Drovers Empire

by M. M. O'Reilly

It's October of 2020, but the wildfires and worldwide pandemic never happened. We return to Gungellan for a modern reboot of our beloved McLeod's Daughters. The cattle stations of Drovers Run and Killarney are still working farms, and Wilgul has found a new life. Time has passed, but the love flowing around Drovers Run has never faltered.

37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Terry and Matt had been working on the Demo car all day. They had removed all the windows and the gas tank. They had pulled out all the interior upholstery and replaced the driver's seat with an old racing seat that was more flame resistant and supportive in accidents.

"Alright, Matt. Let's get that roll cage in," said Terry.

Terry had the welding mask on and was carefully welding it into place. It was absolutely crucial that the welds be done perfectly. If a weld was not correct, and the car took an impact there, he knew that the cage could come loose and the driver could be seriously injured. He took his time and made sure each weld was done perfectly.

After Terry finished, he had Matt go through and carefully check each individual weld. This was Matt's life they were talking about, so they were going to check and recheck their work.

"Terry, it looks perfect to me. Great work." Matt said as he approved all of the welds. He finished his safety check and added a check mark next to "roll cage" on his list of safety requirements

"What else do we need to do?" Terry asked

Matt looked over his list.

"We still need to install the new petrol tank, add the steel plate to the driver's door, and we still need to weld all of the doors shut, but that shouldn't happen 'til we are finished with everything else. We also need to add strapping to the boot. Oh, and we need to check the battery and make sure it has been strapped into place and has a cover. Then, finally, we need to paint and decorate the car. We were assigned number 6 and it has to be at least half a meter tall on each side and on the bonnet."

"I reckon we can call it a day, today, and get most of that done tomorrow." said Terry

"I'm with you on that, Terry. I reckon we earned a beer for our work." replied Matt.

Terry thought about Jodi's husband. He loved spending time with Matt. He never had children of his own and he considered Matt as close to a son as any man could. Matt was a good man, a good husband, and a good father. He treated Jodi very well and made her happy. He was happy Jodi had found such a good person to share her life with.

"Make mine a ginger beer of course," replied Terry.

"I know. I picked up some Bundabergs since I knew you were coming," said Matt knowing Terry didn't drink alcohol.

He and Matt left the garage and headed to the house in search of their beers.