July2013_Mt Mee Ramblings
By Ian Wells
The season seems to be copying last year’s. A wonderful autumn and early winter have again left us with more grass than we could ever hope for. Let’s hope that the tap doesn’t turn off for six months though – the way it did last July.
But again, some might argue that with the saddest cattle market for nearly forty years it doesn’t really matter any more!
The season seems to be copying last year’s. A wonderful autumn and early winter have again left us with more grass than we could ever hope for. Let’s hope that the tap doesn’t turn off for six months though – the way it did last July.
But again, some might argue that with the saddest cattle market for nearly forty years it doesn’t really matter any more!
Kalahai Downs hosted our eccentric campers on their usual Queens Birthday visit. They arrived on the Friday, and extolling the warm, mild and dry weather, they drove down to the camp site in their “4WD” Subarus and RAV 4s.etc. Three days and almost three inches of rain followed, and those same shiny vehicles just balked at the grade. So it was out with the old Zetor and “heave ho”.
But the owner of a brand new real 4WD VW utility refused a tow – “VWs never get bogged!!!” – (incredibly it was built with no towing hook). Inevitably he eventually left the machine stuck in a self-created mud pool in the paddock. I whistled a few bars of “You’ve got to wait till the sun shines Nellie” as he wearily walked out.
I ran into “Farmer Brian” Winkel the other day – he was out for a leisurely walk with his old dog! Something of a change in his lifestyle – until a few weeks ago he managed a business milking more than 550 cows. As he was fond of saying, he was so busy then that if he set off for town he would often pass himself coming home!
But the cows have gone and so has the pressure. He and his old dog are taking it easy!
What a sign of the times. Mt Mee once boasted more than sixty dairy farms – with the exit of Brian and Mary from the industry only four remain.
While dairying has not flourished in Queensland for some time and deregulation was a hurdle, it is the supermarkets that have delivered the king hit. The figures for producing milk in Queensland no longer add up!
And now the supermarkets are taking aim at our local domestic beef producers. Readers perhaps don’t know that the current “Meat prices are down… down” promotion is funded by reducing the prices the supermarket offers to the grainfed domestic beef producers by nearly 25% – at a time when feed grain prices have risen to unprecedented levels. And “No added HGP’s” also adds significantly to feed costs.
It is no wonder that now the figures for growing cattle for the supermarket trade just don’t add up either!
But never mind, we can eat chicken or import our beef from China!
The Savoyard Singers will be back in September with their current performance “Singers and Songs”- featuring those great old tunes from Richard Rogers, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe and their ilk. Their dynamic leader and musical director Phyll Griffin has been kept out of mischief lately – she is the secretary of the parent Savoyards Musical Comedy Society which has just completed a hugely successful season with its production of “Phantom of the Opera”. The leader and I went to town for it, what great theatre, what a remarkable achievement. It was just the second amateur production of “Phantom” in the world! The performers, the sets and the twenty-one piece orchestra were just top notch. I am continually amazed at the depth of talent we have in S.E. Queensland.
The Squire and his Lady are just home from an eight day excursion to Townsville and surrounds. They travelled on the tilt train – the day/night trip took eighteen hours each way and so the travel occupied most of four days. The Squire says that the ‘high speed’ train is misnamed – it didn’t ever crack ‘the ton’.
It sounds to me to be almost as much fun as the Longreach/Brisbane coach trip, and that done once, is done enough!
The fledgling Mt Mee and District Historical Society has asked Carmel Bond to visit Mt Mee and impart some of the secrets of the wonderful success of Dayboro’s Historical Society. The date is still to be fixed, but please keep your ears open for it. This will be the first occasion on which our new Society has put on a public event for residents and friends, and there could be no more appropriate first guest speaker than Carmel. Please attend and support the volunteers creating your new Society.
More information from Roy, 5498 2179 or Kevin, 5498 2282.
Finally, a reminder that the annual Mt Mee Reunion Day will be held in the Hall on Saturday 31st August, from 9.30am onwards. This is always a great chat day and everyone is welcome. Tea and coffee will be provided, but bring your own grub.
More information phone:
Kay, 5498 2267 or Anne, 5498 2154.
But the owner of a brand new real 4WD VW utility refused a tow – “VWs never get bogged!!!” – (incredibly it was built with no towing hook). Inevitably he eventually left the machine stuck in a self-created mud pool in the paddock. I whistled a few bars of “You’ve got to wait till the sun shines Nellie” as he wearily walked out.
I ran into “Farmer Brian” Winkel the other day – he was out for a leisurely walk with his old dog! Something of a change in his lifestyle – until a few weeks ago he managed a business milking more than 550 cows. As he was fond of saying, he was so busy then that if he set off for town he would often pass himself coming home!
But the cows have gone and so has the pressure. He and his old dog are taking it easy!
What a sign of the times. Mt Mee once boasted more than sixty dairy farms – with the exit of Brian and Mary from the industry only four remain.
While dairying has not flourished in Queensland for some time and deregulation was a hurdle, it is the supermarkets that have delivered the king hit. The figures for producing milk in Queensland no longer add up!
And now the supermarkets are taking aim at our local domestic beef producers. Readers perhaps don’t know that the current “Meat prices are down… down” promotion is funded by reducing the prices the supermarket offers to the grainfed domestic beef producers by nearly 25% – at a time when feed grain prices have risen to unprecedented levels. And “No added HGP’s” also adds significantly to feed costs.
It is no wonder that now the figures for growing cattle for the supermarket trade just don’t add up either!
But never mind, we can eat chicken or import our beef from China!
The Savoyard Singers will be back in September with their current performance “Singers and Songs”- featuring those great old tunes from Richard Rogers, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe and their ilk. Their dynamic leader and musical director Phyll Griffin has been kept out of mischief lately – she is the secretary of the parent Savoyards Musical Comedy Society which has just completed a hugely successful season with its production of “Phantom of the Opera”. The leader and I went to town for it, what great theatre, what a remarkable achievement. It was just the second amateur production of “Phantom” in the world! The performers, the sets and the twenty-one piece orchestra were just top notch. I am continually amazed at the depth of talent we have in S.E. Queensland.
The Squire and his Lady are just home from an eight day excursion to Townsville and surrounds. They travelled on the tilt train – the day/night trip took eighteen hours each way and so the travel occupied most of four days. The Squire says that the ‘high speed’ train is misnamed – it didn’t ever crack ‘the ton’.
It sounds to me to be almost as much fun as the Longreach/Brisbane coach trip, and that done once, is done enough!
The fledgling Mt Mee and District Historical Society has asked Carmel Bond to visit Mt Mee and impart some of the secrets of the wonderful success of Dayboro’s Historical Society. The date is still to be fixed, but please keep your ears open for it. This will be the first occasion on which our new Society has put on a public event for residents and friends, and there could be no more appropriate first guest speaker than Carmel. Please attend and support the volunteers creating your new Society.
More information from Roy, 5498 2179 or Kevin, 5498 2282.
Finally, a reminder that the annual Mt Mee Reunion Day will be held in the Hall on Saturday 31st August, from 9.30am onwards. This is always a great chat day and everyone is welcome. Tea and coffee will be provided, but bring your own grub.
More information phone:
Kay, 5498 2267 or Anne, 5498 2154.
