TAROOM TALES
Yarns and Reflections from back in the day
‘Drink the waters of the Dawson and you will always come back’
– FABLE
from ‘Taroom and Her People’ by Eileen L Hardy
Who is
TWERPY SMITH?
Leesa Bongers, a proud daughter of Glenhaughton Ringer Lex Smith.
Wife/mother/artist/
coach/administrator/student blogger, amateur movie maker, and first-time podcaster… giving it all a crack because “these precious stories need to be recorded and someone’s gotta do it!”
“Regardless of where I live, Taroom is in my DNA. It will always feels like home to me.”
IMAGE GALLERY
Taroom People & Places
A photograph is a return ticket
to a moment otherwise gone.
Memories
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime. We’ll take the best, forget the rest, and some day we’ll find these are the best of times.
Gilberts Lookout Taroom (convent hill) Lex Smith pointing west towards Glenhaughton Station 
The Dawson River Taroom, at the Wide Water. A popular local swimming hole. Finn Bongers and Lex Smith April 2023 Sign in foliage of the Taroom Leichhardt Tree in main street 
Isabel Penny Glenhaughton Reunion 02//10/23 
Glenhaughton Reunion 30/09/23 1950s & 60s ringers and cooks Glenhaughton horse yards with owners Avon & Carol Hamilton 
Signs on Glenhaughton Road to the Tin Hut 
Christy Curtis (1964-65), at Tin Hut with Lex Smith, Bronc Bradshaw, & Nugget Roser (1957 ringers) 
The Tin Hut in the Amphitheatre, built 1901 (Apr 2023) 
John Jarvis (part time ringer 1953) pouring over photo memories at Tin Hut reunion 2023 
The moon rises over The Picture Palace and Tin Hut 01/10/23 
Jack Haaijer (1967) burnt out yards and dam (30/10/23) 
Fancy chaps from 1966 Montana belonging to Christy Curtis (UK/France), Bronc Bradshaw model 
Jennifer, Mark & Dale Bradshaw (29/09/23) 
Noel Nugget Roser, Jennifer Bradshaw, Christy Curtis (France) 29/09/23 
Lex Smith & Bronc Bradshaw (Apr 2023) 
Suzie Parry-Okeden, Leesa & Tim Bongers, Bronc Bradshaw, Lex Smith,David Parry-Okeden, The Battery gate to NP 
Lex Smith, 1957 Glenhaughton Ringer at the Tin Hut Apr 2023 
The Tin Hut in the Amphitheatre (Apr 2023) 
The Tin Hut (Apr 2023) Leesa Bongers chats with Bronc Bradshaw & Lex Smith at the Tin Hut (Apr 2023) Leesa Bongers with father Lex Smith (1957-60 ringer) at the Tin Hut Apr 2023 
Bronc & Lex at toddlers grave, Glenhaughton Station Apr 2023 
Lex Smith, Amphitheatre yards (Apr 2023) 
Glenhaughton gate sign Mar 2023 
Lunch at Dray Gully yards Mar 2023 (Bronc Bradshaw, Bob & Merle Lambert, Lex Smith) 
Lex, Bronc, Bob & Merle on way to Tin Hut Mar 2023 
Sandstone escarpments near Dray Gully Mar 2023 
A scrub bull in the National Park, Mar 2023 
Bronc gets the gate (The Battery) Mar 2023 
Bob, Bronc & Lex GH Ringers Hut site Mar 2023 
Road to Glenhaughton Mar 2023 
Float in Centenary Parade Taroom 
Crowd gathers under Leichhardt tree with Nugget Hoppe’s Clydesdales (first time in town) 
Ringer Jim Penny and Head Stockman Lester Close, bleeding cattle at Glenhaughton 1960s 
1960s Lester Close on tail of scrubber 
Lester Close & Bronc Bradshaw 1964 Taroom Show 
1964 Taroom Show Lester Close, Linton Curran, Mick Ratz, Tom Curran, Bronc Bradshaw 
1964 Taroom Show Lester Close, Bob Scott, Cyrie Stewart 
Lester Close with son Cyril 1964 
Trevor Smith bulldogging practice off Pixie 1957 
Rusty Bob, Eric Rusty Scott, Roy Parsons – dressed up for town show or races 1958 
1958 Ringers John Bronc Bradshaw & Noel Nugget Roser 
Newly engaged Lex Smith & Lorraine Hay stepping out at Taroom Show 1960 
GH Ringer 1957 Lex Smith and favourite station mare Queenie 
Courting couple Lex Smith and Lorraine Hay 1959 
GH Ringers 1957 Lex Smith, Trevor Smith, Phil Morris, Kevin Kipling, Bob Lambert 
GH Ringers 1957 Trevor Smith, Johnny Scott, Bob Lambert, Phil Morris 
1960s dog hanging on nose of scrubber 
Young Ronnie Bostock, former Golden Gloves runner up. Danced through life with a smile on his face. 
1957 Lex Smith, Nugget Roser, Jim Booth 
1965 Tin Hut Amphitheatre, horses Michael Harvey & Jack Standing 
Some of Lester’s mustering camp – Toby Ward, Cyrie Stewart, Michael Harvey, Lester Close, Jeff Close. 
Glenhaughton Ringers by Leesa Bongers 2023 
The Station Mare by Leesa Bongers 2023 
Amphitheatre Muster by Leesa Bongers 2023 
Mar 2023 Lex Smith operating His Masters Voice wind-up gramophone (purchased Taroom Tom Carrols 1958) 
View of Taroom from Bonner’s Nob (Convent Hill) looking north-west Twerpy Smith is Leesa Bongers 
Christy Curtis the 1964/65 UK Ringer, back to visit from France 
Christy Curtis (France) and Val Smith, back seat of the chopper 
Glenhaughton horse yards – Bronc Bradshaw, Cyril Close, Cody Close, Kylie Lang (Penny) 
Glenhaughton Station owner Carol Hamilton and Leesa Bongers (Smith) 
Ringer mates from 1964/65 – Christy “the Pommy” Curtis (UK/France) and Johnny “Bronc” Bradshaw Oct 2023 
Leesa Bongers with father Lex Smith, checking what’s left of the Tin Hut horse yards Oct 2023 
The Tin Hut in picturesque Amphitheatre Oct 2023 
The horse yards looking towards the Tin Hut and the Amphitheatre escarpments Oct 2023 
Lex Smith and daughter Leesa behind the horseyards Tin Hut Oct 2023 
Noel Nugget Roser, Scotty Hawkins and David Parry-Okeden, 2023 
Bronc Bradshaw and Nugget Roser Oct 2023 
Tim Bongers showing Levi-Jack Clarris how the drone works (Son of Wayne, Grandson of Jake, Great-grandson of Jack) 
Isabel Penny (nee Rose/Close) Oct 2023 
Kate Bradshaw and Kylie Lang Oct 2023 
The long drop… Levi-Jack’s favourite thing about the Tin Hut weekend! Oct 2023 
Wayne Clarris, Amphitheatre escarpments Oct 203 
Kathleen and Murray Dingwall (grand-daughter of Phil Morris) Oct 2023 
Wayne Clarris, helping father Jake with the camp oven cooking Oct 2023 
Adie Dingwall, Val Smith, Joyce Jarvis, Lex Smith, Donna Mahady Oct 2023 
Stanford boys tucking into brekky (Ben, Fred and Harry) 
The boss cook Jake Clarris, out of retirement for one last job! 
Tim Bongers (Lex Smiths’ son-in-law) 
1967 Jack Haaijer Belington Hut 
1967 Jack Haaijer, Lance Bradshaw, Ted Bell 
1967 Frank Tanner with the coaches 
1967 horses with their feedbags somewhere between Tin Hut and Belington 
Photobook cover – Glenhaughton Ringers 1957-1965 
Nugget Roser and David Parry-Okeden 
Christy Curtis and Bronc Badshaw 
Lex Smith and daughter Leesa 
Photobook for sale – contact Leesa Bongers
WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Glenhaughton Ringer – WILD CATTLE & GOOD TIMES
Glenhaughton Ringer – THE MUSTER (PART 1)
Christy & Bronc – AN UNLIKELY PAIR
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HILLBILLY HITS 1950s-1960s
Life was simple back in the 1950s, no digital media or phones. Hillbilly tunes crackled from a portable radio, or wind-up gramophone, the first sounds to be heard as the sun broke the horizon.
The Glenhaughton Ringers FAVOURITE HILLBILLY AND COUNTRY MUSIC artists in 1950s.
BOOK
GLENHAUGHTON RINGERS, A Collection of Photographs and Yarns 1957-1965
Compiled by Leesa Bongers
With thanks for contributions from locals:
* Lex Smith, Bronc Bradshaw, Jennifer Bradshaw, Judy Gook, Allan Swain, Avon and Carol Hamilton, Casey Hay, and Mickey Waddell;
* and ex-locals/Glenhaughton workers: Bob Lambert, Laurie Pointing, Noel “Nugget” Roser, Cyril Close, Isabel Penny, Carol and Ian Bostock, and Christy Curtis;
* as well as Carmen Palmer, daughter of Harold “Red” Palmer, and Douglas Country Museum USA.
MONTHLY BOOK ORDERS – CONTACT AUTHOR LEESA BONGERS ANYTIME:
Rogue cattle soon found shelter in the vine and mountain scrub,
Brumby horses roamed the ranges as the moon shone bright above,
Horsemen ever riding to yard scrubbers earned their pay,
They rode from camp at daybreak, top horsemen here to stay.
— Extract from “Dawson Country” by Laurie Pointing
Glenhaughton Ringer 1957
GALLERY
Glenhaughton Reunion Shirts
GALLERY OF GLENHAUGHTON RINGERS REUNION SHIRTS
The Glenhaughton Ringers Reunion in October 2023 was a huge success.
Ringers, workers and cooks from as far back as 1953 reconnected and camped once more at the nostalgic Tin Hut in the beautiful Amphitheatre. This favourite mustering camp is now a part of the Expedition National Park. Memories of a culture long gone are all that remain of the days of throwing and tying those wild scrub cattle on the rough and rugged 900-square-mile Glenhaughton station.
Thanks to the generosity of our many sponsors, all those campers are now proudly wearing a new Reunion shirt, spreading the story of the Glenhaughton Ringers and Cooks all over the globe!!
Shout out to Graham and team at HIP POCKET WORKWEAR Toowoomba for the generous sponsorship and great job on the shirts – they look so good on everyone!
TAROOM TALES 