STORY 6
The Stock and Furniture Express.
Until the mid 1960s, families living on farm and in townships across the Eyre Peninsula, like much of regional South Australia, relied on kerosene fridges or the old fashioned but very effective ‘wet sack and cool breeze’ for refrigeration.
When power was finally connected, naturally the demand for white goods and other furniture increased accordingly. Suddenly a whole new world of comfort and domestic freedom took hold.
So, with a livestock run already in place, the Ramsey Bros team in Cleve saw a golden opportunity to leverage their transport business and help meet the needs of the local community eager to make the most of a more reliable and convenient electricity supply.
Each week the Ramsey Bros truck would leave Cleve packed with livestock – mainly sheep and cattle – to be processed at the metropolitan abattoirs. Rather than waste the journey home with an empty load, the stock crates would then be ‘repurposed’ with the drivers carefully manoeuvring the new furniture around on the rough mesh floor.
There was always a sigh of relief when it was only cattle on route to Adelaide as this meant it was easier to load the taller items like fridges without having to pin the multiple decks used for sheep to the side of the truck. Regardless, it was a beast of a job to make sure the furniture was safely secured for the 500 plus kilometres back to Cleve.
At least the working dogs were happy with this arrangement having been stood down for the return journey with no need to ‘round up’ the shiny new white goods and furniture.
And when the furniture was delivered to its final destination at homes across the Eyre Peninsula, did anyone ever remark about the distinct livestock aroma that usually radiates from all stock trucks?
No comment of course.
After all, that’s life in the country!
