Clyde McTaggart, Warragul, bought and traded cattle for almost eight decades

That phrase could not be more accurate about the life of Victorian cattleman Clyde McTaggart, who was still running a herd of 300-400 cattle up until the day he died, June 12, at the age of 92.

Known as 'Tiger' by many in the saleyard scene, Mr McTaggart was not born into a farming family, but sure gave the cattle industry a fair crack from the time he left school.

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His father was a builder, and his mother was a dressmaker.

As a baby of the Great Depression, life was primitive and Mr McTaggart learnt from a young age that hard work would eventually pay off, cleaning horse stables at Glen Iris at the age of 10.

Mr McTaggart officially entered the agriculture sector at the age of 15 when he was employed at the Newmarket Saleyards in Melbourne.

"He secured a job at Newmarket walking sheep over from the railways and into the salesyards," his son-in-law Luke Ascott said.

By the age of 20, Mr McTaggart had saved close to 50 pounds, opting to buy his first "skinny old Angus cows" from a property at Tallarook.

After some months in the paddock, the cattle were fattened and sold for a profit, according to life-long friend and livestock and property agent Brian Rodwell.

"He grew into a very capable fellow, leased land on the south-eastern side of Melbourne and started running a few cattle," Mr Rodwell, 89, said.

"He then bought a number of properties."

Mr Rodwell said Mr McTaggart farmed at Pound Road, Clyde, for some years "before it became a suburb", later selling it for a "big profit" before purchasing properties at Catani, Ripplebrook and Drouin.

"He then purchased a very good property at Warragul - this was a magnificent property called King Valley - and when he moved from his house in Narre Warren North to King Valley, I sold his place at Narre," he said.

"Over the next many years, I regularly had a coffee with him at the Pakenham store cattle sale because he was always looking for a bargain.

"He was a straight shooter, had an excellent eye for cattle and if he saw something worth the money, he would buy it and turn it over at a profit."

Mr McTaggart had two marriages, one in his early 20s, and another in the 1980s, from which he had a son, Graham McTaggart, and two step-daughters, Simone McTaggart and Tanya Ascott.

His life-long friend and fellow cattleman Les McBain, Cardinia, met Mr McTaggart at the age of nine - some 60 years ago.

Mr McBain was instrumental in helping Mr McTaggart throughout his life on the farm, especially in his later years.

"Most of his work was trading cattle but in the last 20-25 years, he did a fair bit of breeding," Mr McBain said.

"He always said the cow and calf unit were the money makers.

"He would often buy the cow, calve her down and sold the calf for what the cow cost so he could make a profit, and Clyde always said that was good business."

One of Mr McTaggart's regular phrases, as recalled by Mr McBain, related to the finance of his operation.

"When you made $10, you put $5 in the bank and he always said that," he said.

"Clyde lived the same way his whole life because he always put half in the bank, and spent the other half.

"I've seen cockies come and go over the years, cow speculators, who live well when the job is good, and do the opposite when it eases, but not Clyde, he was a good fella."

Mr McBain also described his friend as a reliable and punctual person who always referred to himself as a "cow man" or "cow cocky", but never as a farmer.

Mr McTaggart, a man who many described as stoic, died on June 12, 2022.