Tommy Makes It Rich

Chapter 01

Happy New Year!

It was 1967 and I had just awoken to another boring day in my boring life on a dairy farm in South East Queensland in a place called Inglewood on Johnson Creek. It was the middle of the school holidays. What is a ten-year-old boy going to do? Of course the day would start the same as every other day on a dairy farm. After a cup of tea with mum I would go and get the cows.

"Can I have sugar on my bread?" I asked. Mum seemed a bit slow this morning maybe it was the late night last night. I know she didn't drink but there were a lot other people about last night that would have kept her up late. I was cool though, I went to bed at 7 o'clock, like always. I slept soundly through the festivities and it was now 5 AM and I was ready for anything the world had to offer. Not that there was much to offer on a dairy farm. Mum nodded and I fist pumped a "Yes!" and grabbed the coveted "top piece".

 Why it was called this is beyond me. It really should have been called the centrepiece because it was the first slice after a married loaf was parted. Why it was coveted is also a mystery to me, now looking back. After all it was smaller than the rest of the slices and the rounded part sloped away to give you even less bread. But whatever the reason my sister, Fran and I would fight tooth and nail to get it. But it was my job to get the cows, so Fran was still asleep. Mum had just started a new loaf so there was a top piece to be had and no one to fight for it. I liberally covered it with butter and sugar. Then with a cup of very milky tea, I took my time over eating the delectable sandwich.

"Come on, Thomas!" Mum said. "You haven't got all day. It is starting to get light out." She only ever called me Thomas when I was in trouble. So that meant it was time for action.

 "I'm coming. Er I mean, I'm going." I mumbled as I stuffed some more bread into my mouth. I gulped the rest of my tea and with the crust still in my hand, stepped out the front door.

"Come on, Blue!" I called to the dog as I headed for the back paddock. I gave Blue half the crust and I had the other half as we made our way in the dark searching for the cows. As I walked I wondered how I could fill in the day. I really wanted a horse and thought how easy the cows would be to round up if I had one. I could be a drover walking the cows along the stock route. I might be a cowboy with a six-gun protecting the wagon train from the Indians. Perhaps I could be in the Light Horse and we could do the charge of the Light Brigade at Beersheba. All these wonderful things could never happen to a boy from a dairy farm in a hick town like mine. But I had to fill the long boring days somehow.

It was still three weeks before school went back. Unlike most kids my age I hated school holidays. There was nothing to do at home but work. At school however there were lots of things to do to occupy my mind. The least of which was schoolwork, although I did enjoy schoolwork. I often came top of the class although last year my best mate, Alex had beaten me by one mark. I was looking forward to grade five and a chance to beat Alex.

But right now I had cows to get. Most of them had already started moving to the cow bails but there were always a couple who would wait at the very furthest point away. It was always the same few. Didn't matter how many times I called "Comard" which is some sort of a word that dad used. Something between "Come on" and "cow yard". For some reason when he did it they all seemed to come.

"Skitch'em, Blue!" I whispered. Blue shot off like a rocket. He raced up the hill and in behind the nearest cow and nipped at her heels.  She took off down the hill with Blue swinging on her tail.