For this week’s Saturday Sepia theme of tents I will go back to some men at a sheep sale in 1920 at the large Kooba station in New South Wales which I used in a previous post .
Kooba was a 120,000 acre station in south-central New South Wales . The station had been sold and it was time to sell its 40,000 sheep as well as some cattle and horses. But this time the picture is of a tent.
It is believed that this photo was taken on that day. It’s hard to know what the tent was used for – was it a refreshment tent – you can see a wagon pulled up at the back of the tent which could have brought supplies. Or was it used as a place for business. A bonus is seeing all the lovely old cars and the beautiful setting for the tent.
Looking closer you can see men who appear to be sitting at a table.
Other tents at other places can be seen via Sepia Saturday
I have a friend who shears all over New England — I mentioned 40,000 sheep, and she just groaned! Great photos!
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Gorgeous old cars!
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That is one humongous canopy, & then there’s a regular tent set up off to the side, too? I wonder what that one was used for? And all those old cars are great. Nice post!
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My guess is a refreshment tent because by late October would have been getting pretty warm (although I see the gents are all wearing their suit coats). Or maybe it’s where they did their business transactions, handed over their big cheques!
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A lovely old photograph. My guess is that bidders are standing round enjoying refreshments in the shade, taking a break from the auction.
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Just so Australian with all the gum trees! Love it!
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Such interesting photos! My guess on the tent is that it is way too big for a man to collect the money, so it must have been multi-purpose: a place to seal the deal, a place to get out of the sun or in case of rain, a place to get a drink. The men who have come to buy look like businessmen, which surely points to their views about their profession — while they were ranchers and farmers probably, that’s serious business and they dressed the part. I like the guy in the small black and white photo with the turned-down brim and papers folded under his arm. I don’t know why, but he looks quintessential Australian to me. I’m sure it’s the hat.
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We are seeing a lot of tents this week from Australia and New Zealand – you must have the weather for it. This is the biggest so far – great for those who want to relax in the shade,
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It could well be multi-purpose. They’re eiter conducting business or lining up for a beer or cup of tea! They certainly dress smartly for a sheep sale.
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A great photo especially when given some context. But what an auction! With 38,895 sheep sold in 2.5 hours that nearly 260 sheep @ minute. The auctioneer must have been a super fast caller!
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I imagine that the sheep would be auctioned in groups/batches/flocks. But the logistics of the day is a bit mind boggling.
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Fabulous ‘photos, I love all the old cars. The three men leaning up against the car (in the last picture) make me think of The Great Gatsby. It’s something about their attitude – sort of relaxed confidence.
I’m really enjoying all the ‘Sepia Saturday’ posts and might even pluck up the courage to join in soon 🙂
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Yes, they look very nonchalant. The man in the middle consulting a book worked for the firm which was organizing the sale. Perhaps the other two did also. I look forward to seeing your photos some time soon.
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What a great photo this is… So curious when we don’t quite know what was going on. I enlarged it and I reckon there’s a table to the left…perhaps to register bidders or are those men lined up at the bar. It would have been a frenetic day despite the seemingly casual poses…lots of cash being splashed.
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I can’t help but think of a saying about “country” music performers. All hat, no cows. In this case I look at the guys there to buy and think “All hats and no sheep.” Most left empty handed, but I’m sure they had a good time…as long as it wasn’t downwind from the 40,000 sheep.
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That’s a lot of sheep. I hope nobody stayed awake counting them.
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Yes big tent, I like the car images best. They are great.
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Merino wool is sooo soft. Great post! 🙂
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