The Shear History Trust's historic dray finally got some guidance with the addition of two corrugated-iron bullocks on Wednesday.
"At this stage their names are Phyllis and Laurie. Laurie's the name of our president," Ian 'Scottie' Stewart said.
The dray has been patiently waiting for some leadership since it was completed and
put in place in September.
The two bullocks, apparently a Hereford and a short-horn cross, were fashioned by Masterton artist Warren Jackson.
The tin bulls helm the recently renovated 19th-century bullock cart and are phase two of a three-stage operation for the display.
"Eventually we'll have a yoke attached to the dray pole in the middle and Laurie and Phyllis will be shackled to it," trustee Darragh Weston said.
"We've had a big kid sitting on them already," said Weston, adding that trustees do not encourage the practice of tin-bull riding.
The restoration of the dray took the best part of six months and was largely overseen by Weston who used a lot of CRC to free up the old cart's rusty wheels and axles.
The dray was built around 1900 and was originally owned by Harold Kebbell who farmed Nga Rata and Nga Puka stations, east of Alfredton.
The dray, made of native rata, rimu and maire, was used to cart wool from Nga Rata to Castlepoint.
The annual wool clip was transported to Castlepoint by the dray, pulled by eight to 12 bullocks, and onloaded to coastal ships at Castlepoint.
Most of the wool was destined for export to England and for the rest of the year the dray was assigned general farm duties at the stations.
The restoration project, which includes a shelter, and now the bullocks, was chiefly underwritten by a $7600 lotteries grant.
The dray, donated by Nga Rata's current owner Andrew Falloon, had been sitting around for 20-odd years and had been converted with a tractor hitch, Weston said.
