The Buderim Foundation Drovers Evening with special guest former NT government minister and Aussie drover Roger Steel was a huge success with a sell out crowd of 200 guests.
Honourable Roger Steele, OAM, shared fascinating tales of his droving days in the Northern Territory and Queensland. He started work at Humbert River Station as a 13 year old and spent 17 years in the cattle industry in various jobs, from ringer, camp cook, stockman and station manager.
He shared tales of the challenges of mustering sometimes thousands of cattle through harsh terrain, dealing with a cattle rush, the role of horses and the value of Aboriginal stockmen. He went on to manage a life insurance company, to represent Territorians as a member of the NT Parliament, to manage the NT Expo in Brisbane and to take on the role of CEO of the Stockmans’ Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre in Longreach, and said he considered his time in the outback as the most memorable and fulfilling of his life.
Guests served “outback” style food such as pies, pickled onions, gherkins, cheeses, damper and cake.
The stage set up as an outback station, with hay bales, campfire, gum leaves, saddle, jeans, RM Williams boots, whip and drizabone.
There were two Stockman’s Bars sold beer, wine, rum and whiskey and raffles included a first prize of a piece of wagyu beef.
- Drover function – photo by Ross Eason
- Roger Steele on stage- photo by Ross Eason
- Roger Steele and Rod McKinnon- photo by Ross Eason
- Roger Steele- photo by Ross Eason
- Clive and Jeanine Catton – photo by Ross Eason
- Jan Jackson, Helen Milne, Mike Milne, Ian Jackson – photo by Ross Eason
- John and Jane Kruger- photo by Ross Eason
- John Devers, Susan Miller, Ross and Susan Roberts, John and Gay Jackson- photo by Ross Eason
- Nyletta Pascoe, Margaret Johnson, Antony and Sally Coates, Russell Johnson- photo by Ross Eason
- Peter Murray, Damien Wallis, Jacqui Murray, Lynne Wallis- photo by Ross Eason
- Ranald and Rachel Noble- photo by Ross Eason
- Ken O’Flaherty- photo by Ross Eason