History forgotten. What’s it worth?

I have a barbed wire fence that dates back over 150 years. I’ve purposely left it standing at the back of my property because it represents a time that shall never be repeated. The posts were hand cut from now petrified Aussie hardwood trees.
The property and surrounds are full of old horse tracks as this was horse country (still is really)

Yesterday marked the end of a 6 month ordeal after the local council was doing a burn off at the rear (and surrounds) of my property.
It’s always a tad nerve racking when they do these as my property is full of trees and bushes and as many of you may know, Australia is bush fire prone, deadly (as is everything else here).

The council (municipal office) in their wisdom, ripped up my 150 year old wooden posts, wrapped up the rusted but beautiful barbed wire and left it sitting just over the border line on my side of the property.

When I heard the machines, I threw on my boots and grabbed my bat and headed for the noise to find these men (doing their job as they were told) destroying history.

6 months of telling the local council that they had no idea and were clueless to what history represents regardless if it isn’t obvious or not.

Yesterday, two leather skinned 70 year old bushmen came and replaced the fence to all its previous glory. Real Aussie bushman, I couldn’t understand a word they were trying to convey via mumbles. I rewarded them kindly with a dozen cold vic stubbies.

The council twice tried to claim that it wan’t them. It took me a couple of months checking registered burn off sites to find the men that were at my property and got them to state they were told to remove the fence.

That is all. Just Chilling Out.

I'm glad they replaced your fence. The sad part is that it was replaced. The history of the original fence and of those that installed it can never be replaced.

Winuser said:

I'm glad they replaced your fence. The sad part is that it was replaced. The history of the original fence and of those that installed it can never be replaced.

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Everything they pulled out was left on my property, so when it was repaired, all they had to do was replace the original posts and rethread the original rusted barbed wire.

antspants said:

Everything they pulled out was left on my property, so when it was repaired, all they had to do was replace the original posts and rethread the original rusted barbed wire.

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I'm surprised they used the original barbed wire. New barbed wire is dangerous enough but old rusted barbed wire is so much more dangerous. IMO it will never be the same because the fence is no longer installed by the original people that installed it over 150 years ago. I'm not sure exactly how old my house is but the museum in the old army fort that is now a state park has picture of my house and the house next mine that were taken 1917. The houses were built for two army sergeants. Originally they were mirrored houses. By that I mean that they were the same except what was on the right hand side of my house was on the left hand side of the other house. Because they have both been remodeled so they are not the same any more.

It was replaced by a couple of bushmen who's fathers grew up in the area at the time the fence was built. Good enough for me.

You should of met these guys, this is pretty spot on for how they talked (wait for it)

My great uncle was a bush pilot and what could be called a bush man of the North. He spent a lot of time in the northern outback, the Canadian Wilderness. I visited him often after they took his pilot license away. (He was 89.) He still kept his plane in his back yard along with his riverboat. Men like these are tough as nails, true survivors, highly flexible, and boy can they tell some fascinating tales.

Scannerman said:

My great uncle was a bush pilot and what could be called a bush man of the North. He spent a lot of time in the northern outback, the Canadian Wilderness. I visited him often after they took his pilot license away. (He was 89.) He still kept his plane in his back yard along with his riverboat. Men like these are tough as nails, true survivors, highly flexible, and boy can they tell some fascinating tales.

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I love the stories, and they tell them well. No padding to sensationalise, just the facts, mam.
I bet he has some bear stories. I’d crap my pants in the face of a bear. Might be enough to make the bear go eeeeeuuuuww and leave me alone?

antspants said:

I love the stories, and they tell them well. No padding to sensationalise, just the facts, mam.
I bet he has some bear stories. I’d crap my pants in the face of a bear. Might be enough to make the bear go eeeeeuuuuww and leave me alone?

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He was a straight shooter and yes, he didn't exaggerate to the best of my knowledge. He had plenty of tales about the flora and fauna and he knew how to deal with wolves. He was of the persuasion that every man should have a rite of passage or he wasn't complete. He said that every young man should go into the wilderness alone and learn how to live alone in nature for at least two weeks. I never did that so I guess I'm not complete. Old Earnest is gone now. Rest his soul. He was quite the character.