Luke Quaid has been on Springvale Station off and on since 1979, as a ringer, and since 1998 has been head stockman. Springvale is approximately 280sq mile in area and is situated about 60km south of Cooktown, and 200km north of Mareeba in Queensland. Springvale has a herd of 6000 Brahman cross breeders and a 3000 head feedlot operation. About 95% of the mustering is done with coachers, horses and dogs, and the other 5% with helicopter and coachers.
Luke says “Myself and some of the men have Kent Saddles and we would highly recommend them to anybody, and everybody who wants comfort and is going to spend time in the saddle”.
My first contact with Luke was a few years ago, when he phoned, telling me that he was having a lot of trouble with the saddle he was using, which was giving his horses sore backs. Luke’s horses have a fair bit of thoroughbred in them, with quite high withers, so we spent some time designing a special saddle tree to fit them.
Luke is a well known Cape York identity, and is one of those blokes who, when he is happy with something, is ready tospread the word. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have phoned for a saddle, saying, “Luke Quaid said to give you a call”, and we certainly appreciate his recommendations. Ben stayed the night at Springvale in 2005 and appreciated Luke and Leannes’ hospitality.
Image caption:
1) Luke Quaid mustering on Springvale Station