Page 8 - Calga Dohnes Newsletter 2020_Flip Book Neat

Bill Mildren looks back "I had a dog and swag and Dad gave me twenty pounds [$700

(The Land newspaper 27 Jun 2020, 6 p.m. by Stephen Burns) in 2019], a few tins of tobacco and told me I don't want to see
you for 12 months," Bill recalled.
"I started on four pounds per week and fully kept.
"I learnt a lot from Mr Volk but Frank Pennefather who was
the classer was very reserved."
Bill Mildren is well-known across the sheep industry for his At the end of his second year, Bill went into the ram shed and
work with studs and mentoring young people. prepared the rams to be sold during the Sydney Sheep Show
Retired now and living in Deniliquin he still keeps in touch with and the Brisbane sales as well as the show team.
wool industry trends reminiscing about the places and people He was then transferred to Buckinguy, Nyngan ... 'a beautiful
met during his career. property, for fertility of sheep that country is as good as any-
Although he was very young at the time, Bill Mildren has very thing in Australia'.
clear memories of growing up during the Second World War. But wishing to pursue a career with stud Merinos he went to
He was living on a sheep station northwest of Longreach man- Zara, Wanganella as jackaroo where Stuart McKellar managed
aged by his father Ned and even though it might now be the Poll Boonoke stud for F.S Falkiner and Sons.
thought the war would hardly impinge on the outback, Bill re- Hard work and dedication led Bill to be offered the position as
calls vividly that time. stud overseer on Isis Downs, Blackall, QLD which really
"I was born in 1939 so I do remember the war," he said. opened his mind to the genetic ability of the Merino.
"We had an air raid shelter in the garden, I remember Darwin "They had a Poll stud, based on Poll Boonoke and selling 2000
being bombed and each night sheets were put over the win- rams a year," he recalled.
dows to stop the light." "But I learnt you could take big strong wool rams from the
Bill also remembers the stockpile of fuel stored in case all the Riverina to western Queensland they were okay if soft enough
property and stock were to be destroyed if Australia was in- in the wool."
vaded. But the big move in Bill's career occurred when he went to the
The scorched earth policy above the so-called Brisbane Line 1963 Sydney Sheep Show and was introduced to Tom Culley
was to make it difficult for the enemy to come south. who was exhibiting sheep from his Wonga stud at Jerilderie.
That was on Eulolo Station, owned by Collins, White and Co "Hugh Warden had just resigned as overseer and I was offered
and running 80,000 sheep and 7000 cattle near McKindlay. the job by Mr Culley," he said.
Bill's father had started jackarooing at the age of 14 on Boono- "Going to Wonga really opened my eyes about breeding Merino
ke, Conargo where Ottie Falkiner was in control. And by the sheep.
time he was 25 he was managing Eulolo. "His sheep were totally different to others ... the amount of
"Dad had gone to Eulolo has overseer but the overseer left wool growth and the terrific skins
within six months and another six months the manager left so "They were big sheep and cutting a lot of wool but the wool
Dad was on his own," Bill said. was soft although bold crimped."
"Communications were slow and he hadn't heard from anyone Bill said the soft and thick skins were common enough today
so he ran the place as he thought and when the owners did but without the development noted in the Wonga sheep during
come up they said 'you've been running the place for six the 1960s.
months so you had better keep on'." "We have a more dual-purpose type today but we wouldn't
Ned Mildren was on Eulolo for 15 years during which time Bill, have the productivity if not for what the boss did at Wonga," he
his sister Wendy and younger brother Joe went to boarding said.
school in Charters Towers. Eventually Bill developed a classing run and he said he enjoys
The Mildren family then moved to Thylungra near Quilpie passing experience to the next generation.
owned by Australian Estates and shearing 120,000 sheep. "I want them to step back and look at the sheep," he said.
"Dad started as assistant manager to spend two years under "Although I use figures as a guide, there are a lot of traits you
the manager to learn the country," Bill said. can't measure."
"In 1960 they shore 126,000 sheep and joined 50,000 ewes." Of the three factors, meat, wool and fertility, for which sheep
Upon leaving Scots College in Warwick, Bill went to Raby, are selected Bill said the greatest profit driver is fertility.
Warren as jackaroo.
The stud property was owned by Australian Estates and man-
aged by Norman Volk who had not long taken over from How-
ard Holmes. Pursehouse Rural supports
us again in 2020

Pursehouse Rural for the 6th year in a row have again
shown their generosity by their donation of 2 x 20 litre
drums of Clik to the ‘highest priced ram purchaser‘ and
the ‘highest total rams purchaser’ at the Coonamble Sale.

Many thanks to the team at Pursehouse Rural again for
their donation and continued
support they show for our busi-
ness success.

Pursehouse Rural will again
kindly operate the BBQ for us
on our Coonamble Sale day.
Bill Mildren in the foreground during dohne ram selection at
Caroonboon Station