English

Alternative forms

• boundary-rider

Noun

boundary rider ‎(plural boundary riders)

1. (Australia) A person employed to travel along the boundary of a station, to check and maintain the fencing.
   • 1892, National Association of Wool Manufacturers, Bulletin of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers, Volume 22, page 348,

     For these sixty-seven and a half miles of fence we must have three men known as boundary riders. A boundary rider is one whose duty is to see that the fence is in order.

   • 1908, Western Australian Department of Agriculture, Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Western Australia, Volume 17, page 709,

     No. 2 shows a boundary-rider. This out-back servant of the State has about 70 miles of fencing to look after and inspects the whole every six days.

   • 1988, Jan Walker, Jondaryan Station: The Relationship between Pastoral Capital and Pastoral Labour, 1840-1890, page 79,

     When profits were high enough to finance improvements, therefore, fences replaced hurdles and boundary riders replaced shepherds.

     The boundary rider was responsible, as the name suggests, for riding the run boundaries and checking the fences were secure. He was also responsible for keeping the native dog population under control.

   • 2010, Brian Sawers, The Sawers from Pitcairn, page 130,

     Patterson was a boundary rider and lived with his wife at ‘Old Pratts’ dam hut.

2. (Australia, sports, Australian rules football) A commentator on Australian rules football games who reports from the boundary of the field of play, and interviews players on the interchange bench as well as coaching and medical staff.