The History of the Squatter Circular Sheep Heads

Trivia

Did you know that Bob Lloyd used white shirt buttons to represent the pens of sheep in the original Squatter prototype. Sometimes sheep can become trapped and crushed in the corners of sheep yards (called pens).

To prevent this from happening circular sheep “pens” were developed, which removed all the corners. Looking down from above, 200 sheep in a circular pen would look just like a white button. John Sands, who published the first edition of Squatter, changed the buttons to sheep heads, to give the game more character. The irony is that when the sheep heads were changed back to buttons for one edition of Squatter, there was such an outcry from the Squatter lovers, that the sheep heads were reinstated to the game.

What is a Squatter Event?

There are many sorts of Squatter events, ranging from a game of Squatter with a few friends in a cafe, somewhere; to a major Squatter tournament in a big venue such as local library or a community hall.The key ingredient – a Squatter event involves playing a game of Squatter.We encourage Squatter events because when people get together to play Squatter, and other tabletop games, they build small bridges of friendship. The more they play, the bigger the bridge grows. Sometimes these friendship-bridges are built inside a family which can help draw families together. We believe strong families are the foundation of strong communities.

Many aspects of Squatter make it particularly suitable. Perhaps the best Squatter feature is it’s a game of inclusion, rather than a game of elimination; every player stays in until the end of the game. Why not run your own Squatter event? We will help you. If you Register Your Squatter Event we will add the winner to the Hall-of-Fame. In some situations we can assist with a winners prize.

Pictured above is the Squatter corporate jet – just joking 🙂

Squatter will support your event if we can. We love driving, so drop us a line to see when we might be in your area. Perhaps it is just a family night – maybe with a few friends. Perhaps a Cafe Event – Big or small, we would love the opportunity to be involved, and we love travelling.

The Shearing is all over and we’ve all got our cheques…

♫The Shearing is all over and we’ve all got our cheques Roll up your swags, boys, we’re off along the tracks… ♫These few lines from a once famous folk song “Click go the shears” come to my mind when Christmas, Australia Day and School holidays are all over. This folk song encapsulates the story and atmosphere of shearing. The clicking of the hand shears; the rivalry to be the gun shearer or “ringer”; the rudimentary “tar-pot- first aid” applied to sheep “… with a cut upon its back”; the celebrations after the strenuous shearing season came to a close. The wool industry is an important part of our history and our economy. It has been a profound contributor to Australia’s heritage.

Why should that matter? Is history important? Many writers proclaim that understanding history helps us to develop strong roots. It helps a community to be resilient. Squatter, has a wonderful role to play in bringing a part of Australia’s history on to the dining-room table and to the classroom. It is our desire that in the course of a game of Squatter that curious minds will seek to explore our Australian history; our geography; our technology; our literature… because therein lies the pathway to understanding our place in the world. www.iconicgames.com.au is a launching-pad for a journey of discovery. This year the Squatter website will be growing some fat lambs on improved pastures and opening the farm gate to ponder the “I wonder why…” questions. Why is the Stud Ram called “Lachlan Lad”? What’s a “Tucker Bag”? Can you really “eradicate foot rot”?…

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

For me Christmas has always been an exciting time… Holidays, Shopping, Presents, Decorations, Christmas Carols, Summer, Swimming, Family gatherings. Amidst all the excitement I like to remember two things. Firstly, Christmas is the celebration of Jesus birth and secondly, for many folk Christmas is a distressing time, perhaps because of family rifts or the financial burden or extra work and social pressures.Squatter is all about sheep and that reminds me that it was shepherds, watching their flocks that were the first to receive the news of Jesus.

Squatter is also about family entertainment, and has a wonderful way of teasing out conversations around the table. It is my belief and desire that these conversations build a platform for better communications and understanding in our families and community. As a gift idea Squatter is an excellent and economical choice, because it is suitable as a gift for the whole family.