DROVER MUM HITS THE ROAD
With no money, feed, water or jobs to be had, mum Beck Hourigan – and her kids – took on the challenge of droving starving stock across NSW to keep them alive
It’s the bleakest of backdrops, and with no sign of a let up, this brave young mum literally hit the road with her daughters, Tori, seven, and Sienna, five, and eight horses, 12 dogs and a mob of 900 cattle.
“We’re born on the land – and [my husband] Justin and I actually met at a bull sale,” Beck k tells Woman’s Day from their overnight camp in Barraba in drought-affected northern NSW. W
“It’s all we know, and one of the consequences of drought is a shortage of steady work, so we took a contracted job to move the cattle from Walgett where they no longer had enough pasture to sustain the whole herd.
“We move them every day along the travelling stock route. Desperate times call for desperate measures and so far, except for a couple of deaths by natural causes, they’re surviving.”
When Beck, 29, took on the job last year, she came under fire for her decision to take her daughters on the road with her and home school them, while husband Justin, 35, stayed at home to continue to full-time work as a livestock manager.
“He backed me 100 per cent,” she says, adding that the experience has been life changing for the entire family, who are now affectionately dubbed “The Drovers”.
“The girls are making memories that will be with them forever. They get on their horses, they help move them, and at night we set up camp with the truck and trailer, and we talk and laugh. No amount of money can buy such precious memories.
“I love being with them and they’re learning life skills other kids the same age don’t always get. Common sense can get you a long way in life – and that’s something our girls have by the truckloads. Turning homebound will only come when the rain comes – it’s that simple.
“For our girls to experience the worst drought in 50 years, to see the daily struggle, it’s taught them resilience and determination. What more could we ask for?”
‘They’re learning life skills other kids s don’t always get’ ’