The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 28 January 1981, page 13

The Pilbara wanderer In of Red Dog

ABOVE ABOVE:

LEFT:

Red
a

Dog

before

his death

in

1979.
a

He

had look

friends

everywhere.
of Red

Solo,

dobermann

pinscher, took

close

at the statue

Dog.

No
won

one

owned

him,
wherever

but

he he

friends

went.
that

They're determined be forgotten he won't

in

People

the

mining

towns

of the

was a North-West say there never dog quite like him. a legend in a colourful Red Dog was

frontier land:

kelpie who buses,

gave

cross,

hitchhiker and
own

extraordinaire
travel

enjoyed unlimited
trucks him him
a

in cars,

trains. bank

Doting miners
account

his

and

made

and sports club meal ticket. Now Red

-

member,
is

paid-up union with a canteen

a

Dog

dead, finished by
no

poison bait

but there's

chance

he'll

National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55462507

be forgotten.

His larger-than-life statue

has been set up the entrance to
on an

in bronze boulder
at

iron

ore

Dampier,

hub

of his wide Died

ranging territory. The

plaque reads: "Red

Wanderer.

Dog November
-

the

Pilbara

by the many friends made during his travels." Part of the Red pubDog saga was
lished
in

21, 1979. Erected

by The Weekly in
how

Red Dog, teamed up briefly with a Dampier bus driver who was later killed in an acciloner, dent.
no

1978:

story intrinsically a

reader's

From then

on

Red

Dog belonged

to

one, but everyone him.

helped

to look after

He occupied
local

seat

ol honour the trip inland

behind iron
to
ore

bus

drivers, joined

train for the 320km Price and

Tom

was rightly confident of getting from drivers anywhere in the north by waiting on the side of the road. a lift

Price and

as

Red Dog's hitchhiking took him as far Perth and back, more than 3000km. He ate like a king at the local single
men's
mess

But

and at hotels. for all that, his life

was

not

shel
was

tered. In his eight-year lifetime, he shot and poisoned several times and
savage

had

fights with

other
an

ing after him

ness
. . .

could be

dogs. And lookexpensive busi-

like the time

two

Dampier

men

rushed him 350km to Port Hedland bullets in his leg. While Red Dog ered from the town surgery, his rescuers to celebrate. Some
vet

with
recovon

went

heavy
later,

fines,

loss of wages, nd reckoned that next

bills
it

they
be the used

time

would

cheaper
Later,
area

to fly in a vet

surgeon.

Rick

Fenny

came

to

and looked after Red I first Rick recalls: "When wonder

out

Dog
saw

for free.
I

him

to

brought
found "He whom
one

what was going on, he'd be I in by different people. Then

it was

the famous
all
over

Red house

Dog.
place got
to

had he'd

friends
visit,

the
it

and

my

became

of his calling points. Once

embarrassing stage where Red was customers! One chasing away my lady brought her healthy dog to be vaccinated
the

and

Red One

went

and

bit him."

sad

Sunday morning,

Red

Dog

was

brought in convulsing from strychnine poisoning. At first, he appeared to

it

get better. Then suffered brain and Rick But destined Bob beer Red
to

became He

apparent
grew

he'd

damage.
had

weaker,
down.
was

Fenny
die.

to put him memory

Dog's

not

Friends

Orky
over a

Date

and of

Heath in
a

got talking

glass

Dampier pub,
to be done.

and

decided

something ought

Orky

set

the ball rolling with

$500

donation,
fund At the

and

the
way.

Red

Dog

memorial

got under
turned

formal
up

unveiling
from

ceremony,

people

nearby mining

in 'Red Dog' T-shirts. A coltowns, some ourful wreath of gladdies, carnations and daisies was placed on the statue, courtesy

of the of

Transport Workers'
Date The
was

Union.

Orky
it all.

moved.
It'll

North-West

proud community will

put
I us on

"I'm real

welcome
map like

this statue.

the

Gundagai, NSW,
at the

reckon."
was

Guest of honour
Perth fered to donate
a

unveiling
She

sculptress Meri

Forrest.

of-

newspaper

after reading story of the Red Dog mem-

her labour

orial fund. had the hard task of re-creating a legendary dog, one she'd never seen and that so many people had known well. Happily, her work was successful. When
off

She

the Red

polythene

wraps

were

drawn

through

Meri she felt she knew

"I
was

Dog, ah admiring ripple ran the crowd, then applause. said by the time she'd finished,
the
to
life

dog

well. Red

happy
only
made

to sculpt

Dog,
to all

as

tribute not who have

dogs happier for people in

-

him, but

pioneering Australia."
KIM DOUGLAS