Max Oldfield was born in the year penicillin was discovered. The year a television was sold for the first time. The year Prime Minister Stanley Bruce oversaw the transfer of Federal Parliament to the fledging nation’s capital, when just under 6000 people called the bush capital home.
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The year was 1928.
In 2018, Max Oldfield will celebrate his 90th birthday.
Alternating between his home in the Naas Valley and the rugged Booth and Mt Clear Ranges, this truly remarkable stockman appreciated the seasonal nuances of the mountains better than most.
Like young men of his era, Max was measured by the tenacity of his bushcraft, his rugged bushman’s stamina and, most of all, his prowess on the back of a horse. They bred them tough back in the day.
In the 1960s, along with his cousin Bert, Max crafted a high country stockman’s hut that still bears his name. Max and Bert ran sheep and cattle on the remote Booth Range, taking shelter from the harsh elements in their hut.
Max recently returned with his family, including a great-grandchild, to the rustic hut he built all those years ago. Stories flowed, yarns were told. History was retold by the man who created it some 45 years ago.
When asked his fondest memory, Max suggested ‘simply being in the mountains’.
He recounted how, in placing fire into the landscape, he would wait for the first autumn frost and drop matches from his horse as he rode on by. The frost would then put out the fire the following morning.
These moments serve to remind the Park Service that we are indeed custodians of a rich cultural landscape that was once home to pioneers like Max Oldfield.
With time, these rural families have moved on, but their built heritage stands proud in their shadow, testimony to the trials and tribulations of life on the land.
Today, many of our high country huts have suffered the ravages of time. Timber boards have rotted, roofs leaked, foundations shifted.
The Kosciuszko Huts Association is restoring the integrity of these mountain huts, bringing a wealth of enthusiasm along with practical experience.
Through work parties, skilled volunteers set to the task of conserving a glimpse into our past for future generations. A mission a grateful Max Oldfield paid homage too.
The wonderful book ‘Max Oldfield, The Story of his Ride’ by Richard Begbie weaves an engaging narrative. A must for any history enthusiast and available from the Namadgi Visitor Centre,
- Brett McNamara is with ACT Parks & Conservation.
