It took me a while to convince Ben Young to let me feature him the RFTTEJOBS newsletter. Like many ringers, Ben isn't one for the limelight. But eventually he agreed, telling me:
"If this helps one kid to have confidence to leave his or her hometown and head north to chase their dreams, I guess it's worth it."
That's a pretty good reason.
At just 24 years old, Ben has already packed plenty into his cattle industry journey. Growing up near Proserpine in Queensland, he is currently in his third year ringing and second year working in northern Australia. After spending his first season in Central Queensland, Ben headed west to Western Australia before making the move to the Northern Territory.
The photo above was taken at Mainoru Station in East Arnhem Land while working for 7H Horse and Cattle Company. Fittingly, Ben actually found the job through an advertisement on RFTTEJOBS.com.
"We were out mustering and had poked off with a coacher mob," Ben explained. "We had covered some distance towards the end of the day and I was told this little fella was straggling and had started to wander from the mob and lay down, so I picked him up onto the bike."
For those unfamiliar with the term, a coacher mob is a small group of settled cattle used during mustering to help keep larger mobs calm and moving in the right direction. As more cattle are gathered throughout the day, they naturally follow the coachers, making the muster more efficient and reducing stress on both stock and crew.
Ben carried the calf on the bike until it could be loaded onto a truck and taken to the yards, where it could be reunited with its mother.
"We continued on until we could put him in the truck so later he could be taken to the yards and be mothered up."
It's a simple photo, but it captures something that happens every day across northern Australia. Looking after stock, helping your mates and doing whatever job needs doing, whether that's handling a coacher mob, fixing a fence or carrying a tired calf on the front of a bike.
Unfortunately, Ben's season was cut short after he had to return home for surgery on his hand following a quad bike accident earlier in the year. But if his attitude is anything to go by, it won't keep him out of the saddle for long.
Nothing's going to hold this young ringer back.
We wish Ben all the best with his recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the north again soon.
By Simon Cheatham and special thanks to Ben for his time and words. Posted in 20th September 2024 RFTTEJOBS Newsletter.
