We can see them in our history, the voices and images of the Australian Indigenous Stockman. The ringers, the stockman, the jackeroo’s, the camp cooks, the drover, the fencer, the shearer and the saddler. They are a part of Australia’s soul, when we think of these Indigenous men and women we think of huge cattle stations, blistering hot shearing sheds, hard gut breaking work, how they opened up our country.

We also see their unique oneness with our land and animals, their indelible spirit and their fortitude of life as a stockman and those big musters.

These words from Tea and Belle celebrate and honour Australian Indigenous Stockmen.

In the spirit of honouring and continuing the legacy, King of the Ranges created a program to assist young Aboriginal stockmen from Northern Australia and Queensland to develop skills and experiences to benefit their careers. The program started in 2015 with Lawn Hill and Riversleigh Pastoral Stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

From 2018 the program continued successfully with assistance from The Aboriginal Development Benefits Trust and young men from Doomadgee.

Doomadgee is a town and a locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee, Queensland. It is a mostly Indigenous community, about 140 kilometres from the Northern Territory border and 93 kilometres west of Burketown.

Ngayan marrungku paran wiyan Wanarruwa, mirumalikan para ani parraykupa, ngatan ngayan marrung wiyan Ngarrakay paranpa yurakaykal ngatan pangaykal.

We acknowledge the Wonnarua people, traditional keepers of this land and we pay respects to their Elders, past and present.

Translation by Aunty Sharon Edgar-Jones ref Upper Hunter Shire Coucil website

About the Indigenous Stockman Program

Successful recipients travel to the Upper Hunter, stay locally and spend time under the guidance of experienced King of the Ranges members, improving specific skills required to compete in a Stockman’s Challenge. 

Always welcomed by the local community, the young stockmen also participate in a range of activities aimed to increase confidence and further their all round development.

The King of the Ranges strongly supports our Indigenous Stockman Program.