Every now and then, a piece of outback history resurfaces that perfectly captures the spirit, scale and character of cattle station life. Sarawak Stock Take (1985) is one of those gems - a classic documentary featuring the Malaysian-owned Rosewood stockcamp and the very first live exports to Malaysia, paired with breathtaking aerial footage across some of northern Australia’s most iconic country.
I first discovered this documentary a few years ago when I met with documentary maker James Knox - who wrote and directed Sarawak Stock Take. At the time, I’d actually reached out to James to talk about his Flying Vet documentary on David Bradley. During that conversation, he mentioned Sarawak Stock Take, a doco that had hardly seen the light of day.
Incredibly, James kindly agreed to make it available exclusively on RFTTEJOBS.
For anyone who grew up in the industry - or worked on stations during the 1980s - this documentary will feel like stepping back in time. Alister Trier who worked at nearby Newry Station also shares some valuable insights about the doco and those that appear in in it, see below...
It’s a brilliant snapshot of an era, and we’re proud to share it.
Enjoy!
Simon Cheatham
Founder – RFTTEJOBS | RFTTE
simon@rfttejobs.com
Viewer discretion is advised: Please note that these films reflect the prevailing attitudes and practices of the time.
© 2025 James Knox (Producer) & RFTTE Pty Ltd (RFTTEJOBS.com). All rights reserved.
This video may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.
Sarawak Stock Take (1985)
Shortly after posting this video I was contacted by Alister Trier who worked at Newry Station when he was 22. Alister was at Newry from 1985 to January 1988, the last two years as Head Stockman. Ian Rush was Head Stockman in 1985, he and his wife Francine then went to manage Pigeon Hole, then over to Anthonys Lagoon. Alister left Newry to go to Oman in the Middle East where he stayed till the end of 1991.
Alister gives an excellent insight into the video and those who worked in the region at the time...
"I should have put in some words about Clive Wylie who was in the video. I grew up with Clive at Beaudesert Q and I spent 3 months in Borneo with Clive and his wife Erica in 1982 before this video was taken. He was managing a property in the highlands of Sabah at Sook for GRM.
The Rosewood/Sarawak video post got me to thinking about some of the people at the time...
Rosewood under Clive Stone was one of a number of stations managed by GRM international at the time. Others included:
Newry, a neighbouring station that was managed by Allan Andrews, a first class horse and cattle man and an absolute Gentleman with Ros, his wonderful wife who treated staff like family. I remember Allan’s favourite horse “Westaway” – Westy for short, who had sired a couple of foals before being gelded, a gun rodeo and campdrafting horse with a sense of humour. I worked for Allan for three years and enjoyed pretty much every minute. Allan went on to manage Auvergne in later years, and he and Ros are now down at Dundee Beach on the NT west coast.
On the other side of Rosewood is Argyle Downs, then managed by Rod McColm with his wife Allison. They had come across from Mountain Valley where Rod had been responsible for the Brahman Stud. The Stud herd found there way to Argyle, some of the cows were still producing a calf a year at the age of 20 years. The commercial herd went to Newry, Allan named a paddock after them – big ears. Rod is also a great cattleman and horseman, and a really decent bloke. That being said, he had been a scout in the Vietnam war and could deal with people twice his size in short order. There is a story about the hard men in the Snake Pit in Mt Isa that were all wary of Rod McColm. Rod and Allison are now up in Darwin.
North of Newry is Legune on the coast between the Keep and Victoria Rivers, then managed by Bevan Gitsham. Bevan was a no nonsense type of bloke but valued people and was not afraid of hard work. One of the jobs at Legune during the wet season was to camp out at Turkey’s nests to pump them full of freshwater when the flood plains were full. Bevan tells a story of waking up in the morning on his camp stretcher to find a plus two meter crocodile resting up under the stretcher. Bevan went on manage Montejinni from memory.
To the east of Newry is Auvergne that was managed by Rod and Beth Hollingsworth who then went to Scott Creek station west of Katherine.
Gerald Dayes was also a GRM man and managed Camfield Station. He ended up being the GRM Pastoral Inspector before retiring in Ipswich Qld. He was also my boss when Rachel and I went to Delamere. Gerry was another old school bloke who could quickly put people to sleep when their behaviour warranted. Dean Ryan (ex Austrex) tells a story of he and Gerry on a train in Brisbane that had some young fella’s behaving badly. Gerry at over 60 years of age (and to Dean Ryan’s horror) fronted them and made it clear that if they didn’t pull their heads in, he would do it for them. They obliged.
Stock Inspectors at the time were Bluey Lewis and Greg Scott. Both deceased, both good men. Bluey was legend for being able to ‘train’ trayback Toyota’s to sit on 130 km plus as he travelled the district.
These were TB testing days, so vets regularly visited to test the herd as then required. Andrew Norris and Bob Coward did the rounds of the GRM properties, Bob in his 172, Andrew preferring to stay on the ground. Another vet in those days that used to fly was David Bradley. I never met him, but he had a hot little Mooney that used lest fuel than a 172 but could keep up with a 210. It was a good aircraft, and the story was that David would take off, climb and level out, then go to sleep as he flew back to Carlton Hill Station (on the coast in WA west of Legune), only to wake up out to Sea with no land in site. (VIEW: David Bradley Video)
There is a story of Reg Underwood going to sleep in his 172, waking up as the plane self landed on a black soil flat. Reg walked away, but the plane was a wreck. Back to David’s Mooney, VH-DBV, I got to fly it in later years until I bent it at Mt Kepplar, not one of my better days.
Lastly, the contractors in the region, Jimmy Roe (deceased) and Errol Squires. Jimmy wasn’t big but he was all muscle with an acerbic wit that would be applied to unsuspecting Jacky’s (read me) much to the amusement of the wiser people in the room. Errol conversely was big, he could stand in the tray of a Toyota and lift a G bottle of Oxy into the back one handed. Errol in his younger days was a top equestrian competitor in dressage and jumping, and a first class farrier. He once told me that the softest set of hands that he had seen on a horse were from Kurt Hammer when he was in his early days. Fair praise.
These men were all capable, wise and hard working. We are probably three generations of managers further on these days, and I have lost touch with the current crop. While I expect they have a different skill set than as required in the eighties, I imagine they are just as able, in different ways. The Northern Pastoral Industry attracts capable people in my experience."
Many thanks Alister for this contribution, and if anyone one else had information about Sarawak please contact simon@rfttejobs.com
Above photo is of Alister's gear from his Newry days: "Quart Pot and dinner hobbles mandatory, I used this rope at the turkey Ck rodeo which Allan and I won the team roping. I made the spurs under Allan’s guidance. If you zoom in, the main heel section is from a worn out brass windmill pump barrel; the spur shank is made out of a brass windmill rod connector (the rods were all made of wood); the studs are tank bolts that were tapped and died into the heel and then coated with brass. I made these in 1985 and they were my working spurs for my life in the stock camps. The whole stock camp each made a set."
