DON’T FORGET COUNTRY ROADS

The state’s peak farming body has issued a challenge to match a billion-dollar Western Sydney roads pledge across regional NSW.

It’s been more than a week since the Premier announced $1 billion to “upgrade critical roads” in Western Sydney, while the rest of the state was left to make do with a $500 million road repair fund for local roads. NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said there was an even greater need to fx country roads, and called for far greater funding – and resources – to tackle the problem properly.

“We’ve seen funding promised to local councils to repair potholes – but the damage is signifcant – multiple patching of the road surface is not going to increase safety,” Mrs Reardon said.

“Our backroads have become defacto highways over the past year and while there have been some bigticket announcements, there are no clear plans of how to tackle this very serious issue that’s impacting safety and livelihoods.

“The farming communities of our state produce the food Sydney needs, it’s only fair we get safe, ft-for-purpose

‘AMAZING EFFORT’ BY SUNSHINE SUGAR TEAM

roads.”

There was an estimated 10,000km of fooddamaged roads across the state, and while local councils were doing their best to prioritise works Mrs Reardon said it was clear it was a huge task given the unprecedented damage.

“And while we’re calling for a billiondollar funding pool, the money must be accompanied by a workforce and access to materials – both are in short supply – and a strategic approach to the road network.

“The damage has led to increased traffc on regional roads at a time when harvest vehicles also need to move safely, and we will continue to raise this issue until we get a solution.”

Catastrophic fooding, unprecedented clean-up and tens of millions of dollars in damage. This is what the NSW cane industry has faced, and dealt with, over the past eleven months.

More than 1.3 million tonnes of sugar cane have been crushed across the three NSW sugar mills.

Condong mill in the Tweed completed their crush of around 395,000 tonnes of sugarcane in December of 2022, followed by Harwood in early January 2023, which crushed some 525,000 tonnes.

Broadwater mill on the Richmond is now celebrating the completion of their crushing season that didn’t even start until September 2022. The crushing of almost 400,000 tonnes fnished on the 24th of January, to the great relief of staff and growers.

As Sunshine Sugar CEO Chris Connors said, “The team at Broadwater have achieved what many would have thought impossible. To get the mill up and running in a matter of months after the most devastating food event on record, is an amazing effort that I am incredibly proud of.” The three mills will now undergo their normal off-season maintenance ahead of a July 2023 start to the next season.

Although the current cane crop is expected to be down on previous years following the fooding and wet conditions experienced last year, prices are up and the spirits of those in the NSW sugar industry are on the way back are as well.

Continued from Edition 133 (26/01/2023)

It’s called reverse culture shock which means the emotional and psychological distress suffered by some people when they return home after spending a prolonged period overseas. I had a serious attack! Back on the farm I had been made redundant as I had been replaced, both in the ‘pit’ and offce. It was now 2004 and thinking of my future, I enrolled in a two-week face to face ESL (English as a Second Language)

Course delivered by a privately owned Chinese ESL College at Forest Lake, Brisbane. Upon completion, the college offered a two-week holiday in China, teaching English to primary school students for the frst week then sightseeing for the second week, all expenses paid. It was to be my introduction to the dynamic and vibrant China. I said to myself when saying my goodbyes, “I’ll be back soon”, which turned out to be two years. At the start of these two years, in 2004, John and I bade farewell to the dairy industry with mixed feelings, reminding ourselves what an incredible journey of memorable experiences and inordinate challenges we had encountered. A roller coaster ride, and like life itself characterized by massive ups and downs. Within a week of each other, we celebrated Angela and Jason’s wedding, said goodbye to Sandy who was going to live in London, and John and I left for Madura, East Java.

Our daughter Angela, Jason and Jagger holidaying in Hawaii, 2019.

It was somewhat of a surprise to have been contacted by an Australian Government Recruiting Agency inviting me to apply for a position as Teacher/Trainer (ESL) in an Islamic Boarding School in the famous tobacco growing island of Madura, East Java.

This was even prior to actually completing my ESL course. Once again, the universe was working its magic.

There is much to be said about life on a dairy farm. It puts everything else in perspective. It requires great perseverance and fexibility. Our assignment to a 5,000-student strong pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) at a remote location in East Java from 2004 - 2006 was in stark contrast to that of English Language teachers for the Oil Exploration and Drilling Company COSL (China Oil Services) in Tianjin, China from 2006 -2011 that followed.

Joining the corporate world in China, 2006.

Firstly, we relocated to Madura, East Java, a dry, barren, tobacco growing and non-English speaking island, which was a ‘mere’ six-hour bus and ferry ride to Surabaya, the capital of East Java Province. Then to our life in Tianjin, China, population 15 million, once again non-English speaking, and lived in an apartment complex of 25 blocks each 35 stories high, complete with department store, supermarket, swimming pool and gymnasium; we had it all.

Secondly, with the Madurese population considered some of the most devout Muslims in East Java, if not Indonesia, strict Islamic protocol demanded complete gender segregation in the pesantren, not only amongst the students but classroom teachers as well. For the delivery of English Language and Methodology classes to both male and female teaching staff, a large partition down the centre of the room was used with me alternating from side to side. In China it was a different story. I was presented with an old copy of a well-known self-development book ‘Developing the Leader Within You’ by well-known self-help guru and leadership training expert John C. Maxwell and expected to write a programme with accompanying lesson plans for the three months in advance. My ‘captive whilst employed offshore in the China Sea. Examples of terminology used by the oil riggers (in English) were tool pushers, anchor handling towing resupply vessel and derrick man, vastly different to familiar terminology used on the dairy farm and in Timor-Leste. audience’ were a bunch of 21 rowdy, beer swilling, fun loving and hardworking oil riggers working offshore in the Bohai Gulf, whose main aim in life was to make adequate money to care of their own families and parents

Writing about these seven years of my life, from 2004 – 2011 conjures up images of the myriad of magical moments experienced in these two culturally diverse, non-English speaking, geographically spectacular countries of Indonesia and China. However, most of all it was the many people we met along the way, who, with kindness, generosity and true affection welcomed us into their homes. I am forever grateful for their guidance in helping me adjust to my new surroundings. However, it was time to come home, once again.

This is the story of my life, but the book is not yet fnished. It is 2011. “I’m back where I started.” Once again, I am ecstatic! Once again, I have returned to my roots. I am still a country girl at heart; I still live roughly one kilometer as the crow fies from my birthplace. For me, there is still a great sense of belonging and close emotional ties to this property, extending to the broader Kyogle community, no matter where I am in the world. south, always ending up in Santiago de

Compostela, attended the Beijing Olympics and witnessed the legendary Usain Bolt “The Lightning Bolt “, bolt home and take the fnishing line. I

‘Flemington’ with family and friends, gradually taking on tinges of purple and pink. Looking around to the north, out across the fertile ‘Flemington’ fats, I gaze lovingly at the truly majestic mountain, ‘The Helmet’, the one thing that has always been and always will remain constant in my life.

My dear friend and well-known local historian, Helen Trustum, has asked me to write this account and for that I am very grateful. It has allowed me to examine my family’s past, and now when I drive to town from ‘Flemington’, past ‘Glen Isle’ and ‘South Plains’ I acknowledge and “salute” with respect

I have met Queen Elizabeth II, walked over 5,000 kilometres across Spain, from the north, east and out gold, breaking a world record with an untied shoelace and celebrating his win before he hit have interpreted in the United Nations for charismatic and dashing ex-guerilla fghter, poet, and

Gusmao. However, nothing can quite compare with sitting out the back at looking westwards as the sun makes its hasty retreat below the horizon with the sky

Beekeeping Supplies

the fve brothers and one sister who made it possible.