Clermont farmer Bill Faint keeps working at 90 thanks to cattle and community
Most Australians have retired by the time they reach 90, but one Queensland cattleman is the exception. He could even be the oldest working stockman in the state. And he has been praised for his decades of service to the horse industry and his local community.
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00:00Bill Faint isn't an average grandfather.
00:06Well past retirement age, he's often found mustering cattle at Clermont.
00:11I'm 90, 90 years, and four months, don't forget the four months, and yes, I love doing what
00:19I'm doing.
00:21Raised on the family farm, he took over the business at just 20 years old, after his father
00:27tragically died while rounding up horses.
00:30That's when his horse fell and crashed into a tree and, yeah, and killed him instantly.
00:38Despite the tough start, he's stayed passionate about his work, passing knowledge onto his
00:43grandson from a young age.
00:46As far back as I can remember, we were in the car with him, you know, I remember one
00:50particular time we were mustering some bulls here and I must have been about five or six
00:54years old or something, you know, and I was sitting beside him.
00:59An early adopter of the renowned Quarter Horse breed when it came to Australia, he helped
01:04locals launch their own studs.
01:06He brought in these Quarter Horses and we went to have a look at these beautiful Quarter
01:10Horses and of course all the way home there was nothing but nag, nag, nag to Dad.
01:16And my mum and dad backed me into a stock horse stud.
01:20Bill Faint's love for his animals has played a big part in keeping him coming back here
01:24to the family property every day.
01:27But if there's one thing he loves as much as his cattle, it's his community.
01:33He had this vision to combine the showgrounds, the workshop, the sale yards together and
01:40to make it this big accessible facility, almost this hub.