The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Friday the 26th of January 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

If you can, please get your family, friends and colleagues to sign up. See the website link here.

A great day to reflect

Firstly, I hope you have a great Australia Day. Today is one of my favourite Days on the calendar. It's a good day to take a little time to reflect on how we got to where we are. If you were lucky enough to be bought up on a Farm, then you had a great start in life. Just think for a minute what that childhood was like. Also, give some thoughts to our forefathers who helped build this nation into what it is today. The people that went to war and fought for our country, how much sacrifice. Give some thought to your family, go back a few generations, and just think how hard they did it compared to how we have it now. And last but not least, please allocate some reflection time to those indigenous people who were here before us. It's a great day, so make sure to celebrate it well. Where will your thoughts be today? Reply to [email protected]

Trained jungle killer

The bush is made up of many characters. We have spoken about it in the past, and there are probably fewer around today compared to years gone by, but they are still around. I have a mate (see the story below) who epitomises what a bush character is. He's a Farmer, or now an ex-Farmer who fought in the Vietnam War and can put you under the table with his exuberant drinking at a quick pace. He collects bush things like old handpieces, signs, axes, you name it and has sheds full of the stuff, all fully restored. We nicknamed him the Wilby Burr Cutter because he spent the Summer "cutting burr", Bathurst burr, that is. Trevor (his real name) decided he was going to get a few business cards printed. On these cards was his name and, after that, the letters P.H.D. He was no Doctor, but it stood for "Post Hole Digger", which he had in brackets. It was another of his great Farming skills, alongside cutting burr. But he also had on his card "Trained Jungle Killer", which went back to his war days. Also on the card was "First wife Kerrie" in acknowledgment of his still wife Kerrie. I wish I still had a card to take a photo and show you. I say all this because this is what Australia is all about. Here is a man who went to war and fought for our country, was a Shearer and a Farmer, enjoys a few beers with his mates, loves his family, and probably used to drive a Holden Car. He has fun and can laugh at himself. How Aussies is that? Tell us what Australia Day means to you? Reply to [email protected]

I gotta mate who….

Australia Day is all about celebrating this great country with your family and mates. We spoke about mates the other day and how important they are. Even if you only ever see them once or twice a year, they are still your mates. And we have all got a mate who starts his or her sentence with "I gotta mate who…….” You know, the ones who seem to have 50 different mates, maybe more and sometimes there's a bit of mayo on the story. But storytelling is in our DNA, so don't ever stop telling them. Stories are great, even with a little bit of mayo. And even if that mate never existed. Have a great day. Reply to [email protected]

Vote for your best Lamb ad

Australian Lamb used to own Australia Day. So here are 3 old Lamb ads from over the years. Cast your vote below the ads. The top is 1, 2 is the middle, and 3 is the bottom one.

Your replies

Below are snippets from some of the replies you sent in. All quotes will remain nameless. See a few current ones below:

• “The message of their latest ad is bringing people together, but the underlying message is divisive in that they don't support a day all Australians should celebrate together”. - Aimed at MLA.

• “I cut up a three-year-old ewe last year due to it hitting a Sheepyard gate too hard. The worst meat I have ever had. Had to trim heaps of fat from it and spice it up heaps to get rid of the terrible flavour”. - This Farmer didn’t think the older meat was very nice.

• “Mulesing powder reminiscing. I can remember when I was a kid watching our mulesing contractor standing there with the mulesing powder under his armpit, shears in one hand and a ciggy in his mouth. At the completion of each Lamb, he would shake a bit of powder on the wound and take a drag of the ciggie, with smoke, powder/dust and blood going every which way. I remember Dad telling me that he’d passed away (at 50) and him commenting that it was more likely he died from all the mulesing powder he ingested than the smokes”. - This is how some mulesing contractors went about it.

• “Alongside "sustainable" I have more of those overused and meaningless words. Add "resilient" and "regenerative" to that.” - Nothing words, according to this Farmer.

• “What a disgrace MLA has turned out to be! Can we not just celebrate that we live in the greatest country on the planet?” - MLA again.

• “Get in tune with your customers and core base. We love Australia. Leave Australia Day alone. Go away with your woke nonsense”. - MLA.

• “In my opinion, MLA's objective is to maximise the returns for Farmers. I think that holding political stances isn’t one”. - MLA.

• “Switched off ABC News years ago. ABC News has been rogue for at least 20 years. I'm not an ABC fan”. - ABC is on the nose with Farming people

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

Random and associated Ag articles and images.