08/07/2026
Sorry cowboy, I missed posting, put in the wrong date but it doesn't mean I don't think about you when I think of all the amazing experiences I have had photographing equestrian sport especially my favourites in western disciplines.
Yours is still my favourite photo I have ever taken.
With enormous respect and admiration and in memory of your passing (suddenly) on the 7/7/19, I again share the story of you and the one and only 'Ducks Dux'
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'Long John Brekelmans' left home in 1971 as a 16yr old, full of ambition, not a lot of horsemanship under his belt, but despite that, he wanted to be a Jackaroo.
He didn't own a horse, that came four years later when at 'Wondoola Station' an indigenous stockman named 'Jimmy George suggested he get on 'Old Duck', a plain looking, hairy legged old clumper that moved so well in the yard, John had to do his best to stay on board !!
So, the self-professed useless jackaroo and stockman bought 'Old Duck' from Jan Campbell for $300 and, excited for what he felt under the saddle, John 'campaigned' (if that's the right phrase) this clumper in the Saxby Campdraft and finalled.
'Old Duck' was renamed 'Cold Duck' and the legend had truly begun.
John travelled the land, job to job, town to town, 'Cold Duck' by his side, relying on the generosity of others to keep him safe, fed and watered on the road. A generosity he never forgot, nor forgot to repay.
In his first year as a jackaroo, John attended a Max Taggart Cutting school and there was born a desire to be a Cutting Horse Trainer. The chance came when Robert Baldwin swapped a breeding service to 'Docs T Bar' for one of John's Saddles. When John showed up with 'Cold Duck' Robert asked if he had anything better to breed to. John replied that he did have better looking mares but this was the one he wanted a foal out of.
The resulting foal, 'Docs Duckling' showed lots of potential from the word go and was trained in a yard made from scavenged rail road sleepers and netting from a rubbish dump and John snuck cattle from the Julia Creek common to work before returning them.
He also tried to work goats to no avail. 'Docs Duckling' is now recognised as one of the leading dams of Australian performance horses.
The five foals she bore to Docs Freckles Oak went on to generate significant earnings in the NCHA pen.
John bred 'Docs Duckling' to 'Freckles Oak' and named the foal 'Oaks Fancy Duckling'.
He trained her on cattle borrowed from his neighbours and took her along to rodeo events with his other horses to assimilate her to crowds and in 1992, with only $10 in Cutting winnings to his name, John rode Fancy in the Tamarang Open Futurity and won reserve Champion with a prize of $15,000. John decided to hang up his Rodeo ropes, he was now a cutter. The following year John and Docs Fancy Duckling won both the NCHA Open and Non Pro Derbyβs.
βOaks Fancy Ducklingβ was bred to 'Docs Spinifex' producing 'Dashing Duckling' who had some success under the saddle of Todd Graham placing third in the Victorian Open Derby and with John in the saddle they won both Toowoomba and Goondiwindi Non Pro Derbys.
But John saw her potential more in the breeding pen than the cutting pen so he arranged with the Australian Agents of 'Sophisticated Cat', Gordon and Leonie Evans of Everston Park to put her to the USA stud.
The resulting filly was named with the help of one of John's employees.
"Something sophisticated" he requested to which she replied 'Ducks Dux'
That night, John's daughter Alana, who was completing year 12 at Rockhampton boarding school called with the news that she had been awarded Dux Of School. With such auspicious coincidence surrounding her name, John knew βDucks Duxβ was bound to succeed.
John felt that his horsemanship had not allowed his mare to shine in the way she could and when he heard hat Kiwi bon and USA based Trainer Clint Allen would be coming to Australia for the Futurity, John saw the perfect match. Clint had been one of the top 10 riders for he previous 5 years in a row, John knew they would be the right pairing.
As John and Margit watched on, Clint reaffirmed all the trust they had in him.
In the final, Clint worked and held the second cow for a marathon 40 secs, an incredible cut that ended up awarding them not only the title, but a record score of 152 pts !!
John and βDucks Duxβ (under the saddle of Clint Allen) won the 2011 NCHA Futurity.
With John in the saddle they won the NCHA Futurity 2012 Non Pro Derby and over the years compiled a resume that listed many many titles all around the country before and after these major events.
βDucks Duxβ is still the highest money earning mare in the NCHA Australia history.
John was entered into the Non Pro Rider Hall Of Fame in 2007.
βDucks Duxβ was inducted into the Horse Hall Of Fame in 2013.
In 2019, John would tell you, the NonPro Gold Cup wasnβt his best. βDucks Duxβ was back into work after slipping a foal in the previous season and she looked amazing.
They lost a cow after looking strong,.
"Just a bit of bad luck" John said to me after the run.
But they were also entered in the Pinnacle Non-Pro, an exciting new class and they were ready.
Second out in the third and final herd, great place to be.
The first Hereford steer was cut and worked well, no doubt good points on the board.
A second quick cut and the beast was worked only for a very short time, there was still over a minute left on the clock so John and βDucks Duxβ went deep to choose their final cow.
With 30 seconds on the clock, John put his hand down. This would be a super human / horse effort to get to the bell, if anyone could, it was these two β¦
The full house watched on, holding their breath. It was a fast running cow, it wouldnβt centre or slow, and with 6 seconds to go, the cow feigned left and went right, slipping passed them.
A devastating moment.
A polite applause from the large crowd watching on and a few words with Heath Sinclair on the way out.
John summed it all up.
βI cut a bit quick and didnβt work the second cow long enoughβ he said, the tears in his voice clearly audible. ββI let her down, Iβm just so privileged to own a mare like thisβ.
It was a month later, on the 7th July, John suddenly and unexpectantly, slipped away too.
No-one knows this until now, but there was a horse that was a possible vet out in the Pinnacle Open the following night.
Together with Sam Potterβs partner Kev Marsden, we had convinced John to ride βDucks Duxβ if the slot became available. Kev and I would cover the entry fee.
John was still negotiating with us βthe deal if he placedβ (God love him, of course he was !!) when word came through that the suspect horse had passed the vet inspection.
We were all disappointed. John had been keen to make up for his mistake in the Pinnacle Non-Pro.
And we had just wanted to see them one more time.
Weβll never know what might have happened β¦
But I know Iβll forever miss that quiet βhelloβ that Iβve heard over the last 7 years.
The wink of βmake sure you get some photos for usβ and just a handshake and a look in the eye as they quietly stood at the back right of the loping pen, waiting for their slot to show the world how brilliant they were together β¦ I so miss watching them.
A big thank you to Johnβs daughter Alana for allowing me to use much of her previously published article about John in the content above. Photos by me including my favourite ever Cutting photo, the lead image which was taken on the 8th June 2014. And when I took it, at my first Futurity, I asked, βIs it OK to not have a cow in the pictureβ ? (Thank you for teaching me, βItβs all about the stopβ Denise Ellis) Alana Luna
