These works recall Joe Alimindjin Rootsey’s early career as a stockman on Starcke Station in eastern Cape York, where he was employed by Bill Rootsey, from whom he adopted his surname. Many Indigenous Australians around this time were able to find steady work as ‘cowboys’ and often attracted a level of respect denied them by broader society.

Sketched from memory as a senior artist, during his hospital visits in Cairns, this group of cartoon-like drawings humorously depict a young Aboriginal man adjusting to life in the cattle industry. Scenes shows the stockman honing his skills; at first being flung high into the air by the bucking horse and later grinning proudly as he wrangles the beast. In these drawings, Rootsey’s spritely style playfully captures the bond between working man and his working horse.