THE yabbies aren't what they used to be.
Whether it's run-off from farm chemicals or falling libido, the yabbies of childhood were definitely bigger, bluer and more numerous.
My first trip out with the uncle and cousins is quite distinct.
Pastel-coloured Valiant ute trailing red dust across a bare brown paddock to the dam and its grey-box tree, sole representative in 40ha of desiccated sheep manure and little marbles of volcanic shot.
We unloaded two buckets and a reel of black cotton and the scooping-nets made of chicken wire and set about breaking sticks to make the short posts to be attached to lines.
I had a vague idea that bait would be required and couldn't see any. Pointing this out to the uncle, he reached in behind the seat of the ute and pulled out a little .22 rifle.
In one casual, fluid motion, he slid in a bullet, took quick aim at somewhere in the tree and immediately nailed a galah.
I ran up to see it, a bit dishevelled in its pink and grey, a little blood on its beak and maybe a surprised look at being so suddenly dead.
The uncle out with his pocket knife and had its meat cubed up for yabby bait in about 30 seconds.
It was all almost shocking to me. I was pretty childishly sentimental about animals generally and was breathless at the sheer deadly efficiency of the man.
It remains in memory now as the clearest example of how a bloke has to be when it comes to killing.
Quick, clean, graceful and of necessity.
I suppose people could focus on the fact that parrots are protected, but that would be missing the point. They were, and are, as plentiful as rabbits here.
What it showed me was a no-bulldust man, knowing his environment and, in a small sort of a way, how you survived in it.
We went on to take about two buckets of yabbies in the old-fashioned way.
There's a photo on my computer now that's come in from some big dam in Queensland.
There's my uncle and a mate holding up a pair of yabbies as big as lobsters with my aunt's thong included for scale.
They are grey nomads now and seem to have found nirvana up north.
They use nets and bait them with avocado.
