RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 15

RANDOM REMINDER

FROM THE LAND

Wresting a living from the land and the Inland Revenue Department is a demanding exercise, but it has tfie benefit of bringing with it a homespun philosophy which is of inestimable benefit in times of crisis. There was a very simple example of this south of the Selwyn not long ago while shearing was in proBress. The farmer, about .30 a.m., was busy counting the number of sheep each shearer had shorn. He completed this task and then wished to move the sheep to another pen. To assist in this enterprise he called upon the services of his trusty dog, Tip.

When the word of command rang out, Tip was in the Shearing Shed. Three easy exits were available to Tip. But he chose to ignore them all, and chose a fourth, so eager was he to respond to his master. It was a considerable feat , in levitation. Tip, rather in the fashion of a vertical take-off plane, went straight up, it seemed, and in mid-air changed gears for forward flight and soared majestically through a window. It was highly unfortunate that this particular window was permanently closed. So Tip made a dramatic landing at his master’s feet, in a shower of broken glass. This presented the proud

owner with an unrivalled opportunity to recall his old-time skills as a drover, and for a moment.or two the air was blue with blasphemy. But then the aforementioned homespun philosophy came to.« his aid. He recalled, to the group of shed hands that when he was a boy. his father had told him he would have a ton of brains when he grew up because he never used them when young; and he felt that much the same situation applied to his dog. Which wagged its tail, clearly aware that it was the topic of conversation and, no doubt, planning its next trick.