Hi again On reflection, We have things so much easier than in 1902: I have mentioned the knowledge of stock nutrition and the ability to transport stock. Other things I take for granted which 100 years ago would have been a godsend: *****When the house tanks run out we put the tank on the truck and head to town for CLEAN water for the house (1000gal at a time) Beats Dysentry, Typhoid, etc any time (check out the death certificates for the time) * Polythene pipe. Its relatively cheap and easy (compared to lengths of metal pipe) to run a supply of water from one paddock to the next. * Light reliable petrol powered pumps. These are used extensively now in fire fighting and short term (I hope) movement of water. 1902 had steam powered pumps big and heavy and applicable to BIG situations only and windmills which are still useful today if you can find a good windmill mechanic ( very skilled occupation and dissappearing fast) but took some time to erect etc. *Concrete troughs. They require less maintenance than the rolled galvanised sheet metal they joined together to make troughs in 1902. Or used bore drains which wasted more than the stock drank. *Plastic tanks. Moulded in one piece we have put one in the middle of a paddock temporarily to feed a temporary trough and filled it by way of polly pipe and a petrol motor and pump in one day. Not weeks of back breaking work as the ancestors would have had to do the same. *Communication. Feeling alone is not to be recommended at times like this. (Feel used for my mental health.) ALWAYS talk about the big things that seem unsurmountable. Even though the old timers had better family and community networks, these are much harder to maintain in tough times when the call on ones time is greater for everyday work . * The Telephone, Internet etc is somewhat better (by some standards) than Telegraph and Letter particularly when needing to unburden a load of troubles. *The old timers didn't know until they got the newspaper if other parts were getting rain, or had it better or worse than themselves - crucial if sending livestock onto the stock route for months on end. 10km is a big days travel for a mob of cattle. If they are heading into worse than where they come from they will walk into a deadly trap, grazing on the way in and sealing the way out as they travelled, making retreat very hard or impossible. *Almost forgot, modern drenches. Animals have a hard time surviving if they have to feed freeloaders as well as themselves. The old timers used arsenic to rid their animals of worms. Not the most efficient and very dangerous. (Off the point, I have read 19th century directions of how to treat sheep for scab by dipping them in arsenic solution - how? The stationhands would stand waist deep in the water and dunk the animals under one by one. How many of those men reached four score and ten???) CLEAN WATER is the greatest blessing compared to 1902. Being forced to feed your babies putrid water is unimaginable and was unavoidable both on farms and in towns in the droughts of the beginning of the 20th century and before. There are no doubt many things I didn't mention or know of that made past droughts much worse to endure. Best Wishes Glynis (Counting blessings as well as whinging, and still able to laugh )