“Modelling Enthusiasm”
Jana Leppien, Leading Hand at CPC’s Kirkimbie Station on the Northern Territory side of the NT/WA border, was one excited horse woman on the morning of July 26, 2012. She was packing up, ready to drive the horse truck and horses to Halls Creek for the annual Campdraft and Rodeo, which would be a journey of at least three and a half hours, maybe four. The “drive through the hills” behind Halls Creek is amazingly picturesque, and rough! She was taking a little black mare she’d broken in during 2007 at CPC’s Argyle Downs Station, Kimberley, WA. The mare was now at Kirkimbie and Jana was delighted “I’m so proud to pick up a horse I’ve broken in and make something of it. Just to be able to ride her at the Campdraft and know that I was able to do this – Wow!”
Jana has worked on several interstate stations for numbers of years and like many ringers, has put in time in the mines where she “hated every minute of it”. At Kirkimbie, in the role of Leading Hand and working under Manager Glenn Brooker, Jana concedes that “its hard work. Glenn throws a fair bit of responsibility at me, which is good.” She’s the leader of a small stock camp, and is quick to affirm them. “They are great, fantastic. I appreciate their abilities…. one of the workers can fix anything and they give me their opinion without being opinionated. They’re happy to follow the leader… monkey see, monkey do!
Jana was almost jumping out of her skin in anticipation of the weekend. She had agreed to a photo of herself wearing some new pouches she’d bought the night before. Her original watch pouch had ripped at the back and she’d patched it up with a zip-tie (as you do!). We didn’t mind too much that Jana’s belt wasn’t made by Kent Saddlery, in deference to a certain leather worker in W.A. who makes a pretty fair belt himSelF! Meanwhile, Jana affirmed that Kent pouches are “fantastic”, and she posed confidently for the camera, “I was a model when I was a kid… never again!” Those childhood modelling days may be over… however, each day in which Jana continues in the role of Leading Hand at Kirkimbie, she continues to be a model of enthusiasm.