The Drover’s Wife is a dramatic short story by the Australian writer Henry Lawson. It recounts the story of an outback woman left alone with her four children in an isolated hut.

The story can be read in full here: The Drovers Wife

In The Drover’s Wife by Henry Lawson, we have the theme of struggle, hardship, identity, resilience, isolation, vulnerability, responsibility, aspirations and unity. Taken from his ‘While the Billy Boils’ collection, the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story, the reader realises that Lawson may be exploring the theme of struggle and hardship.

The Drover’s wife struggles to keep things going. There is one calamity after another, and she has no one to help her. In many ways the Drover’s wife is taking on her husband’s role. Which may be important as the Drover’s wife has very little opportunity to express herself in a feminine way. All the tasks she performs would usually be associated with males. This may be important as Lawson may be highlighting just how difficult and cruel life can be in the bush for a woman. It is as though the Drover’s wife’s identity has been taken by the bush. It is also noticeable that the Drover’s wife lives in isolation from others. This may be important as isolation would often be connected with struggle. There is nobody apart from the Drover’s wife’s brother-in-law to help her when it comes to getting provisions. In fact so isolated is the Drover’s wife that she is almost vulnerable. Something that becomes clear to the reader when the man the Drover’s wife feeds attempts to invite himself into the Drover’s wife’s home so that he can stay for the night.

The Drovers’ Wife by – Russell Drysdale

However, with vulnerability comes toughness, and there is no doubting that the Drover’s wife is tough. Though she may not wish to be, she knows that she has to be because of the environment she finds herself in. The bush is unforgiving to those who do not fight back, and the Drover’s wife spends a lot of her time fighting back against not only strangers who arrive at her cabin but fighting against the elements. If anything, the Drover’s wife is a courageous woman. Though she has no option but to be courageous if she wishes for her and her family to survive. There is also a sense of loss through struggle and hardship in the Drover’s wife’s life. She has lost a child since she is living so distant from others. This loss may be important as rather than being defeated the Drover’s wife has had no option but to carry on which suggests a resilience within the Drover’s wife. Not only is she tough, but she knows that she must keep moving forward no matter how difficult things may be.

Lawson also appears to be exploring the theme of aspirations. Through his use of the ‘Young Ladies Journal’, the reader suspects that the Drover’s wife aspires to be dressed like some of the women in the journal. She has hopes and dreams which is interesting as it suggests that no matter what the bush might do to her the Drover’s wife again will not be defeated. She knows that due to her environment she can’t be the feminine woman she might like to be. However she still has aspirations and dreams that will not go away.

Though the Drover’s wife is doing a man’s job or at least what would be perceived to be a man’s job she still can aspire to be more womanly. To connect with herself as a woman. The Drover’s wife is also practical. Something noticeable by the fact that should her husband forget that he is married the most important thing is that he brings home his salary. It is also interesting that though she may not have the opportunity to express herself as a mother might do be the Drover’s wife doesn’t forget that she is a mother. She is fully aware that she has four children who need to be looked after. If anything, the Drover’s wife is not shying away from responsibility, no matter how difficult life may be.

Evening – by Russell Drysdale

Tommy’s character is also interesting, as in many ways he appears to be attempting to take on the role of the adult male that one would expect to see in a family. In reality, he is attempting to be the father figure in his father’s absence. Though only eleven years old, Tommy wants to fill the gap that his father has left. Which in many ways is admirable though not exactly practical when it comes to the needs the family have in the bush. It might also be important that Tommy tells his mother that he will never become a drover. It is as though he is aware of just how difficult things are for his mother. She may not be the typical mother or show the affection one would expect a mother to show, but Tommy still appreciates her. He knows just how difficult life is for her in the bush. The fact that the entire family (Drover’s wife and four children) are all in the kitchen for the majority of the story may also have some symbolic significance as it suggests that there is a unity between them. Just as Tommy won’t become a drover (and as a result stay by his mother’s side). The entire family, except for the Drovers’ wife’s husband, are in unison. No matter how difficult life in the bush may be the family are together.

I was recently sent this most poignant story from OFH reader Ray Jackson. Although it occurred in Queensland, there are many incidences like this in Western Australia. It tells a tragic family story:-

Life was very hard in the Charleville area of Queensland in the late 1800s and work was very hard to get. Two young men from the area had been successful in gaining employment on Millie Station. They were Peter Bruce and his younger brother Adam Bruce. The two men were well known in the area as shearers and bushmen.

Together with a companion, George Chaplain who was a stockman on Mount Morris Station the three were headed on the Adavale Road towards Millie Station on 14^th September 1884.This was about a seven or eight hour ride. It seems there was some urgency to reach the station, perhaps to ensure they did not miss out the promised jobs.

However, they stopped after about 12 miles and rested for a half hour or so. Shortly after the three left the main road and were about a mile and a half from the station and through the first of the station gates they were overtaken by a very large thunderstorm.

They continued on for another mile and it was raining very hard and Adam Bruce said ‘’we had better turn off here and camp overnight in that gully near the creek’’. George Chaplain was against stopping and said ‘’no, we’ll go on to the station and shelter there’’. Adam asked his brother ‘’what should we do?’’. Peter said ‘’please yourselves, I can stand the rain’’. Chaplain said ‘’come on then, let’s move on and go to the station’’.

By this time, it was raining really heavily when they reached the last gate before the station. Peter Bruce leaned over his horses neck and undid the wire on gate. While he was doing this he overheard his brother say to George Chaplain ‘‘I am very frightened of lightning’’. Chaplain said ‘’me too’’.

The three passed through the gate and were riding abreast and had made about ten or twenty yards from the gate when a very bright flash of lightning seemed to come straight down. Peter Bruces’ horse fell forward onto his knees and then recovered himself.

He looked around and saw Adam Bruce and his horse lying in the middle of the road. He called to Chaplain ‘my poor brother is killed’’. He got off his horse and ran to his brother and caught hold of him. He was then still in the saddle and his horse was lying on his right leg. After trying to pull the horse up by the bridle he had to force the front leg of the horse up to release the body of his brother. He then held his brothers lifeless body against his legs and called again to Champion ‘’my poor brother is dead’’. The two men ran to Millie station and returned to the scene with some other men who helped carry the body to a carriers camp that was nearby.

Next day a Policeman from Charleville came and examined the body and the scene. He found Adam Bruce had a burn mark around his head and his back was very badly discoloured with an exit wound on his lower body. There was a burn hole in the saddle about two inches from the back and a corresponding wound on the back of the horse. Adam Bruce’s cabbage tree hat was near the body of the horse and it was torn to pieces from the strike.

Next day Peter Bruce buried his brother in a temporary grave by the side of the Avadale Road while he had a coffin made in Charleville. He then re buried his brother in Charleville Cemetery.

This story is compiled from the Police Officers report to the coroner that I have and contains sworn evidence from Peter Bruce and George Champion.

Peter Bruce and Adam Bruce were brothers of my Great Grandfather Andrew Bruce and so were my 2^nd great uncles.