where it all began. We're talking about the setbacks, the challenges and the opportunities he's had along the way.
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Paddy Heatley had a fairly unconventional childhood. By the time he left home at the age of 9, heâd already dropped out of school â foregoing learning to read and write. At the age of 12, he was smuggling tobacco, alcohol and cattle from South to North Ireland. And, at the age of 16, with his motherâs signature forged, he climbed aboard a ship bound for Australia.
In this episode, Paddy shareâs yarns for his early days in Ireland, and his first few years in Australia. He speaks about meeting his future bride, the time he was almost charged with attempted murder, his day working with, and sometimes walking on, crocodiles, to settling in the Northern Territory as a cattle truck driver. Paddy sure has lived life to the fullest. As you can imagine, there was no way we could fit his whole story into one episode, so keep your ears out for more in the coming months.
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From the outside looking in, Tammy Kruckow was living her best life. She and her husband were managing a large cattle station for a corporate pastoral company â the perfect place to raise their three beautiful daughters. She had, as she puts it, "ticked all the boxes".
But, behind closed doors, things werenât all as they seemed.
In this episode, Tammy shares her story of coming to the Territory as a shy jillaroo, to becoming a completely different person â the person she thought she had to be not just to fit in, but to progress in her career.
She is incredibly candid about the impact it had on her life, and those around her. Tammy also shares how it all came to a head, and how she changed her life.
There were many hard lessons she learnt along the way, and she does not hold back in this episode.
Tammy and her team at Top End Leadership are dedicated to 'Setting Leaders and Teams in Agriculture up for Success.' We do this through customised face-to-face and online workshops, self-paced online programs, while offering tailored mentoring and coaching services. With our focus on practical leadership and communication skills across the three key areas of LeadingâSelf, Others, and Teamsâwe equip Leaders with the tools to build their confidence in being the leader that they aspire to be, enabling them to build high-functioning teams. Learn more at https://topendleadership.com/
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In this episode, Steph travels to the centre of South Australia to Billa Kalina Station, which has been in the Greenfield family since 1938.
Pastoralist Col Greenfield shares what it's like running a cattle station that is inside the Woomera Prohibited Area, and outside the dog fence.
*This episode was first released in 2021
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Felicity Brown is a milliner whose work has been featured at New York Fashion Week not once, but three times.
Twenty years before the bright lights of the big apple called her name, Flic was working in a stock camp in the Northern Territory.
In this episode Flic reflects on her time working on cattle stations, even though it was never a part of her plan...
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Wayne Bean spent his adult life working towards one goal - managing a cattle station. So, when he resigned from his job as the manager at Flora Valley Station after 14 years, for the first time in his life, he didnât have a plan.
This episode is the third and final part of our chat with Wayne, where he discusses how he navigated his first major career change at the age of 42.
And, as many listeners have been patiently waiting for, we also discuss Wayneâs journey to becoming an accomplished horseman and campdraft competitor. From a time when he almost walked away from the sport, to how he approaches the mental side of competition, and his future goals, there is something we can all learn from Wayne in this episode.
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This episode is part 2 of our chat with Wayne Bean â if you havenât listened to Part 1, you know the drill, go on, go back and listen to it first.
In this episode Wayne recalls the 18 years he spent working for Heytesbury Pastoral, where he progressed from an overseer on the Barkly, to junior manager in the Victoria River District, and finally, his goal of senior manager in the Kimberley.
Throughout those years he saw the end of BTEC, gained his pilots licence, and had a front row seat to the positive changes the Heytesbury Pastoral boss, Janet Holmes Ă Court, put in place â not least of all the introduction of paid positions for managers wives.
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For the longest time, Wayne Bean just wanted to get ahead. To achieve his career goal of managing a cattle station, to have his own land, and the time to pursue his passion for horses.
And, spoiler alert, he has, by all definitions, gotten ahead. After two decades of managing stations for Heytesbury Pastoral, these days he spends his time on his own property, breeding and training horses for the sport of campdrafting, (of which he is a formidable competitor).
So, when you see him, itâs easy to focus on the flash horse trailer, beautiful horses, and impressive scores in the campdraft arena.
What you donât see is the 30 plus years of hard work, patience and sacrifice Wayne has put in alongside his wife, Rachel, to get to where he is today.
This episode is Part 1 of our chat with Wayne â where he shares stories from the early years of being a stockman with a young family, just trying to get ahead in life.
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This is Part 2 of our chat with Willie Cook. If you havenât listened to Part 1, go back and listen to it first â trust me â you donât want to listen to these episodes back to front â and yes, I know some of you do thatâŠ
In this episode, Willie shares what it was really like being filmed for the tv series Outback Ringer, and what he thought about the final product.
He also speaks candidly about the challenges he faced in 2023, and how its impacted his plans for 2024.
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Willie Cook is known for being the bull-catching, helicopter-flying Kiwi from the ABC tv series âOutback Ringerâ.
He first came on the podcast in 2022, when he shared the incredible story of how the 2008 Global Financial Crisis saw his family lose absolutely everything they had, resulting in moving to Australia for a fresh start.
I caught up with Willie in late 2023, and we yarned for so long that I had to split our chat into 2 parts.
In this part, Willie gives us a lesson on catching wild bulls and water buffalo â the logistics, the technique and the psychology involved
In Part 2, Willies shares stories from his time being filmed for the television series âOutback Ringerâ. He also speaks candidly about the challenges he faced in 2023, and what heâs got planned for 2024.
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Bill Tapp wanted to be the next Cattle King of Australia, and for a time he was.
In this episode, Toni Tapp Coutts shares the story of a man who was a pioneer, a visionary, a dreamer. A man who turned Killarney Station from a bare block to one of several thriving cattle properties.
But, as his empire grew, so did Billâs battle with alcoholism. While the empire he worked so hard to build would eventually crumble, his legacy remains strong.
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Caroline Ashby is one of Australiaâs toughest athletes.
Sheâs completed 10 Ironman triatholan events, qualifying for the World Championships 4 times, and been ranked in the top 1% of Ironman athletes across the world several times.
Caroline has accomplished all of this while raising a family on a livestock and cropping farm in Western Australia â far from any traditional training facilities.
Her training regime consists of swimming laps in a dam, riding her bike alongside roadtrains, and literally running around the farms gravel tracks.
And this isnât a story about an athlete who grew up in the city and moved to the country for love â Caroline was raised on a sheep and cattle station 3 hours from Broken Hill, with no regular access to sports lessons or facilities.
So, how did this bush kid fall in love with athletics? And, what motivated her to pursue it at the highest level when she was living in the middle of nowhere?
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Born and raised in the Northern Territory, Toni Tapp Coutts has had a varied career, from working on cattle stations, to owning a variety store in Borroloola, a dress boutique in Katherine, being a Town Councillor, CEO, Author, and most recently becoming a Real Estate agent. Not to mention, she fought breast cancer and won.
As youâll hear in this episode, Toni is a strong, resilient, Territory woman.
Sheâs also written 2 best selling memoirs; one about her childhood on Killarney Station, and the other about the years she and her husband managed MacArthur River Station in the Gulf.
Think of this episode as just scratching the surface on the mountain of amazing stories Toni has to tell, all of which you can find in her books.
Sheâs agreed to come back on the show for a few more episodes, so keep your ears out for them.
This episode was recorded a few days before Christmas 2023, so we started off with a Christmas storyâŠ
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