Scooping Dams in the Drought of 82

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By Dwain Duxson

Scooping Dams in the Drought of 82 - Remember the 1982 drought? It was pretty severe. I was 12 and remember feeding Sheep with Wheat in bags off the back of the Ute in paddocks that were completely bare. 

I also remember Scooping Dams, numerous Dams. But it's what you do in a drought, and back then, most of the Dams were pretty small, so every inch of water-holding capacity counted.

The tools of the trade were a Mud Scoop, two lengths of cable, a couple of "D" shackles and two Tractors. The higher horsepower one would pull the mud out of the Dam, and the other would pull the Scoop back through the Dam, ready for another go. It was a simple operation and very effective. 

A luxury in a "Dam Scooping" Tractor in those days was a radio. It was the 30th of December 1982, and I remember the exact Dam we were Scooping out. The Melbourne test match against England was in its 5th and final day, and I had it tuned into the ABC. Australia needed 37 runs to win for the last wicket. Greats Allan Border and Jeff Thompson took the crease in what was a gripping hour or so of cricket. As many of you would know, the Aussies fell 3 runs short, with Thompson edging to slip only to be caught, dropped, and then caught again. It was epic radio back when I was a cricket nut. If you are a bit younger, best to google it.....

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