Walkabout Through the Life of Jack Crombie: Jack Crombie

By Gwen Crombie and Jack Crombie

Katatatjunti, Jack Crombie is a full blood Aboriginal of the Yankunytjatjara people. He tells his story to his wife Gwen who explores the many directions Jacks life has taken.

Tribal life in the far north of central South Australia, on walkabout with his family as a child, station life with the Crombie family on Mount Eba station South Australia. How Jack received his whitefellow name

From no cloths to modeling cowboy clothing for RM Williams. Droving on the Birdsville Track, cattle mustering in Queensland. The circus circuit where Jack made a name for himself as a rough rider and fame doing what he loved most; rodeo riding, traveling Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A career which ended in Blackhole Queensland where Jack sustained injuries when he was impaled on a post as a result of being thrown from a bucking horse.

This accident may have ended Jacks career but it did not stop him, for he continued breaking in horses and working stock, even occasionally returning for a rodeo ride. Jacks last ride in the rodeos was in 1982 at Wilcannia where he rode second.

Jack combined city life with the rodeos for some years while living in Melbourne Victoria where he also worked at Smorgans Meat Works.

On returning to South Australia in 1979 Jack continued station work in the Coober Pedy area before returning to the town to live, trying, his luck at opal mining while working with the town council on the Water Works project.

In 1993 Jack joined the South Australian Police Force training as an Aboriginal Police Aide fulfilling an interest developed when he tracked for the Police. Jacks name is known and remembered today in many parts of Australia; in Western Australia as the boy from the Nullabor in the rodeo circuits. South Australia, Queensland, NSW and Victoria as king of the rodeo, for both his rodeo riding and tracking expertise.

Jack was a council member for Umoona Community Council Coober Pedy for many years where he worked hard for the community spending hours of his time helping the elderly and the youth with guidance and Cultural teaching. Jack also struggles to elevate racism. Jack shares his memories, thoughts and feelings along with his experiences to form a unique story of outback Australian history, as he shares the struggles and bridges crossed during the changes and directions his life has taken. Jack over come many hardships with physical and inner strength combined with a gentle happy nature.

He has a wide circle of friends from those down on their luck to the rich and famous. Jack was one of two Aborigines to have the opportunity to shake hands with the Queen Mother after he led the parade for her on horse back in Melbourne in 1958. The other was Australian artist Albert Namanjara.

Tex Morton and Slim Dusty are two friends Jack traveled with, Slim wrote a song Trumby about Jack it is produced by Colombia on the recording The Best of Slim Dusty. A poster advertising Jack riding for the rodeo in the circus can be seen in the Barmera Country and Western Hall of Fame South Australia. In Queensland the Birdsville Museum has photos and information pertaining to Jack and his rodeo and droving days. He has also featured in many magazines, newspapers and documentaries.

Jacks story is of great value to Australian Aboriginal droving and rodeo history,

an inspiration to the youth of today. And a tremendous Cultural reference for Aboriginal history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jun 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483655024

Book preview

WALKABOUT THROUGH THE

LIFE OF JACK CROMBIE

503789-CROM-layout.pdf

GWEN & JACK CROMBIE

Copyright © 2013 by Gwen & Jack Crombie.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2013910748

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4836-5501-7

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4836-5500-0

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4836-5502-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 06/18/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-800-618-969

www.xlibris.com.au

[e-mail]

503789

Contents

This Me, Jack Crombie

Chapter 1       The Family On Walkabout

Chapter 2       Things That Are New

Chapter 3       Growing Up On Walkabout

Chapter 4       Mount Eba Station And The Crombie Family

Chapter 5       Schooldays

Chapter 6       The Birdsville Track

Chapter 7       Rodeo Life

Chapter 8       Return To Coober Pedy

Chapter 9       The Police Force

Chapter 10       Retirement

Poem 1       Drifting On Walkabout

Poem 2       Ode To The Stockman

Poem 3       Winds Of Change

Endnotes

This book is dedicated to the local Aboriginal Elders of Coober Pedy, South Australia, with thanks for their willingness to share their knowledge, lives, and culture, particularly the Kungka Tjutas, who spent so much time and patience with me while living at Ten Mile Elder’s Bush Camp and taking me through women’s business.

A special thank you to Jack’s brother Larry Crombie for his assistance with much of the history and culture.

A big thank you to my husband, Jack Crombie, for his endless tolerance and for explaining in a way I could understand, while sharing the adventure, exploring his past.

This is the life story of Jack Crombie, told by Jack and written by his wife, Gwen Crombie.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Gwen, Jack’s wife, was born in Colac, Victoria, growing up on a dairy farm in the Western District.

While raising a family, Gwen never lost her dream of one day continuing her nursing career. After returning to nursing in 1976 in Geelong, Victoria, it was not until 1986 that she fulfilled her dream of nursing in the outback, when she moved to Katherine, Northern Territory, followed by Coober Pedy, South Australia, where the outback cast its magic, and Gwen stayed on nursing and studied at the University of South Australia for a degree in Aboriginal studies, prompted by her keen interest in the Aboriginal communities and culture. In 1996 Gwen took up the challenge as manager of Umoona Aged Care Aboriginal Corporation. She successfully gained funds and won the political battles to gain the Aboriginal Aged Care Accommodation Facility for the community as part of the Coober Pedy Hospital Campus.

Another ambition of Gwen, dating back to schooldays when she promised herself she would one day write a book, took place when she met Jack Crombie. All topics took second place as she began a labour of love writing the story of Jack’s life as told by him.

Gwen and Jack married during that time at Hookey Waterhole in Neales Creek, Oodnadatta, in December 1996.

OVERVIEW

Katatatjunti, Jack Crombie, is a full-blooded Aboriginal of the Yankunytjatjara people. He tells his story to his wife, Gwen, who explores the many directions Jack’s life has taken: tribal life in the far north of central South Australia, walkabout with his family as a child, station life with the Crombie family on Mount Eba Station, South Australia, and how Jack received his white-fellow name.

From having no clothes to modelling cowboy clothing for R. M. Williams, droving on the Birdsville Track, cattle mustering in Queensland, to the circus circuit, where Jack made a name for himself as a rough rider and found fame doing what he loved most: rodeo riding, travelling Australia, Canada, and New Zealand—a career which ended in Blackhole, Queensland, where Jack sustained injuries when he was impaled on a post as a result of being thrown from a bucking horse.

This accident might have ended Jack’s career, but it did not stop him, for he continued breaking in horses and working stock, even occasionally returning for a rodeo ride. Jack’s last ride in the rodeos was in 1982 at Wilcannia, where he rode second.

Jack combined city life with the rodeos for some years while living in Melbourne, Victoria, where he also worked at Smorgon Meat Works.

On returning to South Australia in 1979, Jack continued station work in the Coober Pedy area before returning to the town to live, trying his luck at opal mining while working with the town council on the waterworks project.

In 1993 Jack joined the South Australian Police Force, training as an Aboriginal police aide, fulfilling an interest developed when he tracked for the police. Jack’s name is known and remembered today in many parts of Australia—in Western Australia as the boy from the Nullarbor and in the rodeo circuits of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria as king of the rodeo, for both his rodeo riding and tracking expertise.

Jack was a council member for the Umoona Community Council of Coober Pedy for many years, where he worked hard for the community, spending hours of his time helping the elderly and the youth with guidance and cultural teaching. Jack also struggles to alleviate racism. Jack shares his memories, thoughts, and feelings, along with his experiences, to form a unique story of outback Australian history as he shares the struggles and bridges crossed during the changes and the directions his life has taken. Jack overcame many hardships with physical and inner strength combined with a gentle, happy nature.

He has a wide circle of friends, from those down on their luck to the rich and famous. Jack was one of two Aborigines to have the opportunity to shake hands with the Queen Mother after he led the parade for her on horseback in Melbourne in 1958. The other was Australian artist Albert Namatjira.

Tex Morton and Slim Dusty are two friends Jack travelled with. Slim wrote the song ‘Trumby’ about Jack; it is produced by Columbia on the recording The Best of Slim Dusty. A poster advertising Jack riding for the rodeo in the circus can be seen in the Barmera Country and Western Hall of Fame in South Australia. In Queensland, the Birdsville Museum has photos and information pertaining to Jack and his rodeo and droving days. He was also featured in many books, magazines, newspapers, and documentaries.

Jack’s story is of great value to Australian Aboriginal droving and rodeo history, an inspiration to the youth of today and a tremendous cultural reference for Aboriginal history.

THIS ME, JACK CROMBIE

Me, my name is Katatjuntji, Jack Crombie. Me am a full-blood Aborigine an’ belong to th’ Yankunytjatjara mob. Me, I Elder living in th’ opal-mining town of Coober Pedy, South Australia, where was senior community police aide with th’ SA Police Force. Don’t know how old, properly somewhere in my eighties. We didn’t get registered, us mob; back them time, we not classed as Australian citizens. You know us mob not proper people or somethin’.

Had no ‘white man’s’ formal education either. Me can’t read or write or nothing like that. My life has taken many different directions, has often been hard, but ’em been real good too. Done a lot of different things, me. Lived in desert in central South Australia on walkabout with family as a kid. Lived with Crombie family on Mount Eba Station, them white station folk. Ran away from that there mission home to ride horses an’ become a drover on the Birdsville Track. Me, I made name for myself, riding horses in them rodeos, an’ lived in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. Always worked hard an’ was employed in big mob of jobs before returning to South Australia, catching up with my mob in that desert town of Coober Pedy. Travelled from Coober Pedy but always seemed to come back to this place. Me settled down here in this place. Me an’ the wife