AUSTRALIAN HUNTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 October 1944, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN HUNTING

KANGAROOS AND PIGS. SYDNEY^September 27. After a week of hunting kangaroos and wild pigs on western sheep stations in New South Wales, 50 American servicemen returned to Sydney

convinced that they had seen the “real Australia at last.” The hunt was arranged, despite the opposition of animal lovers, to show the Americans outback life and to help to eradicate kangaroos and pigs that had become pesxs on the stations. The Americans proved poor shots against the kangaroos, who were more curious of the American uniforms than of the servicemen’s markmanship. The Americans did better against the wild pigs, shooting more than 100. Using drums, rattles, whistles, and whips, 12 men on fast horses from nearby stations raced through swamps and drove .the pigs on to an 11,000acre paddock, across which the servicemen were stationed at regular intervals. The shooters stood behind trees for cover, and blazed away as the squealing pigs came straight at them.

The high light of the day was a display by 16-year-old Aubrey Cross, son of a Walgett grazier. He thrilled the visitors by galloping up to a pig, dismounting, jumping on its back, throwing it, and stabbing it through the heart. Cross performed the feat four times during the day. Torpedoman Bill Thompson, of the U.S. Navy, said: “If Cross ever makes a movie of his act, they’ll arrest half of Hollywood stars for obtaining money by false pretences. Boy, he’d just rock the States.”