Drover Dick

Drover Dick by Don Johnson Brisbane..Australia. Our Colonel was Dick Marson, on the New Guinea campaign, He was for us, old Drover Dick, who down the Cooper came. ..........Aussie cattle rustler (duffer) The one who rode with Redford, the cattle duffer mate. They took a thousand head, to South ......from Queensland to Adeliade SA Australia straight. This man who was our hero, was a first war veteran true. He led us up the Kokoda trail, we'd take tea with a Jap or two. The bursting shrapnel sliced his gut, his stomach it dropped out. There was no doctor to stitch him up, just the Muleteer about. I had used a mule team in the Middle East, with the Second Twenty Fifth. We took supplies to the troops at least, till they blew my mules to bits. I used to stitch their packs up, and counter line them too. Old Dick knew I could do the job, to make him good as new. So he said just send for Johno, to put me guts in straight. The muleteer can counterline, or I'll be just crowbait. I blanket stitched him mate, was as neat as I could be. He stood erect said, "That's first rate" then he called out.... "Follow me !" .........As my father of the 2/25th battalion told me about the ww2 New Guinea, September 1942.. Aussies versus the Japanese.....Kokoda trail..