out to a shearing shed , and using a blanket , he taught me how to throw a fleece . I joined his team and he was a wonderful mentor for many years . He was a father figure to me , very kind . He taught me many things , and one night in a drunken frenzy I told him about my childhood and my bitterness towards it all . He gently advised me : " Don ’ t carry mistakes around with you . Instead , place then under your feet and use them as stepping stones to rise above them ."
Many years later , after we lost touch , out of the blue , a busted up old Holden car swung into the property where I live now , and out popped this old man . What a wonderful surprise . As he left again , he put his hand on my arm and said , “ You did well girl . Don ’ t ever forget those stepping stones .” That was the last time I saw him , although I am sure I feel him now and then tap me on the shoulder and say “ Ha girl , wake up and remember those stepping stones .”
After 12 months working the shearing sheds , I felt like a change . Sheep were the dumbest animals god ever put on this earth , so I travelled to Emerald , a thriving town in Central Queensland , hoping to get a job in the nearby mines . I nearly succeeded , until they found out my age - bummer . So I applied for a job as a demonstrator and instructor with a company that sold Case bulldozers . I went for the interview , but what a horrible arrogant man he was : “ What would a woman know – and a young one at that ?”
I was used to working in a man ’ s world ; I knew as a woman that I had to work harder , be better , to prove I was worthy of the job so I pestered this company time and again – and time and again I was given the cold shoulder .
They couldn ’ t understand why a young lady would want a job like this , and they could not fathom that I actually had the experience . Finally , I told the dealership personnel my motto : I am a girl with a mind A bitch with an attitude And a lady with class .
Soon I got a look-in due because the company was let down by someone they had just employed . He rang me to tell me he wanted to check out if I really could drive a dozer , so we drove out to the site . It was about the size of a D10 , which is a big machine , and he was trying to sell it to a mine company . ( By the way , I still didn ’ t have a drivers licence !)
I looked over the dozer , and oh my lord it was a brand new shift stick . I had never driven one of those but I was pretty confident all would be okay and there wouldn ’ t be a worry . He wanted me to do this and that ; dig a hole , give it a good workout etc . In two seconds I had it all worked out , thank god , as I was not going to let this dude beat me by saying I told you so .
He had driven us out to the site in his brand new burnt blue twin-cab hilux utility with all the bling on it , and I reckon he loved that twin-cab more than his missus .
I worked that dozer as he directed and when finished , I slowly drove it up to the back of his brand new car , lifted the blade up about 2 metres off the ground , shut the dozer down and told him to shove his dozer and his job up his ass ‘ cos I didn ’ t need arrogant pricks in my life , and there were plenty of other jobs around , and I started to walk the kilometre back to town .
To this day I have never seen another
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