RINGER by Hay Historical Society (2004)

Tales of Hay and Western Riverina

Ringer contains tales of swagmen, of early settlers, of bush fires and floods, of shearers and station hands, of explorers and bushmen. There are descriptions of the life lead by our pioneer women, who battled drought and the troubles of the Depression and war years to bring up their families, while helping to run properties in remote areas.A variety of memoirs have been included in Ringer, with the well-known names of Tom Culley, Noel Reid, Florence Carr, Norman Hurst and others giving an insight into pastoral life of the days when amenities were few and transport was by horse and buggy. Ringer presents aspects of the story of Hay from the first settling of the township, to the duststorms of the 1940s. Events described in the volume range from the opening of the first bridge at Hay in 1874 right up to the Romano Cup win by the Hay Cutters in 1998, and the opening of Shear Outback in 2002.