This painting is set in the 1970's at Fossil Downs Station Yard. Here I am riding a newly broken in horse that's "fresh". All the horses at Fossil Downs are blue-grey, that's why we call them Fossil Grey. We didn't know about the Rodeo in that day, we just used to ride horses like that at the station and that's how I got to become a rough rider, someone who can handle a fresh horse or calf.
My Grandfather put me on a mule when I was little to teach me how to ride but first I had to learn on a small donkey. In the background I have painted the Muluga community in the far distance where I now live and the River on either side of the yard. There's Fossil Greys and some stockmen watching another riding a colt. It was a hard time when you are out in the bush. It could be dangerous if you fell there was no ambulance, no help if you got hurt in the bush.

In the foreground, my father-in-law is standing watching me ride. He would take us out teaching about country and take us around Fossil down station. He would often ask me to ride the fresh horse to quieten it down and get them ready to go out mustering. When I was young I didn't have any fear I could ride anything. One day I came back from mustering out bush and I was looking for my pay. They said to ask the old man and he said "You're not getting your pay, I'm giving you my daughter." We were married ever since.