May 2010 . . MT MEE NEWS
by Ian Wells
As I write, the weather is cooling off, the rains have diminished to a few spots now and then, the buffalo fly is settling and the cattle are still working their way through the unprecedented stands of grass on the Mountain.
While the very successful Cleveland Orchestra concert is now behind us, the important news is a reminder that our old friends of the St Lucia Orchestra are performing their 2010 Mt Mee concert on Sunday 30th May. See elswhere in this edition for more information, but remember that this concert is usually booked out. Get in now!
The ANZAC memorial at Mt Mee’s Dahmongah LookOut, which was planned and constructed by local volunteers and the Woodford RSL, has been completed. Father George Henry of the Anglican Church dedicated it on Sunday 18th April.
There was a sizeable gathering of residents and of the family members of those commemorated on the plaques retrieved from the Mt Mee School and restored for the memorial. Some 15 members of the Brockhurst clan gathered from as far afield as Miles for the event. It was followed by a traditional Mountain afternoon tea in the Hall’s new marquee.
As we go to press the ANZAC Day ceremony is still to come, but the planning by Mr Neil Eiby of the Woodford RSL is as meticulously detailed as ever.
Councillor Adrian Raedel has just advised that works will commence in April on the Mt Mee Road Viewing Area, to be located between the Arthur Duncan carpark and the Church. There is to be a picnic table with seating, a courtyard seat under a shade tree and small plantings.
Council has recognised that the area is a popular and relaxing stopping place and with the new facilities, families will now be able to enjoy the view and picnic in comfort.
It may relieve some of the pressure on the Dahmongah Look Out, which has become an astonishingly popular spot for picnickers at weekends.
Work should be completed by the end of the month.
The wild dog issue is never far from the minds of our livestock owners, and it is becoming a real concern to other residents too. Dogs have repeatedly been up on the verandah of one home, and showed no fear of the occupant. Others have been parading in numbers beside the swimming pool of another resident. Few calf losses have been reported lately – but only because it is not calving season. Rod Thomas and Len Maroske have now accounted for no less than 55 wild dogs since mid November and while that has relieved the pressure on some individual stock-owners, it seems to have had little effect on overall dog numbers.
Darren Shiel and Ray Johnson of the Moreton Bay Regional Council are pushing our case for help at State Ministerial level – They are wonderfully supportive and are aiming for a large scale integrated control program right through the range country to the north of Mt Cootha.
Darren organised a wild dog meeting in the Mt Mee Hall on Wednesday 14th April, which was attended by Councillor Adrian Raedel and some 35 local residents. Guest speakers included Mr Greg Mifsud- the National Wild Dog Coordinator and Mr Brent Finlay – a Warwick district sheep and cattle producer who is both State and National chair of the Queensland Dog Offensive Group (QDOG) and the National Wild Dog Management group respectively. Andrew Kingston and Will Cuke of the EPA and Jay Herrington of Forestry were also present to comment and answer questions.
The discussion was vigorous and many issues were clarified to the benefit of all parties. The outcomes were: –
· The formal creation of a Mt Mee Dog Strategy group made up of Council, EPA. Forestry and resident members. Local cattle owner and veterinarian Judy Quinn was appointed by the meeting as the local rep.
· Agreement that the case for resource allocation into research and control depends on hard information from the field. It is essential that residents report sightings of dogs or dog tracks and any incidents possibly involving dogs. Council has set up a website to facilitate reporting and has also produced some report forms.
· A plea from the Council officers for help in selecting sites for trapping.
· Acknowledgement that the activities of shooters Rod Thomas and Len Maroske were critically important during the calving season but that Council cannot offer them financial support.
· Council strongly encouraged local landholders to continue to support our cooperative Dog Fund.
· Recognition that a bounty system would not work to the advantage of residents or our tame shooters.
· Acceptance of the fact that at best, continuing use of the methods currently available might hold dog numbers at a more manageable level.
· A solution to the problem seems some way off, and lies in some landscape strategy aimed at reducing the ability of the dogs to produce litters.
Finally, there is no doubt that the prizes for modern imaginative descriptive prose lie with the real estate industry. But the nation’s winemakers are a worthy second. Try this! “It’s a rich, dense style with lifted violet aromas, layers of dark chocolate oak and rhubarb, stewed plum and black cherry fruit. Finely structured tannins give palate excellent line and control”. And it makes you drunk!
The ANZAC memorial at Mt Mee’s Dahmongah LookOut, which was planned and constructed by local volunteers and the Woodford RSL, has been completed. Father George Henry of the Anglican Church dedicated it on Sunday 18th April.
There was a sizeable gathering of residents and of the family members of those commemorated on the plaques retrieved from the Mt Mee School and restored for the memorial. Some 15 members of the Brockhurst clan gathered from as far afield as Miles for the event. It was followed by a traditional Mountain afternoon tea in the Hall’s new marquee.
As we go to press the ANZAC Day ceremony is still to come, but the planning by Mr Neil Eiby of the Woodford RSL is as meticulously detailed as ever.
Councillor Adrian Raedel has just advised that works will commence in April on the Mt Mee Road Viewing Area, to be located between the Arthur Duncan carpark and the Church. There is to be a picnic table with seating, a courtyard seat under a shade tree and small plantings.
Council has recognised that the area is a popular and relaxing stopping place and with the new facilities, families will now be able to enjoy the view and picnic in comfort.
It may relieve some of the pressure on the Dahmongah Look Out, which has become an astonishingly popular spot for picnickers at weekends.
Work should be completed by the end of the month.
The wild dog issue is never far from the minds of our livestock owners, and it is becoming a real concern to other residents too. Dogs have repeatedly been up on the verandah of one home, and showed no fear of the occupant. Others have been parading in numbers beside the swimming pool of another resident. Few calf losses have been reported lately – but only because it is not calving season. Rod Thomas and Len Maroske have now accounted for no less than 55 wild dogs since mid November and while that has relieved the pressure on some individual stock-owners, it seems to have had little effect on overall dog numbers.
Darren Shiel and Ray Johnson of the Moreton Bay Regional Council are pushing our case for help at State Ministerial level – They are wonderfully supportive and are aiming for a large scale integrated control program right through the range country to the north of Mt Cootha.
Darren organised a wild dog meeting in the Mt Mee Hall on Wednesday 14th April, which was attended by Councillor Adrian Raedel and some 35 local residents. Guest speakers included Mr Greg Mifsud- the National Wild Dog Coordinator and Mr Brent Finlay – a Warwick district sheep and cattle producer who is both State and National chair of the Queensland Dog Offensive Group (QDOG) and the National Wild Dog Management group respectively. Andrew Kingston and Will Cuke of the EPA and Jay Herrington of Forestry were also present to comment and answer questions.
The discussion was vigorous and many issues were clarified to the benefit of all parties. The outcomes were: –
· The formal creation of a Mt Mee Dog Strategy group made up of Council, EPA. Forestry and resident members. Local cattle owner and veterinarian Judy Quinn was appointed by the meeting as the local rep.
· Agreement that the case for resource allocation into research and control depends on hard information from the field. It is essential that residents report sightings of dogs or dog tracks and any incidents possibly involving dogs. Council has set up a website to facilitate reporting and has also produced some report forms.
· A plea from the Council officers for help in selecting sites for trapping.
· Acknowledgement that the activities of shooters Rod Thomas and Len Maroske were critically important during the calving season but that Council cannot offer them financial support.
· Council strongly encouraged local landholders to continue to support our cooperative Dog Fund.
· Recognition that a bounty system would not work to the advantage of residents or our tame shooters.
· Acceptance of the fact that at best, continuing use of the methods currently available might hold dog numbers at a more manageable level.
· A solution to the problem seems some way off, and lies in some landscape strategy aimed at reducing the ability of the dogs to produce litters.
Finally, there is no doubt that the prizes for modern imaginative descriptive prose lie with the real estate industry. But the nation’s winemakers are a worthy second. Try this! “It’s a rich, dense style with lifted violet aromas, layers of dark chocolate oak and rhubarb, stewed plum and black cherry fruit. Finely structured tannins give palate excellent line and control”. And it makes you drunk!
