High country musterers — hardy but vanishing species

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 16

High country musterers — hardy but vanishing species

When the South Island high country was first stocked with sheep, Scottish shepherds, who had immigrated to New Zealand were in demand to look after the sheep. The shepherds attended their flocks during the day and at night confined them in a yard or a natural pen, such as a steep-sided gully. Dogs were tied at the entance to prevent the sheep escaping. This type of shepherding was similar to the methods used in Scotland.

required to carry food boxes and swag rolls with a total weight of 110 kg. Half Clydesdales were ideal weight carriers and quiet to handle and heavier horses were found to be necessary for crossing rivers. Mules, a cross between a horse and a donkey, were very foot-sure and had hard hooves not requiring shoeing. Tea billy

was necessary. The action was similar to that of a canoe paddle with the pole being leaned on and forced into the upper side of the hill; when the user slipped, a fall was countered by this method. Dogs

Camps using tents were portable and as stock numbers increased huts were built of boulders and snow grass thatch for the roof. Bush poles and corrugated iron later protected shepherds from the ravages of high altitude weather. As the sheep population in the high country grew, land occupiers burnt large areas of rank snow grass cover to allow stock more freedom of movement. The resulting fresh regrowth was particularly attractive to the sheep and they did well. At this stage, fencing to prevent stock from wandering from one property to another was being constructed. Initially these fences held sheep near the homestead and were later extended to natural boundaries. Further increases of stock resulted from stocking the higher altitude rougher country up to 2440 m and this was the period (186070s) that the true high country musterer became an essential tool in the management of the rugged range lands. These musterers were basically the same shepherds employed earlier. Most started work on the stations as cowboy paddock shepherds, learning to train dogs and do all basic station work. Usually enough experience was gained in two years to take a place in a mustering gang, where they were allocated the easier beats between experienced men.

The average team of six dogs included three huntaways. These dogs hunt the stock ahead of them by barking. Two heading dogs, usually a reliable older dog fully broken in and a younger dog, capable of closer on-hand runs to save the older dog, bring the sheep towards the musterer, and a versatile dog, one that can head and hunt under direction, called a handy dog, completed the team. Stories of long hunts by huntaways in excess of a mile are common, and a mile and a half head by a heading dog puts that dog in a class above average. But the handy dog perhaps commands attention more than the straight-bred. A handy dog is a cross between a huntaway and a heading dog and if a reasonable balance is achieved you have a highly intelligent dog. In my experience if 25 per cent of the litter of this cross turn out good you are winning. Without detracting from some amazing feats of straight-bred dogs, a top handy dog can perform incredible tasks against formidable odds. Sheep Merino sheep, which was the breed most commonly used for the higher altitude, ranged to the highest vegetation and grazed in small mobs amongst the bluffs and high facings. The skills needed to muster these sheep included the use of highly trained dogs able to obey commands instantly and for the musterer, the agility of a goat and ability of an alpinist. Snow raking During autumn through to spring, sheep grazing at high altitude can quite easily become caught in deep snow. The musterer was required to snow rake the sheep out to clear ground, and it was a very hard job. Sheep have a lot of difficulty moving in snow 500 mm deep before the crust has frozen. Once a frozen surface or crust is formed it is impossible for sheep to break-out, but if the frozen surface can hold the weight of a sheep it is easy travelling. Unfortunately snows usually come at the time of year when little thawing takes place immediately and the stock have to be moved as soon as possible. Hence the need for snow raking. This involves tramping a track towards a mob of stranded sheep, using a dragging walking action rather than high stepping. A team of three is an ideal number, the men following the leader place their feet in between the previous boot tracks and after the last man has passed a reasonable track for sheep to travel has been formed.

The tea billy, while rarely used now, was usually a jam or fruit tin with a piece of light dog chain for a handle. After building a fire, the billy filled with water would be suspended over the flame using a hill pole. Many years ago a commercial tea billy was available, capable of holding approximately half a litre of water and it had a lid which could be used as a pankin. Hill bag

The musterer’s hill bag was another essential part of his equipment. Any light pack could be used. Some made of canvas had the advantage of keeping the contents dry, but many musterers used a sugar bag made of hessian which could be carried close to the back.

The hill bag was used to carry lunch, a spare pair of socks and a parka. Many high shingle basins have no water for man or beast, so a bottle of water was also welcomed by exhausted dogs. Musterers learnt at an early stage in the hot dry country to discipline themselves against drinking too much water no matter how hot and parched they were because it could be a fatal mistake. Too much water can induce stomach cramp and at 2000 m and many miles from help this could be serious. Boots

Many of the huts built for the early shepherds were used to accommodate the musterers and tents were also used. An average of six men per gang was common and with this number a cook was necessary. A packman, usually quite a character, cooked meals and made bread, in a camp oven. Camp oven The camp oven was a cast iron pot swung by its handle on a hook above the open fire. They came in several sizes — the average capacity was 2 gallons (10 litres) — and were used for cooking scones, roasting meat and making bread and stews.

Leather boots with hob nails in the soles were commonly used by musterers until the mid 19505. Heel plates were essential to give extra grip on grassy slopes and in icy conditions.

I was the first high country musterer to have a pair of made-to-measure Pannells boots with build-in instep straps and rubber commando soles. The instep straps had an advantage particularly when the boots become wet; one could pull the instep strap up another hole and keep the boot tight, preventing the foot from rolling and resulting in blistered feet Clothing

Food was basically a meat diet, chops for breakfast, cold meat sandwiches for lunches, a roast leg or stews at night, fresh vegetables while they lasted and then tinned peas, onions and potatoes. The packman also needed to be an expert at handling packhorses. These carried a specially constructed saddle enabling food boxes and bed rolls to be strapped on them. Many horses were

Woollen under garments and trousers were desirable especially during spring and autumn but with lighter insulating clothing now available, it has become much easier to carry warm clothing. It was advisable to carry protective clothing even during the warmest of weather because a storm could spring up at any time. Hill pole

The musterer’s hill stick, a manuka pole usually 2m long and capable of holding the body weight of the user, was an essential part of his equipment. When sidling steep country a firm grip on the upper-most end of the pole with one hand, palm up, and an equally firm grip, palm down, two-thirds along the length of the pole

Once the sheep are reached, a strong sheep is started on the track and the sheep are coaxed along it. When the lead sheep tires, others are moved out front and eventually the mob is guided on to clear country. In steep country a real danger is avalanches. The

The South Island high country has a sense of mystique for townspeople who enjoy visiting the isolated areas for tramping, shooting and skiing. But according to lAN MAXWELL, of Rata Peaks station, Rangitata Gorge, few city people would be prepared to endure the hardships that came with life in the high country until recently. In this article he reminisces about life as a musterer, a way of life now mostly gone with improved communications and transport.

stories of snow raking are many and the endurance and stamina of man and beast almost unbelievable.

On Lilybank, after the April snow in 1963, a team of snow rakers spent 15 hours tramping a mob of 400 wethers out of a high basin. Nowdays helicopters and bulldozers have made access much easier but hard physical work has no replacement on the steep high country. Heavy falls, in August 1973, left depths of 2m over large areas of Canterbury and thousands of sheep and cattle perished. I have lifted sheep, still quite active, out of snow caves six weeks from the time of the fall and they have walked away. These sheep were completely roofed over and living on snow grass. Less fortunate sheep, which are held tight, chew the wool off each other or themselves and once this happens their digestive system becomes blocked up and they usually die. Shifting stock It was not until the mid 1950 s that the truck transporting of surplus stock to annual autumn sales became common practice. Musterers became drovers during this period and many big drives were undertaken to sale yards, rail heads and properties of the purchaser. As late as 1958 a mob of sheep was driven from Tekapo into the Central Otago area. Many stations wintered their hoggets on down country properties. These had to be driven and usually the drover was a musterer who quite often tended the sheep during the winter and then drove them back to the station in the spring. Others found work boundary keeping sheep on winter blocks. This meant being alone and keeping the stock hunted down below the average winter snow level. Recent intensification of fencing has eliminated this job, but on some properties periodic hunting down is still carried out as well as hunting sheep up to follow the receding snow during early spring. Changing scene Since the mid 19605, the traditional musterer has gradually, but steadily, been phased out. The closing down of high altitude range lands has resulted in millions of acres being destocked. Bulldozed access tracks enable vehicles to be

driven into the furthest corners so that much of the mustering can be done from the homestead. The use of helicopters has also substantially reduced man days on the higher altitude country.

Sub-division has effectively reduced the necessity for extra musterers and the traditional musterer is becoming more of a shepherd, similar to the very early days. But although the role of musterer tramping the high tops has changed, stockwork is no less important. Stock numbers have increased necessitating much more handling of mobs and associated drenching, foot care and husbandry and a broader over-all working knowledge of machinery. In changing times and associated technology we must go forward and I have no doubt the young men accepting the challenge of high country farming are more than equipped to handle that challenge. But for myself, I will savour those days of isolation; the clanging of billies as the packie prepares breakfast; the coaxing of foot-sore dogs to greater effort; the sheer guts displayed to catch the wily wethers heading to freedom over a high saddle; the unspoken companionship of men tolerating each other in a small corrugated iron hut; the friendly banter when a dog runs out of control and also the praise for a good run; and the competition of a climb out and a race to the top. w Women

The role that women have played in the development of the high country has been no less than the contribution of men. In fact, their tasks have been more demanding. Until recent years, little has been written to indicate the major role that women have played; from bearing the future generations to the teaching of correspondence lessons and the mundane tasks of cooking for station staff. They had to put up with extreme hardships during the winter, ranging from a frozen water supply for months on end, melting snow for water, to the washing of clothes and having them freeze solid within minutes of hanging on the line and a freak wind breaking frozen sheets in two.

Other tasks included milking the house cow, making butter, ensuring adequate supplies of food were on hand in case of weeks of isolation, attending the injured at the time of an accident; putting up with male company for months on end without seeing another member of the female sex, assisting with stock work and above all being a companion and good listener to a troubled husband.