G’day ,

If you’ve spent time on the RFTTE.com Facebook page, you’ve probably come across Darryl Harris's photos - shots of rodeo legends and station life that are raw, no filters... no set up...

There are some blokes in the bush who don’t make a fuss about what they’ve done… but when you scratch the surface, there’s a lifetime of experience there.

Darryl is one of those.

He was born in Mareeba and raised on cattle properties across the Gulf Country, including Abingdon Downs, then through Normanton and by the time he turned 14, he was already working on Maggieville. Straight into it. Learning the ropes the only way you could back then… by doing the job.

He moved where the work was and picked up skills along the way. Stations, mines, seismic work, even rodeo riding and camp drafting. He spent time as a head stockman and quietly broke in around 300 horses along the way.

He didn't take photos while he was working on stations. That came later, going back and capturing those places with a bit more perspective. And I reckon that’s what makes those shots different… when you’ve lived it, you see things others don’t.

He knew a few chopper pilots as well, which opened up the chance to get up in the air and capture country from a different angle. Some of the stations he’d worked on years earlier… but this time through a lens instead of from the ground.

These days Darryl is 71 and back living in Mareeba. He hasn’t picked up the camera much in the past few years due to being unwell, but he’s keen to get back into it.

And you get the feeling he will.

It’s a good reminder that not every story needs to be polished or planned out. Sometimes it’s just about saying yes to the next job, the next opportunity, the next chapter… and before you know it, you’ve built a life full of experiences.

And those are the photo's and stories worth sharing...

VIEW DARRYL'S IMAGES OF RODEO & STATION LIFE

Hooroo for now,

Simon

Founder RFTTE - The Online Campfire | E: simon@rfttejobs.com or simply reply to this newsletter | Subscribe to this newsletter | The RFTTE Story | RFTTE MERCH