REAL AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1927, Page 3

REAL AUSTRALIA

BUCK-JUMPING AND STOCKRIDING.

: SYDNEY, April I I. Tho Duke and Duchess of York returned to Sydney to-day to embark on the Renown for Hobart, satisfied that they had caught a glimpse of the real Australia in Queensland. That State lias been the only one of Ml the States to provide a bright, novel and original entertainment for the Royal visitors. It was staged at Beau desert, flu* centre of a, prosperous farming and grazing district. They were driven out to tho racecourse, where a picnic lunch was enjoyed in a marquee ny tile side of a lake, on which black- and whito ibis fed in the water-lily clumps, while kookaburras laughed in the tall gums to the delight and interest of the Royal visitors. In front of the marquee had been erected a special slam!, protected by stout wire mesh against the possible intrusion of bewildered bullocks during the drafting competitions, and from this vantage point tlie Duke and Duchess laughed at the antics of station-bred heifers and steers in the buckjumping cattle contests, as Queensland cattlemen rode them cleverly across the ground. I hey applauded the amazing sagacity of the horses in the drafting competitions, ill which wide-horned Hereford steers

were manoeuvred through stays and neatly ridden to a stand still, the horses at the finish cantering shoulder to shoulder with the bullocks and working them round in narrowing circles The buckjumping heifers, however, were found more amusing, and the Duke asked for further exhibitions of the drovers’ skill. ABORIGINEES*€ORR-OBOREE. Suddenly a weird clamour arose, and into the arena dashed a tribe of aborigines from the Barambah mission station. The men wore only loin-cloths. Tlicir bodies were streaked with white claw and wallaby fur strips were bound round their heads. There were about 2d of them, with five “gins” (women) in cotton frocks rythmieally beating

’possum skin pads. The air seemed full of whizsing boomerangs, one of which “misfired” and cut through the roof of the marquee, while 10ft. spears shot up to amazing heights and fell quivering ill the hard earth, lo the accompaniment of weird cries the aborigines advanced in eorrohoree, prancing before the Duke and Duchess, who were fascinated by the display. Opening out the blacks staged a spearthrowing contest hurling spears at the comedian of their party who deftly deflected the deadly weapon with a curved stick and pirouetted for applause. "AVliat a wonderful cricketer that chap would make!” observed the Duke. On the second eorrohoree formation the spectators became out of control and rushed the ground, but the Duke and Duchess were so interested that they insisted on walking through the crowd to witness a fire-making ceremony in which a black successfully used the firestick while the others rattled spears and chanted in a wild dance. The corroboree ended with an impressive scene in which the blacks marched before the Duke and Duchess chanting in a minor key and performing some strange ritual in the dance. The chief steplied forward with dignity and presented the Duke with a set of boomerangs, nulla-nullas, woomeras and spears, all in polished bull oak.

While the eorrohoree was in progress two aeroplanes cavorted overhead and ns the Duke himself said, if there was anything more incongruous than aborigines in loin-cloths and pipeclay dancing steps like the Charleston, with aeroplanes circling overhead, he desired to know of it.