Gene Scott, the fourth of five children of Harold and Elizabeth Scott, was born on 27th October 1923 at Moree, north-western N.S.W. The family moved from the original farm Boonery crossing through the Mungle Scrub to establish a new property, Ivanhoe, near North Star in 1927. The mode of transport was by buggy and dray with horses and cattle overland. The new property was cleared by fire to give pasturing for Hereford cattle and many very fine looking home bred horses.
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Growing up with discipline was the normal for Gene who had very strong minded parents. All family members were involved in the farm work and as they were riders from a young age, they shared the stock work. When time and finances permitted, they competed successfully in many district and city shows, campdrafting events and became very well known on the circuit.
Gene won her first ribbon riding at the Warialda Show in 1929 aged six. She featured on the cover of the Courier Mail at the Brisbane Royal Show aged nine years, awaiting an event with her grey horse, Blanco Sol. Gene even won the Novice Ladies' Cattle Draft at the Tamworth Royal Bushmen's Carnival aged only 11 years. It is understood that she was the youngest rider to achieve this success in this event.
Gene's education was typical for the outback at the time. She commenced in 1929 by correspondence with her mother assisting and later progressed to a governess. Finally, sister Bess, returned home from completing her education in Armidale to take on the task of being governess for her siblings, May, Jack and Gene and five other children from various properties in the district. These were Depression years which hit rural and city activity alike. After a short stint at Willoughby Domestic Science School, Gene in 1937 went to Armidale Church of England Hostel to board while attending the Demonstration School to sit for her primary final exam. This she passed, which then enabled her to attend the Armidale High School for two years, brought to an end by the outbreak of WWII. Gene returned to the farm at North Star.
During the worst years of the Great Depression, it was `nose to the grindstone` for the Scott family at Ivanhoe and they attended only a few local shows. As the dark days started to subside, Gene's father, Harold and the whole family travelled more frequently near and afar around the southern Queensland, northern NSW show and rodeo circuit. Horses usually travelled by train and most of the family in the Studebaker with Elizabeth and a week's supply of tucker on board.
They met with enough success to become very well known as the "Scott Family of Riders" and were sought after by journalists and photographers for stories as they were a unique family. The family competed at the Sydney Royal Easter and Brisbane Royal Shows. There is an iconic photo of them lined up at the 1934 Royal Easter Show and they won the Silver Cup Grand Challenge in 1936 at the Tamworth Royal Bushman's Carnival for Queensland defeating New South Wales. HRH THE Duke of Gloucester was present. Gene was riding Paint, a very clever and versatile horse, who the family sometimes loaned out to American trick riders. This event was very popular at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
It was during 1939 that Gene met Bill Makim, who later became her husband. She had been instructed by her mother to take the mare and sulky from Ivanhoe over to Wilga Warrina with a cake for the newly arrived neighbour.
Shortly thereafter in 1941, Gene's nursing career started at Sister Barnes' Private Hospital in Walcha where she studied for her Nurses' Entrance exam. Her determination took her to enrol and train at Tamworth Base Hospital, where the going rate was ten shillings per week at nineteen years of age.
During this time she married Bill Makim in 1943. In 1944 Gene was appointed matron at Farrer Agricultural College Tamworth. Gene and Bill returned to Wilga Warrina after Bill was discharged from the Army. Their first child, Margaret, was born in 1945; Sallie followed in 1949; Alex in 1950; Harold in 1954 and finally John in 1959.
One of Gene's great creations was the district Pony Club at North Star in 1953. Upon the death of Gene's mother, Elizabeth she decided to create a legacy in memory of her mother's tireless service to the district. Of course Gene's children were early attendees at the club, as were numerous local and visiting children. From its inception, attendance was a consistent sixty pupils annually. Gene always found a way to help less fortunate children organising their horse, saddle, bridle, camp stretcher and anything else necessary for a week's stay in a woolshed.
Gene helped establish and instruct at many other Pony Clubs including Glen Innes, Walcha, Inverell, Thallon, Yarrill Creek, Wyaga, Moree and Warialda. Safety of the children was paramount but she always made sure the whole experience was fun.
Dressage featured prominently in her instruction, largely through the influences of her sister Bess and a world-renowned teacher and friend, Bettina McDuff. Through Bettina, vaulting was also added to her instruction, and Gene established the first vaulting team in Australia with a selected group of riders from North Star Pony Club. She also encouraged competition and achievement to the extent that several former pupils achieved equine success, even abroad in the fields of dressage, eventing and polo.
In the early 1970s the family acquired another farm Warivan nearby, and Gene moved there to establish an Australian Pony Stud and Australian Stock Horse Stud with much success, as she admired and supported both breeds enormously. There she also set up a Riding School, with much satisfaction and reward.
Gene had broader interests and in 1972 took on the role of Foundation Curator of the "new look" Art Exhibition at the Goondiwindi Show. One of her first innovations was to bring a guest artist to the exhibition every year. The event was a great success and continued for many years.
When the children had grown up, Gene decided to move on and do something for herself and so left Warivan.
In 1977 she accepted the position of Riding Director at the New England Girls School at Armidale.
In 1978 she then moved to Sydney to take up the position of Administrator and Chief Instructor of the Riding for the Disabled Headquarters at Kellyville. The RDA achieved invaluable results, and during her time there, she was instrumental in setting up more centres in New Guinea and Tasmania.
In 1980, Gene joined The Land Newspaper as a horse journalist and photographer. During her many years with The Land, she received many accolades for her quality journalism and comprehensive photography, and so enjoyed wide readership.
She had managed to achieve this while training herself to do shorthand, learn to type and master modern cameras as well as entering the world of computers. She was also a very prominent and much respected judge at many Pony Clubs and Shows.
Upon retirement from The Land in 1997, Gene moved to Toowoomba to be closer to her children and grandchildren where she continued to write.
The subjects of her seven books ranged from her autobiography "Stand Up and be Counted" 1996 to the history of campdrafting (QLD and NSW) named "Get Up on His Shoulder" 1997 and the "History of Queensland Polo" 1999.
In 1999, Gene met and married Robert Willing. They delighted in each other's company for the next six years attending many shows, rodeos, polo carnivals, art exhibitions and anything else that took their fancy. Robert sadly predeceased Gene by thirteen years.
During 2011, Gene's health began to fail and together with her children, the decision was made to relocate her to a warmer climate, Buderim. Gene became a foundation resident of Regis Kuluin in late September. Whilst residing at Regis, she enjoyed all activities and regular visits from her family and old friends.
Gene gently slipped her hobbles on Monday April, 13, 2020. Gene is survived by her brother, Ken, her five children, Margaret, Sallie, Alex, Harold and John; seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.