Episode 230. Margot Steadman – Sliding Doors led me to Dalgety Downs [Voices of the Gascoyne]
Welcome to Voices of the Gascoyne, the podcast series where we delve into the remarkable stories of the pastoralists who came before us. These men and women faced their fair share of challenges, from day-to-day aspects of communication, transport, and electricity, to natural disasters, market collapses, and the impacts of government policy.
In this series, we reflect on their journeys and capture insights that can only be gained from having made it to the other side. You’ll hear stories of their unacknowledged resilience—for them, it was simply life, but for us, it serves as both inspiration and a chance to learn for the future.
In this episode, we speak to Margot Steadman.
Upon finishing school, Margot had the ultimate “sliding doors moment” which led to a life she could never have imagined as a child. Raised in suburban Perth, she helped a friend apply for a Governess position on Landor Station in the Gascoyne, and thought nothing more of it.
When her friend backed out of the interview on the day due to nerves, Margot stepped in so the employers wouldn’t be stood up. And then, she got the job she’d never intended to apply for.
Margot ended up falling in love with the boy next door on Dalgety Downs Station, where they would spend two decades managing, then owning the property, and raising their children, before moving to Wooramel Station on the coast for another two decades.
From fixing windmills to mustering sheep, cattle and goats, dealing with death (both human and animal), to droughts and floods – with a healthy dose of laughter and good times in amongst it all, there’s not much she hasn’t seen or done.
Margot’s story is incredible, and a shining example of how you never know where life will take you, and that you don’t know what you’re capable of until you try.
To start our conversation, I asked Margot to share the story of that fateful moment that led her to Landor Station.
Voices of the Gascoyne is a Gascoyne Catchments Group project, made possible through support from FRRR’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.