The Folklore of Western Australia

OLD MacDONALD -

Mac (Mr. MacDonald) was known to be a wee bit canny when it came to parting with 'brass'. He was said to have sold the local publican two Christmas turkeys that were later found to have come from the pub's own poultry run.

On another occasion a traveller stayed with Mac for a few hours to rest his horse. When it came time to leave the reins could not be found. Mac was most sympathetic and offered to sell the traveller his 'spare set' and it was not until later that night that the traveller realised he had bought his own reins.

Mac was credited with having the first car in town (a model T Ford) and ran a sort of taxi service. On one run he stopped at Bruce Rock on the way back to Corrigin to refuel. Somehow he managed to put in turpentine by mistake and on the way home flames shot out of the exhaust pipe terrifying his passenger. "It won't catch us!" Mac said and put his foot down on the accelerator. Mac, the car and his passenger all made the trip in one piece.

Bush towns seem to have had their fair share of practical jokers over the years. Perhaps it was just a good way of relieving the boredom.

At a dance one evening where mothers left their babies in prams outside in the cool evening air, some wag switched a couple of the youngsters and it wasn't until the very surprised mothers got home that they found their children had 'changed sex'.

Another incident involved a visiting horse and cart. The owner was occupied (possibly imbibing at the local hotel) and emerged some time later to find the horse had been moved to the other side of a fence, the carts shafts had been put through the fence and the horse re-attached.

One local (Mr. Lindsay) woke one morning to find he had a zebra. Someone had painted black stripes on his white horse.

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Model T Ford





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