Leave Him Out There in the Longyard

Mervyn (Sonny) Bell | My Grandfather

There’s a name in my family that should be lit up in lights, and in some circles, it is. His picture hangs proudly in the Hall of Fame for a life lived in the saddle. His legacy is carried every single day by riders who strive to be just as good as he was. A king in his arena.

To some, his name carries the weight of a man living before his time: a legend, a visionary. To others, his name is unknown—but the decisions he made, the rules he changed, are now their everyday.

To me, to my family, he was and still is just Sonny. The most important role he played in his life: father, grandfather, great-grandfather.

He wasn’t only a cattleman, he wasn’t only a showjumper. He was a dirty stocking tied to the Christmas tree every year. He was at least four different Christmas trees cut down every year because the grandkids just loved the experience. He was a cup of coffee mixed with a tablespoon of Milo. He was a 100% scorecard at a homemade concert, fully dressed in a tie and Hawaiian shorts.

He was a storyteller, a rulemaker, and a rulebreaker. He was a piece of duct tape over an inappropriate word on a coffee mug, and a legend in the cattle yards. He was all day in the saddle, and all night at the dinner table.

He was strong. He was unbreakable. He was built brick by brick by the woman who loved him.

As a young schoolboy in February of 1942, Sonny wrote, “If I were a rich man, I’d own a cattle station. I’d take holidays with my family and trust my men to run my land.” At the time, he had no idea that just a few years later, he would become a very rich man—not in the way he’d imagined, but rich in the land he would come to know intimately, the land that would become part of him. This land, so fertile and alive, would be his soul’s true treasure. Sonny became rich in ways that money could never measure. He was rich in the love of a woman who captured his heart the moment he saw how good her father’s horses were. Sonny often joked that she wasn’t just easy on the eyes, but “even better in the kitchen.” He was rich in the love of his three children, who would go on to make him richer still with the love of his grandchildren and further great-grandchildren. He was rich in the respect and admiration he earned throughout his distinguished career in cattle and show jumping. He was rich in friendships that lasted a lifetime, and in a family that always felt like home. Most of all, he was rich in the stories he told, stories that would endure long after he was gone.

Kay says that from as early as she can remember, her father was her absolute idol and no-one came close to measuring up to him. Sonny purchased Kay her first pony “Spritely” and from that day on, the horses just kept coming.

In the mid-1970’s, the family moved to Del-Gowrie, managing both properties simultaneously with the help from Sonny’s number one jillaroo Robyn McGeechie. Before long, Sonny’s best old mate Archie Nixon suddenly became a very regular visitor but Sonny was never sure of where he was sleeping. Until one morning, he found two pillows tucked into Rob’s bed. Sonny asked Rob why on earth she needed two pillows. It would quickly be discovered that Robyn McGeechie would become Robyn Nixon and Sonny would tell Archie, now he’s up and taken his jillaroo. Thankfully, the new duo didn’t go too far and the famous jillaroo went onto help run Devon Court and raise two beautiful little boys; Tom & Alec. Luckily, the friendship between Archie and Sonny was never hindered, and into the fold came who became dubbed by the kids as Ma Ma; also one of Lornie’s most treasured friends.

During their time in Del Gowrie Sonny continued the Braford Stud and the Stud and horse sales being hosted on the property annually. It was on Del Gowrie that Sonny would often have show jumpers from not only Australia, but from all across the globe. They would offer their expertise, swap tales and share their love of horses. It was at this time, Sonny had Monopole standing at stud which Kay believes was the beginning of the warm blood horses show jumping career across Australia. Sonny was proud during this time to partner with Guy Crighton who Sonny would often give his horses to for Guy to jump. Not only was Sonny a local celebrity and making a large name for himself in the show jumping and cattle industry, James Rein contacted George Senna as they needed a good jumping horse. George contacted Sonny and Miss Ellie would go on to achieve real life stardom in the movie; Return to Eden.

These times were filled with many a BBQ, world-class horsemanship and the gathering of leaders across the agricultural field. These memories and legacies will continue to be the foundation on which the show jumping world finds itself today.

During these Del Gowrie years, Sonny constructed a feedlot on the property which again, was one of the first feedlots on the Jimbour Plain area. Sonny always told the story of when he bought a round bailer and was out in the paddock. He looked along the highway and so many cars were lined up that he thought it was a funeral, just to find out that everyone was wondering what the big round things in the paddock were. Once again, Sonny was a visionary and the round bale was born on the Jimbour Plains.

Many a conversation was held on Sonny’s home property of Heatherlea and he will proudly tell you that every bore in Dulacca was chosen from his dining room table. He’d tell you that Mr Campbell would visit and tell him “Sonny, get the maps” and together they’d land their fingers on a premium spot for any grazier to drop their bore. Not once weere they wrong.

One of Kay’s earliest memories was of Sonny taking her to the Roma Horse Sale. They were headed out the door when Lornie called out and said “Sonny, if you come home with another horse, you better look out”. Fast forward a few hours and up the road come Kay and Sonny (with a horse in toe). Sonny leant over to Kay and said ‘let’s drop him off in the table drain and the old woman will never know’. Proud of themselves with the mischief they’d gotten away with they snuck back into the house. The next morning over the breakfast table, Lornie looks to Sonny and says “that’s a very clever horse down in the paddock, it’s managed to put a sale number on it’s rump!”

In fact, Sonny’s greatest love, outside his family and mates was his jumping horses. Sonny had a fierce passion for show jumping, particularly when Sattelite was alongside him for the ride. Satellite was dearly cherished by Sonny and he’d tell you he wasn’t a real big horse, only about 14.2. Sonny offered him up to Kevin Bacon to ride and he chuckled as he said it. “Kevin didn’t want to ride him” he’d say “I don’t know why he wouldn’t ride him, but once I got him to ride him, I couldn’t get him off him”. Kevin went on to ride Sattelite and win a large number events, along with Katrina Townes. This wouldn’t be the only chapter in the book of Sonny and Kevin; they’d team up to train horses, jump horses, and Sonny would even star in Kevin’s published book.

He’d proudly tell you “I’ve ridden every show from Melbourne to Cairns” and he absolutely had. A love so great that it defied all laws of life, including the necessity of education. Every year, the family would pack up and pile in to complete the show circuit as a family with Sonny, Kerry, Kay and John competing and Lornie the camp master would be busy making beds, cups of tea, cleaning boots and jodhpurs and cooking up delicious meals. It’s rumoured that Lornie’s sandwiches were the secret to the families success. Given the unfortunate timing of school, the kids would need to take 4 weeks of leave. Lornie told Sonny that if he wanted them to miss out on school he would need to write a letter to the school because she wasn’t going to do it. Sonny proudly got out his pen and paper and proudly wrote “shows are more important than school. Regards, Sonny Bell” and you can bet that’s exactly what the teachers received every single year.

School sorted, kids packed and treats baked and ready. Sonny would load the truck with his cattle, Kay’s jumping horses, Kerry’s hack and occasionally John’s little grey pony; Charmer. However, John’s attention was more frequently captured by the dodgem cars down sideshow alley. John was quickly dubbed Sonny’s offsider, Head Rail picker-upper and thankfully had a head for all things mechanical and could ensure the smooth operation of any vehicle around both the shows and Heatherlea.

Kay proudly followed in her father’s footsteps in became a diligent and talented show jumper in her own right. This love for Show jumping and all things inside the ring also led her to meet and go on and marry Ranald Auld before they welcomed their two children; Mikayla and Jordan.

Kerry looked after the family talent pool in the hacking ring and was a big part of Sonny’s show cattle team and would often help out in this area. During competition, the jumping events would often have to be held up so that Sonny could show his bulls. Thankfully, Kerry and his old faithful friend Penny Vohland were always there to lend a hand. During this time, Kerry went on to meet her husband Mick and welcome their children Brooke & Rhett who often chased their passion in the camp drafting arena.

Sonny’s commitment to show jumping was a huge part of his life. He was always the first to jump in and help the younger riders train, learn and improve, often offering up his own horses to be borrowed. Sonny was always on the lookout for a horse who could jump; a horse with enough talent and enough heart. However, Sonny’s expertise in the jumping industry weren’t limited to competition, Sonny spent many years judging, course building and proudly taking on the positon of Ring Master at Local Show Societies.

 Sonny would tell the tale of the time when it was brought in that certification to judge jumping was required. Sonny attended the certification course when two hours in, Sonny got a tap on the shoulder from the instructor, “Sonny you’ve been asleep for 2 hours and you haven’t done anything” he was told, 5 minutes later and Sonny, work done returned to the instructor and said, “well, there you go”, low and behold, a slightly befuddled instructor announced that it was the best jumping course he’d ever seen.

Not only is show jumping one of Sonny’s greatest legacies, Sonny’s influence on show jumping is just as great with him and Kevin Bacon joining forces in the 1950’s and changing what was once hunting into the show jumping event it is today.

In 1999, Sonny Bell was proudly and humbly nominated by Mr Angus Lane to be inducted into the Equine Hall of Fame where an image of Sonny atop his horse is still proudly displayed in Longreach and the Toowoomba showgrounds today.  If you asked Sonny, he’d proudly tell you that there was no better place in the world than sitting at the showgrounds, eating a pie, surrounded by his mates that quickly became better known as family.

While he proudly continued to support his children, and judging the show jumping, Sonny, himself would find himself in the cattle arena proudly showing the other love of his life, his Braford cattle.

Many happy times were spent mustering cattle at Heatherlea. Lornie at the ready with morning tea, which was usually cakes, slices, pikelets and a thermos and return diligently at lunch time with the crews favourite lunch time treat; corn meat sandwiches. These mustering days were always conducted to the soundtrack of Sonny singing. Although he could usually only recite the chorus, he’d sing away the lyrics of “Leave him out there in the long yard” and “The rain tumbles down in July”, he’s dedicated and beloved working dogs; particularly Jerry, Mack, Sue, Spotty and Sooty (just to name a few) trailing along behind him

During the drought, Sonny would also keep cattle on adjistment at Fred Burton’s in Condamine. These trips were often a rough camp with Sonny in charge and his old mate Pinto and Kerry’s husband Mick always by his side to lend a hand; the trio mustering the cattle and catching the scrubber bulls, despite Mick often commenting that he missed Lorna when Sonny would only pack a tin of ham for lunch.

Sonny would go on to lease another property near Wallumbilla; Talla. Talla was not only famous in his family for holding his cattle, but much more importantly, an incredibly good fishing spot. Often the family would spend the day fishing. Sonny would throw his line in the creek, head off mustering, return to pull in fish, tuck it safely away in his saddle bag and deliver it up to the homestead for Lornie to cook him for dinner. In his later years, Sonny learnt it was much easier to delegate this task to his grandkids.

Sonny Bell wore many hats, each one legendary in its own right. To the world of show jumping, Sonny Bell was a living legend. But to his grandchildren, Sonny Bell was the world.

As we grow older, we begin to understand the challenges life brings. We learn that the work is never done, that the yards are always busy, and that mustering isn’t as easy as it looks. We come to appreciate the value of money and, even more importantly, the value of the land—Sonny always said, “Buy dirt—God isn’t making any more of it.” But when we were children, none of that mattered. When Sonny walked in from a long day’s work, no matter how sore his back or tired his feet, he would scoop us up in his arms or settle us on his lap. The exhaustion was nowhere to be seen. What mattered then was the here and now. What mattered was us.

Sonny was always ready with a bedtime story, which got decidedly harder when he realised we were old enough to read and Barbie was not in fact, “sitting on the toilet”.

Though he was a man of few words, Sonny had a way of communicating that spoke volumes. He was known for his silent gestures—raising his hand with a nod and saying "please” when it was time to make a turn. Once, while looking for photos for a show jumping reunion, we stumbled upon an image Lornie said was of an alleged old girlfriend and Sonny and his friends dressed up in beautiful ladies' dresses. When asked about it, he simply tucked the photo in his shirt pocket and muttered, “You don’t need to know anything about that.”

Sonny didn’t hold back when it came to expressing his opinions, especially when it came to matters of personal taste. When Mikki introduced her boyfriend with a bushy beard and a bald head, Sonny wasted no time in declaring, “That cowboy’s got his hair in the wrong place.” In the kitchen, he was just as honest. One time, Lornie tried adding rosemary to the vegetables, only for Sonny to announce, “Lorna, there’s sticks in my dinner!” When Mikki cooked for him, he didn’t hold back either, commenting, “Cauliflower’s a bit hard,” with his signature frankness. And heaven help anyone who served him crumbed chicken instead of crumbed fish!

Sonny was also a fair businessman, always ensuring his grandchildren were paid for their work in the paddocks, even if it was in expired cheques. True to his word, he was the biggest cheerleader in everything they did. Whether it was a homemade concert or a performance, he was always there, dressed in a tie and hat, proudly paying his way in monopoly money. As the years passed, and homemade performances became professional dance recitals, mustering turned into showing and camp drafting, and kitchen lessons transformed into solo-made cakes and pastries, his dedication never wavered. His gestures, once small, became cherished traditions: every year, he would take his eager grandchildren down to the back paddock to pick out a pine tree for Christmas, a tree that would be adorned with an old sock, much to Lornie’s dismay, while Sonny looked on with giddy excitement to see what Santa would bring him. These traditions live on today, with Digby and Henry joining their Grandma Kerry on the same Christmas hunt, and Ashby visiting the Christmas tree farm to plant her own pine tree each year with Granny Kay.

In 2004, Sonny and Lornie ventured out into the world. Rigging up their caravan, and a fully decked out Hilux (courtesy of Johns help). Off they went alongside their treasured friends, Margaretta & Huen Morgan and Robyn and Archie Nixon. The group travelled across Australia and Lornie would go on to recount this as one of the happiest time of their lives. She’d also loudly sing the praises of Paul Auld who helped facilitate their stay up north. They bought home tales of their travels alongside opals and various gifts for their grandkids.

In 2007, with heavy hearts the decision was made to sell the family’s propery to allow Sonny and Lornie to move to Toowoomba to be closer to family and medical professionals. Sonny and Lornie started their new life in Toowoomba and this is where they would stay for the next 10 years until they retired in Oakey at the CWA. During these ten years, their kids stayed by their sides and they found themselves being supported in life by John, staying Kay in Freestone and visiting Kerry in MacLagan. During these years, they were also thrilled with the arrival of their two great grandsons Digby and Henry.

In 2021, our hearts broke to farewell Lornie and life never quite looked the same. Sonny went on to stay in Oakey and was very excited to meet his new little great granddaughter, Ashby. The two were so delighted by their meeting that they both promptly took a long nap together.

As time passed and the world around him changed, Sonny did his best to keep up. The wireless became the “idiot box” once a screen was added. Trips to town became trips to the “stinkin’ rotten city,” and views across the ridges turned into, “There’s a flying cowboy!” when a paraglider flew overhead. Long days in the saddle eventually turned into days spent resting, where Sonny proudly declared himself a “busted old cowboy.” His days at Oakey CWA became filled with watching the creek, asking Kay if there were any good yellow belly fish to catch, and running to the next morning tea bell.

The days were long, but the years were short, there was never a prouder man of his land or his family. There was never a more dedicated horseman, cattleman, or grazier. Sonny’s love for his family and his work was unwavering.

Sonny, the sun has set, the horses are bushed, the dogs long retired, and the saddle leather worn and frayed. Today, we thank you, Sonny, for everything you were, for the legacy you left, and for the traditions you created. Dad, we’ve cut the Christmas tree for you, and we proudly wear it today. We’ve gathered the soil from Heatherlea and we return it to you for you and Mum to take to heaven. “Nearly 100” you’d tell us when we’d ask you how old you were. And when the minister asked us how many where up there waiting for you to come home to them, “nearly 100” was all we’d say. Saddle up our horses old cowboy, we’ll see you up there.

Leave him out there in the long yard, do not rush him.