Fiona Schubert in the lounge room of the homestead
FIONA SCHUBERT
So, I wonder where teacher sits?
Karan Singh with a turban, he gives one end to a girl
KARAN SINGH
We roll it as well so nobody can see the hair. Hold this end for me, please. Hold tight, OK.
NARRATOR
On their first school day with the governess, the girls are in no hurry to get into the classroom because of a life lesson happening on the verandah.
Karan rolling the turban around his head
GIRL
So, you do this every day?
KARAN SINGH
Yeah, sometimes twice a day actually, yeah.
JULI ALLCORN
Don't you get sick of wearing it, Karan?
KARAN SINGH
No, I think it's too much part of my personality now.
JULI ALLCORN
Really?
KARAN SINGH
Because we never cut our hair. We never cut our beard as well. The beard is actually pretty long too.
Karan unties his beard
ALL
Oh, wow!
JULI ALLCORN
That's a magic trick.
KARAN SINGH
Yeah. The beard is actually...
GIRL
You could be Johnny...
CLAIRE WILLIAMS
No way!
KARAN SINGH
Yes.
CLAIRE WILLIAMS
Can we comb it out?
WOMAN
My God, that is so cool.
CLAIRE WILLIAMS
Can we, like, af it out?
PAUL ALLCORN
Karan.
Paul Allcorn gives a piece of paper to Karan
KARAN SINGH
Ah, thank you, Paul, sir. You're a very kind man. Thank you very much for that. Always nice to do business with you.
PAUL ALLCORN
And you.
KARAN SINGH
We will see you next. Thank you. All the best.
PAUL ALLCORN
Alright, see you, Karan.
KARAN SINGH
See you later. Take care.
Men pull carriage out of the shed
Girls in the lounge room sitting at a table with teacher
GIRL
It's OK, Porsh, it's OK.
PORTIA ALLCORN
(Groans)
GIRL
It's alright, it's alright.
NARRATOR
It's another hot day and the heat is on for the new governess as she begins formal lessons with the Allcorn girls.
PORTIA ALLCORN
No!
FIONA SCHUBERT
It's alright. It's alright.
GIRL
The cat got scared. The cat got scared, Porsh.
FIONA SCHUBERT
It's OK, Porsh. It's OK.
PORTIA ALLCORN
No!
FIONA SCHUBERT
It's alright, it's alright.
GIRL
Portia. Quick, hit me... Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
FIONA SCHUBERT
Portia, stop hitting her, please. Portia, may I please have the recorder? Can I please have the recorder? We need you to come and help us with this half an hour of entertainment.
PORTIA ALLCORN
No!
GIRL
Sorry.
Girl plays the piano
NARRATOR
In the classroom, Fiona has managed to corral her small flock, and lessons continue.
FIONA SCHUBERT
OK, yep, that one. Hop over to the piano and I'll tell you which one. You see where the black keys are?
NARRATOR
But on Oxley Downs she's not only working with three bored children isolated from the outside world, she's also dealing with three different age groups and three very distinct personalities.
GIRL
Do you use a cane?
FIONA SCHUBERT
No, you're not allowed to use a cane.
GIRL
No, I made a horsewhip. Um, just, yeah, so I can whack you if you annoy me.
FIONA SCHUBERT
There'll be no whacking going on.
GIRL
I know.
FIONA SCHUBERT
I'm sure we can all get along completely amicably, can't we?
GIRL
Maybe.
FIONA SCHUBERT
(Laughs)
FIONA SCHUBERT
I'm very aware that I'm walking in someone else's place as well, and I don't want to be... I don't want to upset what Genevieve had established with them, because they were obviously very fond of her.
Fiona sings and girl plays the violin
FIONA SCHUBERT
I really want to try and capitalise on that and work with it rather than to make them feel like I'm trying to take over or change anything so, yeah, that's a big thing as well. It's a big worry. But I just need a little time and preparation and I'll be right.
Men with the sheep
MAN
Behind you! Behind you!
BERNIE KENNEDY
(Whistles)
NARRATOR
After weeks of preparation, the men are finally ready to wash the sheep. The construction of the wash has tested their ingenuity. None of the men had seen a sheep wash before, let alone designed one, yet that's exactly what our 21st-century pioneers have achieved. But will it work?
Sheep being pushed in the water one after the other
NARRATOR
The wooden races steer the sheep in the right direction, and they've laid boards along the bottom of the creek to stop the leaving sheep stirring up extra mud. In the 1860s, the best prices came from wool clean of dirt and lanolin. It saved washing in the English mills and made it a bit lighter and less expensive to transport. But at the end of the sheep wash, Squatter Allcorn discovers that wet sheep weigh a lot more than dry ones.
Paul Allcorn tried to pull sheep out of the water
PAUL ALLCORN
Come on!
NARRATOR
And their childlike stubbornness tests everyone's patience.
JULI ALLCORN
It just looks incredibly time-consuming! And they're so stupid, the sheep.
NARRATOR
With the sheep moving again, Dan, the writer from Perth, spots a wether that hasn't resurfaced.
MAN
Maybe push it through.
Man gets the sheep out of the water
DAN HUTCH
(Heaves and groans) Swim! Swim! (Laughs)
MAN
Hey, hey, hey.
NARRATOR
After a day that began well before dawn, the men have finally finished washing all 1,350 sheep.
MAN
Woo hoo! Nice work.
MAN 2
That's it, mate.
PAUL ALLCORN
I just might do a few finetunes.
ADAM CARTER
It's good to see the end of that job, that's for sure. So, next week's shearing.
MAN
Alright, well done, guys.
Fiona Schubert plays the violin, the girls watch her
FIONA SCHUBERT
That's right. Now, we've gotta get this one down. OK, swap over again. You can go and find the G string.
GIRL
G-string.
FIONA SCHUBERT
(Laughs)
FIONA SCHUBERT
What a great group of girls, hey? They've learned so much today. In one day...
GIRL
What a great teacher.
FIONA SCHUBERT
Oh, thank you. In one day we've managed to write letters, write procedural documents, read three chapters of Jane Austen, do our maths, learn half of 'Greensleeves' on the piano, learn the first bit of the scales on the violin. It's been very profitable, actually.
