EPISODE 1 OF 5
After the death of his Father, John Steely inherited the large struggling cattle station that he had grown up on. John had resented his father for never listening to his ideas about how to make the place successful. Now was his opportunity to prove himself. He worked hard and after several good years he became quite wealthy. He re alised that he no longer had to do the hard manual work himself as he could afford to employ others to do all the physical work for him. All that he had to do was manage and supervise. This was easier on the body but had its own stresses as well. Even so, John wasn’t satisfied. It was not loneliness; he was too busy to be lonely. So he thought: “What can make me happy? Satisfied?” He had tried marriage, but it had ended in dis aster. He was giving relationships a break for now. “What do I really like doing?” he thought, “I really like being the boss. I like the challenge of setting a goal and working toward it. I like having targets and organis ing people to work toward meeting them or better exceeding them!” So he looked at his property and decided that over the next 10 years he would triple the size of his property and wealth.In effect, he would own the en tire district. This would mean being shrewd, tough and at times cunning, perhaps even ruthless, well, within reason. He could see his friends at the club praising him and as piring to be like him in their business deal ings. He might even offer to mentor one or two – if he has time. Something warned him in the back of his mind: John, people could get hurt, left high and dry, – but he reasoned “that’s life – one man’s gain is an others loss.” Five years into the plan and the rewards were flowing in. He moved into a large well-kept home in the city. He employed a full-time housekeeper and gardener. Every week he would fly to the property. He re warded himself with toys: classic cars, a small seafaring yacht, a Ducati 1199 Super Bike, Harley Davison Road King and of course his weekly commuter, his Cessna 6-seater airplane. Seven years into this ten-year plan there was still one unresolved problem. The problem of Jacob Ryan. Eve rything was going splendidly, except this stubborn old friend of his fathers who would not cooperate. John had tried to be rea sonable. He had approached Ryan several times offering to buy his small run-down place, but Ryan had refused. Steely’s Enter prises now surrounded Jacob Ryan’s place.
John had decided that Jacob was a silly old fool and had to go, and he would, one way or the other.
If you enjoyed reading “John Steely”, be sure to catch the second episode in next week’s Canowindra Phoenix.