The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Monday, the 4th of March, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

Shortened version

This morning's newsletter will be a shortened version as I just got home from our FarmTender2024 event and our staff catch-up on Saturday. It was a full-on 3 days/nights. I am taking this week off my Farm Tender duties, as well as I have to prepare for my 50th birthday this long weekend. Well, it's really my 54th because my 50th was postponed because of COVID. So, today's version will be shortened, but we will be back to normal tomorrow. Reply to [email protected]

How did Friday go?

Some of you may or may not have known that we had our FarmTender2024 event on Friday, which attracted about 180 people. Overall, I would say it went super, and I was thrilled with everything. Our speakers delivered, all in their own unique ways, which gave attendees plenty of takeaways. We had this year's event in our Family Farm Woolshed, and everyone was impressed with the venue. Would I do it in a Woolshed again? Let me just say this: it was alot of work preparing and an equal amount packing up. The walk-in-walk-out aspects of a convention centre looks mighty attractive. We also fluked the weather, as the Wednesday before, it got to 42 degrees, and the Woolshed at that temperature was pretty uncomfortable, let me tell you. So bring on FarmTender2025; venue and location are unknown at this stage. Reply to [email protected]

The cricket ball and the Wool Bales

Check out the first photo below. It shows the stage setup we had at the event. Being in a Woolshed, we thought, why not use Wool Bales rather than chairs. That seemed to work pretty well and gave it a good atmosphere. Another idea was to have a cricket ball that I would give to the interviewees when they arrived on stage. In the case in the photo, it's Jeff McDonald who was talking all things finance and lending. If you look closely, you can see the cricket ball in his left hand. So why a cricket ball, you may ask? The reason is that when people are talking on stage, and they are not sitting behind something, they tend to get a little bit awkward. So give them the cricket ball, and they can fiddle with that, and it gives their hands something to do. In the photo, I am on the left, and I had my clipboard with my notes to use, so I was right. Anyway, I thought it worked well, and we got a 100 per cent strike rate, as nobody dropped the ball…… Reply to [email protected]

Your replies

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

• I haven’t even looked at my emails since Thursday night so to those I haven’t got back to I will try today and we will resume our normal replies tomorrow.

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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