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reward for my usefulness, I was presented with a new Winchester single-shot, 0.22 calibre rifle. All these new possessions made me feel very opulent indeed.
At the same time Dad invested in a nice new sulky and harness (all made in the town) and a very lively dark chestnut mare of the famous "Snowdon" blood. This breed were wonderful "stayers" largely because of their very deep chests, short backs and "goose" rumps. On one cold wintry day, starting at three o'clock in the morning, Father trotted her in the sulky to Narromine, sixty miles away, in a bit under six hours, to attend Land Board sittings there.
My Father usually bought a ton (24 bags) at a time, of oaten chaff for the two horses, and one of my "perks" was to have the empty bags, worth twopence to threepence each in normal times. My earliest business venture was to scout around all the stables in the town, inquiring for empty chaff-bags. Sometimes I got a few for nothing, but mostly paid up to twopence each. Soon I had more of this work than I could handle in my spare time, so I employed a couple of my schoolmates, to help me find and carry bags back to hoard at our stables.
Not long afterwards, there was a sudden shortage of new chaff-bags, and I found that I had cornered the supply of used ones. So much so, that one of the two principal produce merchants (Loc. Mazoudier) came looking for me, and I sold him my collection of about three hundred bags for fourpence each, quite a handsome profit in those days.
Another motor car now made occasional visits to our town, a glaring red and polished brass French Darracq, owned by the McKays of "Bulgandramine" Station, between Peak Hill and the Bogan River. It had a two-seat open body, and was powered by an 8 h.p. single cylinder engine, with magneto ignition, dry-sump lubrication and a starting handle permanently in position on its front. The driving headlights were magnificent brass acetylene-gas, accessories, fed by a small brass generator clamped on one of the running boards: the smaller side lights burnt kerosene. As it chugged dazzlinlgy down the main street