WHEN THE WINNINGS RAN OUT -

Out on the Gascoyne stations men worked hard and put in long hours. Entertainment was very limited and time off was usually restricted to a couple of weeks a year.

When they got time off, most would head for Carnarvon on what was commonly called a 'pinkeye'. This consisted mostly of drinking as much as possible and having the time of their lives until the money ran out and they headed back out to the stations for another year of hard work.

An old timer by the name of Tom had a bit of luck one year and won ten thousand pounds in a lottery. Tom celebrated mightily, buying drinks and presents for old friends and new. At some point he was persuaded to put his money in a bank for safe keeping. From then on instead of using cash he was simply able to write a cheque to pay his bills. Tom had not been too keen on the idea to start with as he knew nothing about banks and cheques but it seemed to work well in the end.

Tom rode around town in a taxi and was always followed by a group of hangers on, all hoping to get something and Tom didn't disappoint. As generous as the day was long, Tom spent money like water. Then suddenly he was gone, back out to the station and back to work.

It was another year before he showed up in town again and the local publican was curious about Tom's sudden departure the year before. He asked Tom why he had left in such a hurry and Tom simply said the money had run out and so it was time to go back to work. Now the publican was no fool when it came to money and he knew it was just not possible for Tom to have spent all his money despite his generosity. The publican got in touch with the local bank manager to enquire about Tom's bank balance and was told it was still quite a healthy 5,000 pounds.

The publican spoke to Tom again and asked him how he was so sure his money had all gone. Tom's reply; “Of course I was broke. I couldn't very well be anything else, could I, when there were no more cheques left in the cheque book?'

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