Apr2015_Mt MEE RAMBLINGS

Ian Wells

What a wonderful season this has turned into on our Mountain, we have good grass, good water and flourishing livestock.  The closures and disruption to meat processing in Queensland following the severe cyclone damage to Rockhampton meatworks did take the edge of what were the best fat cattle prices for a long time, but things are still not all bad.

 

Many will have noticed that this is also a great season for weeds – especially soft weeds like cobblers peg that have colonized the bare ground left by the dreadfully harsh winter and spring.  Certainly life gives a little and takes a little.

We are looking forward to the ANZAC Day dawn service at the Dahmongah Look-Out.  This of course is the centenary of the Gallipoli landing, and our service will be a bit special to mark the occasion.

Please note that we are starting a little earlier this year, so please be seated by 5.45 am.

The guest speaker was to be ex Sapper Billy Golburne, who served in Afghanistan in 2008 and was grievously injured.  Billy planned to talk about Gallipoli and about the hard road faced by so many servicemen who have found difficulty coming home to civvy street since WW1.  Billy himself and his family have had a tough ‘row to hoe’, and Afghanistan has suddenly caught up with Billy again.  He has been scheduled for remedial surgery on April 23rd and he expects to be hospitalized for a couple of weeks. 

Fortunately an old mate of mine, former agricultural scientist David Daniels, has agreed to fill the role.  David was a ‘Nasho’ who was deployed in Vietnam from 1969 until the withdrawal in 1971.  He was based in Vung Tau and Nui Dat, but his role in transport had him travelling widely, and along the way he got more than his fair share of dioxin from Agent Orange.  Nevertheless, he led a busy and successful post war professional life in apparent total normality for many years.  Then the ‘wheels suddenly fell off’ and he was declared to be totally and permanently disabled – yet another Vietnam TPI pensioner.

He will be a good speaker with a strong message.

The service will be followed at the Look-Out by the usual gold coin Gunfire Breakfast put on by members of the Mountain Top Church, and for the first time the Mt Mee Hall has agreed to open immediately afterwards to offer  light morning teas, a trading bar and a rare opportunity for Mountain people to socialize and chat.

The next big Mountain event is the annual May appearance of the ever popular Brisbane Pops Orchestra (formerly known as the St Lucia Orchestra) in the Hall on the afternoon of Sunday 31st. (Yes, we know that is Dayboro Day and we are desperately sorry, – but it remains the only day suited to the orchestra). 

All of the usual arrangements will apply and Kay (5498 2104) and Denton (3425 3049) are already taking bookings.

This programme is called “Postcards” because the orchestra will be tripping musically around the world.  Happily, on this occasion the orchestra will again be conducted by the gifted and charming Andrew Robinson, who is well known to Mountain audiences.

The guest artists  – the ‘Benchmark’ barbers shop quartet, are a very special treat. They will do at least 10 tunes in close four part harmony, without any instrumental accompaniment.  Benchmark have held the Australian Seniors Barbers Shop Quartet gold medal title continuously since 2009 and through international competition they are now ranked sixth in the world!  I need say no more.

This will be a superb musical experience – don’t miss it.