Reg Hart
Reg Hart was born at Charleville in Queensland in 1915. The son of an Aboriginal family, he lived in Charleville until he was 15, and studied book keeping. During the Great Depression, Reg joined his father Billy Hart on a droving team, which was managed by Dougald Cameron.
When Dougald was struck down with cancer, he ordered that his droving business to be given to Billy Hart, and the 126 stock horses sold to him for £2 each. Thus, Billy and Reg became the bosses of a largely Aboriginal droving team. Mobs of 3000 head of cattle were routine work for these drovers. When Reg was 20 years old, he was on a drive that began on the Western Australia border, went across the Northern Territory, into Queensland and, following the good feed, tracked the stock routes to Walgett and the better cattle markets of NSW. The drive took a total of nine months.
Reg also assisted with musters, broke in horses, was a successful amateur jockey, a crack horseman and a handy amateur boxer. The romantic names of the great pastoral holdings and famous towns of outback Australia flow through his reminiscences. He remembers crossing the Cooper in flood, and the notorious Murranji Track - “if they rush into the scrub there, don’t try to follow ’em - you’ll never get ’em back!”
After the war, Reg moved to Brisbane and was asked to train a racehorse called “ Air Route”, a rough bush horse that won races in Brisbane. He then worked with premier Queensland trainer George Boland in Brisbane for 21 years.
Reg Hart’s contribution to the history of the Australian outback is recognised by the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, and he has also been honoured by his peers at Barcaldine, Camooweal, and Charleville. He is a popular figure at nursing homes in Brisbane where he visits the residents to swap yarns about the old days and has received the Lilley Legacy Award for services to the aged community.
Reg and his wife Evelyn have three children, Bernice, Joy and Lois.