OBITUARY: THERE has been a remarkable transformation of the Northern Territory's cattle industry since 1945.
Country that was once unwanted is now in strong demand; herds that were ill-bred and uncontrolled are now closely managed and carefully bred for the requirements of the market.
Management that was once little more than occasional hunting and gathering of wild cattle is now intensive and systematic. The industry still has its ups and downs but these days it is productive to an extent old-timers could not have dreamed of.
There are many reasons for these fundamental changes, not least of them the contributions of the scientists, stock inspectors and technical officers who worked for the NT's Animal Industries Branch and its various successors, from 1946 to the present day.
Colin McCool, veterinary scientist and man of many other parts, was prominent among those notable people. Colin died on the Gold Coast on June 14. We owe his memory more than a nod in passing because he made a difference, a very big difference, to the Territory.
Born in North Queensland in 1948, he loved nature, animals and reading as a boy, especially the literary classics. He could have done almost anything when he left school but chose to study veterinary science at the University of Queensland.
He met Colette Rafter, a school teacher, and married her in 1970. The couple came to Alice Springs in 1971 to begin what they thought might be a few years in the Territory. Colin had a job with the Animal Industries Branch, later the Department of Primary Production.
He quickly became involved in tuberculosis and brucellosis eradication campaigns in the Centre. His life became and endless round of herd testing and travel, from the South Australian border to the Barkly Tableland. In collaboration with highly respected and progressive pastoralists John and Nancye Gorey, Colin carried out the Territory's first successful bovine brucellosis eradication campaign at Yambah station.
Colin was a knockabout sort of bloke who had no problems living in a swag and eating from a tucker box that contained only tea, salt beef and tinned two fruits.
He immediately connected with the cattle people he met. Prominent cattle man Henry Townsend, of Labelle station in the Top End, said "He was an easy man to get to know, a good man to be with anytime and I really enjoyed his company".
"He had tremendous knowledge but at the same time he was very practical, he wasn't a scientist in an ivory tower, he could communicate his knowledge and advice in terms cattle people could understand and see the value of.
"When I met him he was based at Berrimah Farm and he was doing a lot of outstanding research work on the reproductive biology of cattle. He was very much into observation and measurement of performance.
"His research outcomes replaced mumbo jumbo, folk lore and opinion with concrete data. That helped us all to do better with our cattle' Henry said.
Colin and Colette moved from Alice Springs to Darwin in 1978. By then, Colin had a solid scientific reputation, particularly for his work with feral animals and disease control. He had also been very involved finding solutions to the many practical livestock management issues that arose as pastoralists began changing from the old time methods of handling their cattle, toward aerial mustering, road trains and complete herd control.
Colin was also widely known for the trademark cigarette in one hand and a carton of iced coffee in the other. But, underneath the knockabout veneer, he was always studying, always learning, always looking at how scientific knowledge could be better applied in the real world.
It was entirely appropriate that in 1981 he should win a Churchill Fellowship to visit the United States, Italy and South Africa to study the control of feral and wild animal populations and disease control.
Gehan Jayawardhana, today a highly regarded veterinary scientist, started work with Colin in 1986. It was Gehan's first job.
"He was a wonderful first boss, he really knew how the industry worked in the Territory. He was doing very important work that ultimately ensured the success of the BTEC program," Gehan said.
"He was brilliant at working out trials and at laboratory work. He also had a great ability to communicate with pastoralists. It was a rare combination of abilities, seldom found in one man. Within his own work team, he was always encouraging people to think outside the square."
By 1996 that two years in the Territory had stretched to 26. Colin, Colette and their daughters Jenny and Jilly then moved to Cairns. Three years later they moved again, to the Gold Coast.
Colin had been studying and teaching all the time. He became an information technology consultant on the Coast, teaching at places as far afield as Shanghai and a specialist veterinary consultant to zoos and animal sanctuaries.
Then, last year, pancreatic cancer took hold.
Colin didn't complain, he finished as much of his work as he could, accepted the inevitable and died without fuss. He was happy because Colette, Jenny and Jilly were with him. Life and achievement meant a lot to him, but family meant even more.
He had fulfilled most of his dreams and reached most of his goals. It was the Territory's good fortune that the most productive years of his life were spent here.
