Sore and still on crutches after being knocked to the ground and then trampled by seven young bulls, Stuart Vollmerhausen says people shouldn't blame the Brahman breed for what was just "bad luck".
The co-owner of Rockstar Brahman stud at Theebine, north of Gympie in Queensland, prides himself on breeding quality cattle with excellent temperament.
So being airlifted to hospital with a broken rib, a nasty hoof cut to the head and a badly bruised knee was a shock from which he and his wife Lynda, were still recovering.
"I was hit like a freight train," Mr Vollmerhausen said.
"I can remember just looking up and I could see dirt and blood dripping down over my eye, so I knew I wasn't in a good place."
The past few months had already been challenging for the popular and experienced cattle breeder, who underwent surgery for prostate cancer in December.
The 59-year-old was trampled just eight days later on January 2 — the day he returned to work.
He was drafting young bulls in the yard when a feisty 11-month-old, 350-kilogram weaner unexpectedly charged him from behind, knocking him down and spooking six other animals who panicked and ran over him.
"I don't think there's anything I could have done differently. We don't stir our cattle up," Mr Vollmerhausen said.
"That bull was destined to be culled, he was always nervous as a calf and didn't settle down so that's why he was being drafted off — to be left behind — but he didn't appreciate it.
"We work our cattle very calmly and I was just standing there and for some reason, I didn't see him, he just came."
His wife Lynda raced to the cattle yards fearing the worst after receiving the news that her husband had been seriously injured.
"It wasn't good. He had blood everywhere and his knee was like a football. He wasn't in a good way," Ms Vollmerhausen said.
"His mum thinks it's hit him in the back and then the gate's opened and the rest came over him."
Comforted by kindness
An outpouring of community support has lifted the family's spirits at an extremely stressful time.
"Another sobering reminder of the dangers that come with working around animals," the couple's vet Dr Damien Smith wrote on Mary River Veterinary Services' Facebook page.
"Stuart has always been super cautious when it comes to safety around bulls, but when it comes to animals, accidents can happen even with the most experienced.
"We hope Stuart has a very quick recovery. Take care mate!"
Ms Vollmerhausen said her family received a lot of offers of help.
"People are just amazing when it comes to something like this," she said.
"One lady in particular, turned up here with 16 pre-cooked meals for us so we didn't have to worry."
Encouraged by friends, the couple began breeding stud Brahmans in 2018, with a focus on quality rather than quantity.
Their hard work has been rewarded with one customer paying $43,000 for a nine-month-old heifer [an immature female] last year.
They have experienced the highs and lows of life on the land, exiting dairying only to be challenged by drought and a rock bottom beef cattle market.
"They were tough times; we were getting $270 for weaner calves, and it [the market] can rock back that way too sometimes," Mr Vollmerhausen said.
The knee injury has been frustrating for the independent bushie, who was born and bred in Theebine and is more used to aiding others than accepting help.
"I don't like relying on other people, but I have to, for a while," he said.
"Give me a few weeks and I'll be back on deck again.
"I do what the doctor told me — even though you may not think so darl," he said, giving his wife a cheeky smile.
