Droving cattle in Walter Smith’s younger years, which involved some cattle theft or cattle duffing…

Drovers walked cattle long distances in the days before trucks, to get them to market, or to a railhead, or move them to a new property, or to where there was grass to eat in times of drought. Each drover had a plant, which was the assets or equipment required. The standard team to move 1,200 cattle was seven men: the boss drover, four stockmen, a cook and a horse-tailer who looked after the horses.

The author writes:

One day Fred Klau, who had taken over Joe Harding’s interest in the Arltunga butcher shop, received a note from his brother in Cloncurry, Queensland. He would take as many cattle as Fred could arrange to be droved over, for Cloncurry was a boom mining town and fresh meat sold well. Fred got together a plant – the waggon for the saddles, bridles, other equipment and tucker [food], and the horses – and Billy Colter was appointed boss drover. Bronco Billy Smith, Alec Paterson, the Aboriginal stockman Waggon Bob and Walter were the other drovers. They purchased 150 head from Lake Nash and “lifted” a further 200 cattle along the way…

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