I'm Nigel, and I'm Brad.
Together we're on a quest to uncover the grass roots Innovation,
that makes Australia a very clever nation.
Ingenious Oz is touring the Northern Territory,
where remote locations and tough conditions bring out incredible creativity in all sorts of people.
Tell ya what I could use a shower!
I know...
Well what do you mean by that?
Well I thought it was a dead Kangaroo!
From April to October in Katherine, you can get a taste of the inner workings of an outback cattle station.
From horse and dog training,
to stories and songs.
So we're off to meet Tom and Annabelle,
at the Katherine Outback Experience.
To hear a great story of resilience and havin' a go!
I think I was about grade 6 and on the TV I seen all about the Northern Territory cattle stations,
so all I wanted to do from grade 6 on wards was to get up here.
There was something about the animals that really drew me up here and the wide open spaces.
I headed up here about 2001.
And I just went straight into the stock camp, mustering cattle everyday.
There was no TV, Radio or phones, sleeping on a swag every night.
And everyday I was on the back of a horse, and the hoof beat became a drum beat.
And these songs came into my head, and I had never written a song in my life...
So I just started writing it down on bits of paper in my pocket,
and eventually an old guy gave me an old guitar and he showed me three cords.
And every nighttime I'd sit around the campfire, trying to practice.
Having mastered those three cords, and with a couple of original songs under his belt.
Tom entered a singing competition, and won!
Next up, the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Meet Garth Porter, and then he said listen how about we do an album?
So, we did the first one called "Smack Bang".
and it's all about being smack bang in the middle of the Territory.
I wrote it and somehow we released it, and it somehow went to number 1 on the Australian Country Music Charts.
At the same time as I was doing the music, I was travelling around horse breaking.
As a kid we're always taught the old style of breaking in a horse,
with hobbles around their feet.
But it was just very slow going, I was only doing about three horses a day.
So I kept experimenting with all the psychology and after a couple of years,
I went out on my own contract on horse breaking in the Top End.
And I was going from cattle station to cattle station, every two to three weeks.
Breaking in between ten and fourteen horses, just by using a different method.
Cause then travelling was taking it's toll, always on the road.
So the idea was to base yourself here in Katherine and then instead of going to all the stations,
the stations would send their horses to here.
And then just when things looked like they were going really well,
the live export cattle ban brought the Northern Territory economy to it's knees.
Affecting everyone from cattle rangers to hairdressers,
Tom went from busy to virtually nothing overnight.
I just went, gee we've got to... yeah really think outside the box.
So I started up, singing four nights a week at the caravan parks,
to try to get extra money in.
It wasn't until those people at the caravan park, so I was singing my songs and telling a few stories,
and then they said, look can we come out and see what you do everyday?
Cause I think it's pretty interesting!
So they used to come out, and they'd see us training horses.
We'd have a pretty wild horse in the yard, we've got to try and catch it, saddle it, ride it for the first time.
Part from when we got bucked off, but um, people could see it was real.
Encouraged by the caravan park interest, Tom followed his gut and decided to launch The Outback Experience as a regular show.
I'd open the gate for three shows a week, one person would come or two people.
Part from no one my mates were up me, saying Tom,
after a few months, it's not going to work.
You know, so I painted up this old bit of tin, and wrote Katherine Outback Experience.
Because I couldn't afford any signs, and I drove 30K's out each way,
on the highway and I put it in Steele pickets.
And the council got up me and said look, listen mate you can't really do that.
So no worries, you got to take them down, no worries.
So I took them down, and took them out another 100K.
Until they got up me again, and then I used to walk around the caravan park handing out flyers.
Did you ever think, maybe my mates were right? This is too difficult,
He's too stubborn!
I'm just going to go and do something different, did that ever cross your mind?
It was a battle, and they didn't mind just digging into me.
So I don't know, I think you're barking up the wrong tree.
Being a born optimist, and not being afraid of hard work.
Tom figured he was training horses and dogs anyway, weather he did it for two people or 100.
And so he kept practising, for the day that it was 100.
And so these days, we're doing 10 or 12 shows a week, 7 months of the year,
We're just flat out!
This is like, five years down the track right?
In peak season, we're getting 140 people a day.
So are you taking the show on the road?
Yeah, so we're going to go for three months on the road.
With the truck, horses and dogs and the music gear.
I think it's over 60 shows, but we're also dropping into a lot of schools,
raising the speak up, anti-bullying message as well.
Tom's down to earth and dig hearted approach to work and life,
seems to resonate with all sorts of audiences.
You know there is something out here that really got into my system,
that inspired me,
the people, the landscape's and the work ethic up here you know?
The never give up attitude.
A lot of my songs, are pretty passionate songs about Australia.
But also, the drive or the motivation that keeps me ticking.
He combined all the passions, to make it interesting.
Exactly right.
You gotta try to find your, truth in life, you know - your obligation.
What it is you're actually here for.