Most of the farms in the district were dairy farms, so of course there was plenty of cream to be collected. A big wagon, with four high wheels and pulled by four big horses, was used to collect the cream each day. It was then taken down to the railway station. From there it was taken down the line about 20 miles to the factory, where it was made into butter.
In the wet spring weather it was often a mucky occupation, but to Beth it seemed an exciting job.
The man who drove the wagon was a friend of Beth’s. Mr Hetherington was tall and thin, with a brown, lean-looking face, twinkling brown eyes and a long droopy moustache. He reminded Beth of some of the cowboys in comics she had read; he generally wore a check shirt, a waistcoat, grubby pants, heavy work boots and spurs. Topping all this was a wide-brimmed hat and a cigarette in his mouth.
As often as possible, Beth would ride her old pony up the road to meet Mr Hetherington, who would tie Dick to the back of the wagon and lift Beth up onto the high seat beside him. It was a fairly rough ride but Beth loved it, and occasionally she was allowed to hold the reins, and it was wonderful to feel the power of those big horses pulling the heavy wagon. Mr Hetherington loved his horses, and they were very well trained. He always carried a whip, and used to crack it over their heads, but never hit them, and it was exciting watching them lean into their harness, and pull harder as the load got heavier. Beth’s Dad said that Mr. H. was a “dreadful liar”, but Beth loved all the stories he told her, even if she didn’t believe all of them. When all the cream cans were unloaded off of the wagon and into the railway van, Mr. Hetherington would drive Beth back home and sometimes he would stop and have a meal. Mother often gave him some cooking to take home with him as he lived by himself, and Beth was sure he got lonely.
Saturdays, in the winter, were for Football. Nearly every family in the district was involved in the local team, and of course, everyone turned out to watch the games. The home games were played on one of Dad’s paddocks. Mother always made a huge pot of soup and another of stew and left them on the big black stove, to be eaten after the game. Privately, Beth thought the game rather silly, watching all those men chasing a ball around, and quite often getting hurt.
However, both her brothers played, so she watched and cheered, like everyone else. She also enjoyed being able to play with some of the other children, who came with their parents to the game. She also enjoyed the fun after the game, when lots of people came back to the house. It was just like a party, and all Mother’s soup and stew and mountains of bread and butter were eaten, while everyone talked over the game.
A dance was generally held, after a home game, and all the visiting players were taken to local homes, after the game and brought back later for the dance. Sometimes some of the footballers would ask Beth to dance, which pleased her very much, as she thought that some of them were very nice. It was a pity that they were someone else’s brothers.
The farm across the road had been sold, and Mr. and Mrs. Fraser bought it. At last they arrived, in a big truck, piled high with furniture and big boxes. Beth’s Dad and brothers helped unload all the things, and Mother took over tea and scones to cheer the workers on their way. Beth thought the house was awful. It was very tiny, with two small bedrooms and a kitchen. The stove was set into a “bush chimney”, which is like the frame of an open fire, built in iron, in the wall. The windows were very small, and the whole place was dark and dirty. No cupboards, no bench or sink, and a single cold water tap sticking out of one wall in the kitchen.
Mr. and Mrs. Fraser were young and had a little girl called Shirley, who was four years old. Mrs. F. was a schoolteacher and was going to be Beth’s teacher at the farm.
Mother insisted that they come over later and have dinner and stay the night, instead of trying to get unpacked by night time. Beth was delighted at this and asked if Shirley could stay with her all day, while the unpacking was going on. Mrs. F. agreed and off the two girls went. Shirley was a cute little thing, with two black plaits, creamy coloured skin, grey eyes, and dimples. She and Beth became firm friends immediately.
When dinner time came and everyone was seated, Beth had a chance to study her new neighbours. They both were looking very tired by now. Mr. F. was not as tall as Dad, and much younger. He had a worried face but was nice when he smiled. His hair was brown and very short and stood up on his head like the bristles of a brush, and his eyes were blue. Mrs. F. was short and plump, and looked as if she would be jolly when she wasn’t so tired, her straight brown hair cut short, and her eyes brown and friendly. Beth decided she was going to like having them over the road, especially Shirley, even though she was lots younger. It would be like having a little sister.
Dad and the boys helped clean the house and place the furniture, but there wasn’t enough room for everything, but there was an old shed near the back of the house and that was used to store all the extra things.
Beth got Mother to ask if Shirley could stay with them for a few days while her mother and father tried to get organised.
Shirley seemed very happy with Beth, so Mrs F agreed, and was able to carry on with her unpacking and sorting.
It was fun, helping mother bath Shirley in the evenings, and then, when they were ready for bed, Dad sat Shirley on his knee, and with Beth sitting on the floor beside them, he would tell them a story.
It was a jolly few days until Mrs F decided that Shirley should go home. Beth was very happy that she now had a lovely little play mate, just across the road.