TAROOM TALES Yarns from Back in the Day

Vi Hay, a Taroom local for more than 90 years, grew up on Bradley Farm near Kinnoul Station. She married my great uncle Bill Hay (of the "Palm Tree" Hay family) and spent more than 47 years living at Bedourie Station. Part 1 of "Always a Bush Girl" covers the early years growing up in the Taroom bush with 6 siblings, through the war years, and her move to Bedourie. In the beginning, it was more th...

Ep5 Part 2 of conversations with Laurie Pointing covers events and characters from the 7 years he worked on a host of cattle stations in Taroom, arriving as a 15-year-old before leaving to join the police force as a 21-year-old. In the 1954 floods Laurie witnessed the tragic drowning of a stockman friend, shortly after living through the destruction of Broadmere homestead by fire. Bob McCorry...

Episode 4 - Part 1 (July 2024) "Top Riders, Fires and Fatalities" 88 year old Laurie Pointing was a ringer in Taroom for 7 years from 1952 to 1958 , working on multiple stations such as Nunbank, Gwambegwine, Ghinghinda, Broadmere, Glenhaughton, and The Bend. Laurie was the first of many Ipswich lads to make the journey out west looking for work as a stockman. In 1958 he joined the Queensland...

Glenhaughton Ringers - Nugget Roser, Bronc Bradshaw and Lex Smith, return to their favourite mustering camp after more than 60 years at the Amphitheatre Tin Hut, Taroom. Reunited at the Ringers and Cooks Reunion 2023, the three old mates talk about the days of catching scrubbers, and some of the many near misses they survived. Cattle management on the 900-square-mile station was a lot different to...

In PART 2 (An Ipswich Lad to Taroom Local), LEX SMITH continues his recollections from 1957 when he first arrived in Taroom, working as a ringer on Glenhaughton Station, until he moved into Taroom in 1961. He paints a rich picture of the social life of a young ringer coming to town on rare days off, enjoying the pictures, the town dances, the races, and the week-long festivities of the Taroom Show...

In 1957, Lex Smith, his younger brother Trevor, and his mates from Ipswich embarked on a journey to Taroom, seeking a new life in the bush. This journey marked the beginning of a rich tapestry of stories and memories. Lex shares tales of the welcoming locals, colourful characters, and the enduring spirit of the times. Listen to his captivating recollections in Episode 1 (Part 1) as he reminisces a...

TRAILER - Episode 1 "Ipswich Lad to Taroom Local" COMING SOON! Leesa Bongers' first guest, her 85-year-old father Lex Smith, a Taroom local for more than 66 years, chats about his earliest memories of the town and some legendary characters he has known since 1957. Colourful tales mixed with nostalgic memories are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and sometimes bring a tear in your eye as Lex...