LUCAS Licciardello is a high-stakes businessman in a flannelette shirt. The Ruby dairy farmer represents a new breed of “man on the land”, who thinks as much about business plans and financial strategies as he does about pasture management and herd health. See story pages 6 and 7. Pictured: Lucas, holding nine week old Amelia, Kylie and two and a half year old, Bella Licciardello on their Ruby farm.
PAGE 2 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
Put yourself in the picture
(Let’s talk Property Purchase)
An investment in property is important to your future and the growth of your business. Whether you’re thinking of purchasing 50 or 50,000 hectares, we won’t think twice about speaking with you personally. Put yourself in the picture and establish a relationship with a finance provider who is committed to helping you
mitch21972
achieve your dreams.
Traralgon Leongatha
(03) 5176 1761 (03) 5662 5910
Warrick Wilson 0428 562 902 Allan Fletcher 0428 118 696
Paul Dodds 0408 053 269 Chris Manders 0428 148 202 www.ruralfinance.com.au
For further information on our services contact your local office.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 3
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Game of life By Matt Dunn
Local cricket is one of the binding forces of the local farming community, with many farmers using the sport not just as a way to keep fit but as a social outlet too. And so it has been for as long as the game has been played in South Gippsland. But while the local cricket scene is still littered with farmers, there are far fewer than there once were, a reflection of the changing face of
our community. Yet, the game still has the same importance to them. Nyora dairy farmer Jim Garnham, who Club, plays for Poowong Loch Cricket Cri said: “It’s a way of getting off o the farm out and getting those farm pressures pr on the cricket field.” The 63-year-old has been playing local cricket for 47 years and has farmed for all but two years of his working life. “It gives me the chance to mix with the boys. A lot of the blokes you play with become beco friends over time,” he said. “I don’t know how long lon I’ll play on for. But farming has kept kep me fit and allowed me to play for this long.” Jim was called out of retirement to ret give the younger players at the club a hand, helping to elevate many ele through the ranks. ranks Jim, and team mate Ray Humphrey, have notched up more than 1100 games between them. them And his hi team appreciates him. h cricket Jim plays pl as much for the game as the network of friends he has made mad over the decades – and the kind of o spirit the idea of “team”
Neil Grabham: the OMK president and E Grade player is one farmer who uses cricket as a way of having an interest outside the farm.
embodies. He is among a long line of farmers who has prospered through the game. Another is OMK president and dairy farmer Neil Grabham, who has played for 40 years. The 55-year-old took last year off but is back in the E Grade competition for 2008. “There’s a real social side to it, and gives you a break from the farm – which you’re basically tied to for seven days a week,” he said. “I love sport and it’s great to have a break from the farm.” In the winter months, Neil time keeps for the Korumburra Bena Football Club seconds for much the same reason. “It’s a good way to be part of the local community, especially for new people moving into a place,” he said. The Grabham family’s involvement in the local cricketing scene stretches back a long way. His grandfather, Chris Grabham set up an oval on the family farm, near the Kongwak lookout, in the 1920s. The Saturday game brought families from across the district and was an essential tool for unifying the community. “It was a family thing and a meeting place,” Neil said. Neil was playing for much the same reasons as Jim at Poowong Loch: “It’s great to see these young kids develop, making their way up through the Under 16s.” “It’s a really fantastic feeling. We’ve got young and old fellas in E Grade. We don’t take it as seriously as the A Grade blokes might, but it’s still fair dinkum,” he said. Neil has been buoyed too by the return of
a piece of the club’s history – a glittering cup that was keenly fought for between the Moyarra and Outtrim cricket clubs, as they were way back when. Found by Korumburra Cricket Club stalwart Alan Summerfield at a Camperdown clearing sale, the impressive silverware was won by the Moyarra Cricket Club in the 1888/89 season. The history of local cricket may not be quite as old as the region’s famous hills, but the game has certainly been around for quite a while. According to the historical work No Parallel by John Murphy, the local competition sprang up after the establishment of the Leongatha Recreation Reserve in 1897. Murphy wrote: “Other than rifle shooting, cricket appears to be the first sport played on a team basis in the Shire.” An early entry in the district’s cricketing annals recorded a win to the Labour Colony over the local team by three wickets. Clearly local farmers played a big part in the establishment of the competition, but so too did those who plied their trade in one of the region’s now defunct occupations – mining. One Star report from 1900, concerning a match between Leongatha and Jumbunna –farmers and coal miners – referred to those who plied their trade underground as “leather lunged larrikins who created such a din they would do credit to bedlam. “Most of them have a supreme contempt for what they term ‘teat jerkers’,” the report said. But there is little questioning the enduring legacy of the teat jerkers, not to mention beef farmers.
PAGE 4 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Once a day By Brad Lester
LAST year, Wal and Joanne H e n d r i e made a major change to how they farmed. Initially hesitant, they worried about whether they were making the right move and if everything would turn out fine. Looking back, it’s been a learning experience, but the Welshpool dairy farmers wouldn’t have it any other way. T h e y switched from milking twice a day to once and have relished the lifestyle change and farm benefits that have flowed. While other cockies joke that Wal is lazy – mind you, he stirs them by
pronouncing his love for 8am starts - he still rises at 5am to milk, but no longer needs to rush back to the dairy for afternoon milking, and so is able to focus on growing better grass and more of it. Unlike most farms in South Gippsland, the Hendries grow enough grass, silage and hay to forgo buying in grain, saving significant feed costs. The dairy doesn’t even have grain feeders. “There is a fair bit of pressure out there to milk twice a day, but the farm is going well and it has not been better,” Wal said. “At least now I don’t have to be watching the clock to be on time for milking. It’s easy enough to feel as though we’ve been left behind because everyone is getting bigger and feeding more and doing more litres. I once thought that we’re only peasants but you have only got to look at the figures.” Joanne added: “It doesn’t matter what they’re doing over the road. You’ve got to do what suits you.” Production initially dropped by 12 per cent per cow, per day, but since milking 20 extra cows, total production has returned to levels similar to twice a day milking. Fat and protein production has risen, resulting in extra income and with more time available, the Hendries are able to collect colostrum and sell it at
a premium to Murray Goulburn, and also rear bull calves for extra money. Despite milk remaining within udders for longer, cell counts are not excessively high, ranging from 140,000 to 180,000, and a good quantity of high quality milk is ensured by quickly culling poor producing cows. Changing milking routine entailed an overhaul of the way the Hendries farmed. While their property remains the same size, they are now growing more grass and still milk 230 cows on 130ha,and have 50ha set aside for young stock and conserving fodder. Their herd is predominantly crossbred Friesians and Jerseys, their finer bodies producing less milk and as such, better suited for holding milk overnight. The Hendries’ attention is now devoted to growing top quality grass and more of it. Fresh grass and plenty of it is the secret to successfully milking once a day. “If you keep the pastures short and lush, you should be able to milk. The cheapest feed you can give a cow is what you grow at home. They need to eat pasture first, then silage, then hay,” Wal said. Paddocks are topped to remove rank grass and continuously supply nutritious young growth for milkers. Even silage is not locked up but rather made from excess pasture to ensure
Milking herd: Wal and Joanne Hendrie believe Friesian-Jersey cross cows produce less milk per head and so are better suited to milking once a day.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 5
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
enough for Hendries the feed is as fresh as can be. “We’re producing less silage now but we’re getting better quality and the silage is lasting twice as long,” Wal said. Silage and hay is produced on flatter country that is easier to fertilise and harvest. Wal makes most of the silage himself with an old-fashioned forage harvester, only calling in contractors to get the job done before grass goes to seed. “Our fertiliser usage has gone way up but you can see the benefits. The grass is better, the ground is better,” Joanne said. Herd health has also benefited. On hot days, cows are milked early and spend the rest of the day in the shade, without the stress of walking back to the yards in the heat for an afternoon session. The vet has only visited once this year to pull a calf and rarely does Wal have to treat cows. “We used to have an empty rate of 15 to 20 per cent and now it’s nine per cent. We have no inductions, no synchronisations, which saves vet bills and time, and all the cows have calved within seven weeks. If your cows are there dry, they’re not making you any money,” he said. A mix of super potash and urea is spread at $5 extra per tonne, freeing Wal up for other farm duties. The Hendries were guided by War-
ragul-based farm consultant Craig McWhinney and the independent advice has helped Wal and Joanne set clear goals and achieve them. Now life is less stressful, Wal is feeling less burnout and there’s more time to spend with the young family. “I had to get up in the morning and tap myself on the head because I was enjoying the milking,” he said. It all began when Wal hurt his back 10 years ago. He could only manage morning milking and a day’s worth of farm jobs, and so the Hendries employed a worker to milk at night. Staffing hassles, with workers unable to come in at the last minute and the like, interrupted family plans and left Wal to pick up the slack. Then the drought of 2006 hit home. The Hendries were only milking once a day to get the herd through the persistent dry as the cows struggled to stand in the rock hard yard. After talking with fellow once-a-day man, Gary Allott of Binginwarri, the Hendries began milking mornings only from August last year and have not had to employ regular milkers since. “We thought, is it really important to milk twice a day? Do we really have to work that hard? Is money really that important? Could we work once a day instead and have a life?” Joanne said. It appears the answer is “Yes”.
Better quality: despite producing less silage, the fodder is of better quality according to Wal and Joanne Hendrie. This stack measures 50m long, 12m wide and two metres high, and with only 30ha worth of silage. Another 10ha was yet to be harvested.
PAGE 6 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summe Summer Edition
The businessman By Danny Buttler
LUCAS Licciardello is a high-stakes businessman in a flannelette shirt. The Ruby dairy farmer represents a new breed of “man on the land”, who thinks as much about business plans and financial strategies as he does about pasture management and herd health. With wife Kylie, Lucas operates a 270 strong herd in a business that should soon be turning over $1 million a year. It’s a huge responsibility, but the young farming couple is determined to succeed in the tough, modern world of dairy farming. They recently won the Genetics Australia award for drought recovery on a dryland system, indicating they are at the cutting edge of farm management in Australia. “At the end of the day I am running a business, the same as someone in the city running an accountants firm … it’s exactly the same,” Lucas said. “I milk cows because I enjoy it, I breed cattle because it’s a bit of a passion and I enjoy it, but if I can’t make a good living, I’ll do something else.”
Lucas and Kylie have a share farming agreement with property owner Mick Malone. Basically Mick, who used to farm the land but has moved to Inverloch, takes a half share of the milk cheque, but is responsible for maintaining farm infrastructure. The rest of the operation is up to the young couple. Share farming is the only viable option for getting into an industry that is being swallowed up by corporate farms and ever-growing local operations. “If you want to go into owning something, it’s not easy,” Lucas said. “You need to be able to pour at least 40 per cent equity and have at least $100,000 cash in the bank – it’s not a simple task, it takes time”. But escalating land prices are pushing the ownership dream out of reach for many young farmers like Lucas and Kylie. It’s a problem that Lucas puts squarely at the feet of corporate “farmers” who artificially inflate land prices. “My worry is, in ten or twelve years time …. with city money coming in … it will just get too scary with the prices.” “I don’t know who put the idea into their heads, but they must have had a meeting in some café in Lygon Street and said ‘Dairy farms - that’s what we want’. “I reckon a lot of the land value push is from outside, it’s not Jo Blow next door who says I’m going to give you $8000 an acre, it’s outside money coming in” It’s a tough environment in which to start a life as a dairy farmer, but the son of Berrys Creek potato farmers reckons he just has to work smarter to gain a foothold
in the industry. “Production means nothing if you are not making a profit,” he said. “There’s no use going to the bank and saying ‘we have massive production’ if you are making a loss.” “At the end of the day you’ve just got to run a very sharp and shrewd business.” Working smarter doesn’t mean working himself into the ground. Like most young professionals with families these days, Lucas tries to strike a balance between business and his young family. Part of that is hiring a milker for six afternoons a week, releasing Lucas to manage the farm and his personal life. “Some people look at me a bit funny for taking afternoons off, but I’m not off sitting on the jetty fishing,” he said. “Basically, we’ve got a smaller dairy, two young kids and it’s cheaper to hire someone than it is to get a divorce.” The couple don’t seem to be heading to the lawyer’s office, but it was touch-and-go for a while whether they would end up in the hands of their accountants. “The year before last it was all doom and gloom,” Kylie said. “We had to look at it last year and work out whether to keep on financing it or throw it all in and go and do something else. “That was the year that cattle weren’t worth anything, so we would have walked away with a bill, still in debt, so it was better for us to do another year and see how it panned out.” Now things are back on track, Kylie is delighted to be building a business and raising
Dairy business: Lucas Licciardello has a 270 strong herd that were grazing near the reservoir.
Food or fear: Bella has the calves wondering whether the feed in the trough is worth the risk.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 7
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
on the land her brood in the picturesque, rolling hills of Ruby. “I milked for the first couple of years until the kids came along,” she said. “I always wanted to end up on a farm - it’s a nice life. There’s not too many jobs where you can take your kids to work if you want to.” The days of Dad working from before the kids got up to after they have gone to bed, seven days a week, seem to have been consigned to history on many farms. But the age-old farmer’s desire to own his own piece of land keeps Lucas thinking of new ways to run his business just that little bit better. “I might sound like a bastard, but I want to make money … I want to own something and leave something for my kids.” It’s hard work getting there, but for Lucas, Kylie and their little girls, it seems the journey will be half the fun. “I want to get to the stage where I want to work five days a week, nine to five ... there’s more to life than just work,” Lucas said. “But if we don’t get there … we’re still having fun.”
Family farm: Lucas, holding nine week old Amelia, Kylie and two-and-a-half year old, Bella Licciardello on their Ruby farm.
Nice life: Bella and Lucas, who says there aren’t too many jobs where you can take your kids to work.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 9
PAGE 8 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
By Brad Lester
GRAEME McLennan can round up stock, cart tools and check pumps without making a sound or emitting polluting emissions.
The reason: he owns a fully electric All-Terrain Vehicle, or four-wheeler as cockies like to call them, and is the only farmer in Australia to do so. The Woodside farmer imported the ATEV-28 from the United States of America after following the development of this revolutionary agricultural machine from the early phases. The ATV does not make a sound, except for the crunch of wheels turning on gravel, allowing stock to be moved with less stress and saving farmers’ ears by day’s end. And while he had only had the 72 volt ATV for a fortnight when the South Coast Farmer dropped by, Graeme could not be happier with his purchase. “With the price of petrol going up, although that was not the main reason, it got me thinking. Fuel was costing me $50 a week but now I don’t have this cost, and I’ve been hauling this trailer with the big generator in the back and the electric bike’s been handling it all right.” The bike looks like any other ATV, but is powered by six 12 volt batteries stored between the axles and charged by a charger beneath the seat. Graeme added an extension cord to make re-charging easier. He simply plugs the bike into the mains electricity supply
overnight to charge. “If you’re only running around the farm and not down the road, into town and to the pub, its charge lasts fine. If you use it a lot, you will need to charge it at lunchtime. “The batteries are lead acid and like to be topped up. It’s old technology but it’s much better. We’re not trying to get a land speed record here, it will beat my other bike.” Since the electric motor develops maximum torque at zero revolutions, the ATV accelerates quicker than fuel-powered models that rely on increasing revolutions to gain torque. “One of the big pluses is that you don’t have to service it; maybe just get the brushes checked once a year. With petrol cars, it can be up to four services a year. And there are no oils or other fluids to dispose of either.” The ATEV-28 is efficient in its use of fuel. No electricity is drawn if the bike is not moving and four levels of torque, rather than gears, guarantee a comfortable ride. “It’s really good for moving stock because it has got a really nice slow movement. It accelerates a lot quicker, but if you drive it sensibly, you get a lot more out of the battery. “And if you are going down a hill and back off on the throttle, the battery will recharge from the engine braking power. The motor becomes a generator of sorts.” Operation is via a thumb throttle and reversing by
a lever on the left hand handlebar. A digital display shows torque, speed and battery levels, and a kill switch is a lifesaver in emergency situations. The upfront cost is comparable to petrol bikes, depending on the exchange rate with the US dollar. While Graeme freely concedes the ATV draws on coal-powered electricity, a method that produces significant carbon emissions, he believes that if every farmer used an electric ATV instead of the petrol variety, the environment would be in a better state. “We’ve got to look at what we can do to help the environment. This is a big picture thing. The ordinary quad bike puts out four times more emissions because it has no catalytic converter, no fuel injection system, no engine management system, and they’re invariably driven like there is no tomorrow. “The big argument against electric vehicles is that the energy is coming from coal. But the coal powered stations are already there and we are wasting a lot of energy from the steam these stations produce at night, which could be used to charge electric vehicles. “As bad as coal is, we’re not short of coal. I’m not supporting coal but we are short of oil and the price is reflecting that. We don’t have to go to Iraq to protect our coal reserves. “Even if we just put solar panels on the roofs of our cars we could recharge them. We could have zero emissions. Farmers particularly have to do something. Tractors and other implements they use are really bad on producing emissions.” The ATEV-28 delivers 32km per charge in “Pow-
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
er” mode with enough torque and power to pull a 454kg load. Drum brakes are fitted to the front and disc brakes to the rear. Racks are fitted front and back. Batteries mean the bike is heavier than conventional ATVs “The boys Ash and Scott are keen to go out when they finish uni to take the bike fox shooting. It’s not just the sound, but it’s the smell. They reckon foxes can smell petrol fumes. “In the USA, these bikes are popular with organic people and vineyards because they do not like petrol fumes. That whole market is waiting to be tapped into.” And if taking the brave step of importing the first vehicle of its kind on his own bat is not adequate demonstration of his thinking outside of the square, Graeme has a vision for a manufacturing plant in Yarram, specialising in electric vehicles. “I have heard of blokes who have made electric tractors and electric outboards. You can even make roadbikes that are electric.” Graeme has nurtured his fascination with electric vehicles by heading to Melbourne every Sunday to work with other volunteers on converting a petrolpowered Citroen delivery van into an electric vehicle. That van turned heads at a screening of a film about electric cars in Yarram recently. To learn more about the electric ATEV-28, phone Graeme on 5187 1291 or see the website: http://www. electricmotorsport.com/store/ems_electric_ATEV. php#
Familiar drive: experienced operators of ATVs will appreciate the thumb throttle, similar to throttles on existing bikes.
Got power: the ATEV-28 accelerates quicker than a petrol-powered bike as a result of its electric system, according to Graeme McLennan, with dogs Bella and Ben.
PAGE 10 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Why agriculture By Chris Brown
IMAGINE, for a moment, that South Gippsland Shire had no agriculture. The region may resemble parts of East Gippsland and Tasmania in this scenario, according to shire economic development officer, Ken Fraser. “We would probably have a much lower population and be largely forested and we wouldn’t have the towns we have and the industrial areas,” he said. Agriculture, before value adding and not including manufacturing,
was worth almost a third of a billion dollars to the shire in the 2005/2006 financial year. It directly, and in-directly, creates employment for thousands of people from Poowong to Welshpool. Dairying is, of course, the most important agricultural activity with about 150,000 milking cows making their home here in 2005/2006. Milk worth almost $200million was produced in the same financial year. Dairying also employs 1223 people on farms and another 395 in manufacturing in the South Gippsland Shire according to the 2006 census.
The 505 dairy farms in the shire make up 28 per cent of those in the Gippsland region. “The high and regular rainfall and nature of the soils has made it very suitable country for dairy,” Mr Fraser said. “We’ve also got the dairy processing plants here, which is possibly a factor in keeping it here and the area is close to Melbourne. “There are other sectors like beef, sheep and horticulture that are also really important.” There were about 73,000 sheep and 185,000 beef cattle in 2005/2006. Slaughtered cattle and calves were worth about
$110million and sheep and lambs just more than $10million. Obviously agricultural dollars don’t just benefit farmers. “There’s a lot of flow on business that comes from agriculture with a lot of the support businesses and the service businesses in the shire relying on it,” Mr Fraser said. “The shire’s towns also rely on rural prosperity with farmers coming into population centres to support shops and businesses.” Statistics also highlight plenty of interesting things about agriculture in the South Gippsland Shire. For example there were
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 11
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
matters
Shire economic development officer, Ken Fraser. 251 pigs in the region, about 1617 tonnes of snow peas are produced and four people are employed in aerial agricultural services. Mr Fraser predicts that agricultural industries will use more technology, farms will get bigger and new products and methods will be introduced. “I guess an example is we once didn’t have a wine industry, but we now do,” he said. “Even existing products like dairy are now being used for pharmaceutical and health products and we are likely to see more uses like that.” More organic and niche horticulture production are also likely. “In terms of farming practise there will be greater emphasis on efficiency, using water wisely and the environment,” Mr Fraser said. Future challenges include drought, climate
change and carbon credits. “The positive side is that even in drought times South Gippsland is better off than much of the state and country,” Mr Fraser said. “Climate change may bring new opportunities with things like carbon credits that land is used for,” he said. Competition for land, cheap imports from overseas and fluctuations in the dollar are other issues likely to affect the agricultural prosperity of South Gippsland Shire. “There’s an increasing demand for food worldwide and this area has a reputation as being clean and an ongoing ability to provide food and it’s seen as a food bowl area,” Mr Fraser said. “The fact we have existing dairy processors and abattoirs, and our proximity to Melbourne in terms of being able to get things there to export overseas will help.”
PAGE 12 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Swiss team By Bert van Bedaf
THE history of the Swiss in South Gippsland is closely connected to the Scottish experience in the region. To some extent it could be said that the Swiss owe it to the Scots that their heritage has become part of the region, together with many other nationalities that have settled here, including the British and the Irish, Italians, Dutch and Danes. The Aeschlimann name is well known and continues to exist in the district, but it arrived here by marriage. The history of the Aeschlimann family is well described in the thorough compilation by Ed Hawkes, called Margaret Aeschlimann, Celebrating 100 Years in Arawata, 1897-1997. Charles-Louis Aeschlimann was born
Aeschlimann family: Taken early 1900s, back row, from left, Charles, Adeline, Ernie. Front, from left are, Margaret, Mrs Margaret Aeschlimann and Emily. (From, They called it Arawata, by Joseph White, 1982).
Migration into Gippsland THE first Europeans entered Gippsland around 1840. The explorers were mainly Highland Scots, led by Angus McMillan, as well as the Polish Count Strzelecki. After exploration, prospective squatters came south over the Alps and settled on the central Gippsland plain, the Scots to the north, the Eng-
lish around Sale, and the Irish in the south around Yarram. In the 1860s, many miners came from the British Isles. Walhalla had a great cosmopolitan mix, with Germans and Swiss prominent. Walhalla was once known as the ‘Switzerland of the South’. The next big immigration wave was the selectors who moved in from 1875 onwards to set up small dairy
farms in the Strzelecki ranges of west and south Gippsland. They were mainly of British Isles origin, with a sprinkling of Swiss families, whose ancestors are still living and farming in the district today. Sources: Museum Victoria and Gippsland Immigration Wall of Recognition.
in St Blaise, near Neuchatel, in Switzerland, in 1824 or 1825. The records are unclear. According to notes prepared for the compilation, political upheavals taking place in European nations around the 1850s, including Switzerland, caused many disenchanted citizens to migrate. Charles-Louis Aeschlimann was among them. Listed as a vinedresser’s labourer and speaking only French, he arrived at Port Phillip by ship in June 1854. He settled in the Geelong area of Barrabool Hills, where Swiss migrants were establishing a wine-growing industry. Charles-Louis established Sugar Loaf vineyard. The Geelong region became a focus for Swiss settlers with their vigneron skills. In May 1866, he married Margaret McMillan, who was born near Coatbridge, Scotland, in 1841. She worked in domestic service when she met Charles-Louis.
Long line of Amiet THE Amiet family of South Gippsland also came to Australia in the middle of the 19th century, starting a long line of descendants. The first of the family Frederic was born at Boudry, also near Neuchatel in Switzerland in 1827. He was a crew member on the barque William Wilson and was 19 years old, when he landed in Port Phillip in 1846. Frederic was a vigneron and planted his first vineyard on land he purchased at the corner of Spring and Collins Streets in Melbourne. In 1850 he planted the Hermitage Vineyard on the banks of the Barwon River and became one of the most successful vignerons in the colony. His wines were used in the “toast to separation” proposed at the celebratory ball for the separation of the colonies of Victoria and NSW. In 1853 a link was formed when Abraham Amiet married Susanne Aeschlimann in Neuchatel. Governor LaTrobe “gave the hand in marriage” of Rose Pellet to Frederic Amiet in 1854. Rose’s mother was lady-in-waiting to the Governor’s wife, who also came from the Neuchatel area in Switzerland. Frederic and Rose had four children, one of whom was Charles, who married Sara Nicholson at Inverleigh near Geelong. Charles and Sara had 11 children. The family began farming at Strzelecki on land now owned by Kevin Battersby. Three of their sons carried on the farming tradition. They are Len at Wild Dog Valley, and Perce and Reg in Amiet’s Road, the northern extension of Bridge Road at Korumburra. Two of Reg’s daughters still live in the Korumburra area. Maisie Brooks and husband Bob live at Korumburra South, and Nance Brown lives in Korumburra.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 13
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
up with the Scots They had three sons and four daughters, Chris, Adeline, Alice, Emily, Charlie, Margaret and Ernest. Charles-Louis died in January, 1879, aged 52. Officially he died of “consolidation of the lungs and bronchitis”, but family tradition has it that he fell off his horse and died of blood poisoning from his injuries. Margaret tried to continue the vineyard business with the help of her sons, but misfortune altered their course. The Barwon River flooded their property and they had to be rescued. After the flood the vines caught a fatal grapevine pest, called phylloxera, and they had to be destroyed. Margaret and her children sold the property and moved to rented premises. The home was destroyed by fire and acting on advice, they settled on land at Arawata, taking possession in June 1897 and naming it Ruby Park. In 1904, Margaret divided Ruby Park among the three sons. She died in 1929, aged 88. Korumburra resident Linda Fisher is
the daughter of Ed Hawkes, who is related to the extended Aeschlimann family, who are still closely connected with the district. Angus Aeschlimann was born in February 1915, the son of Charlie Aeschlimann, one of Margaret’s sons. His sons Terry and Malcolm ‘Bluey’ Aeschlimann are living in Leongatha and Arawata respectively. Terry married Margaret Waixel, who works at The Star as a proof reader. Their children are Andrew, Elisabeth and Victoria. Bluey married Anna de Bondt in 1964. They separated in 1993. They had three children, Peggy, Karl and Alex. There are Aeschlimann descendants living in Poowong, Inverloch and Korumburra as well as on parts of the original family land at Arawata. Among the writers and recorders of the Aeschlimann compilation was Syd Whyte, who was fostered by Angus and brought up as a brother to Bluey and Terry. Syd, a brother to Ed Hawkes, is well known in the Korumburra community.
Family matriarch: Margaret Aeschlimann (nee McMillan), settled on land in Arawata in 1897. Born in 1841, she married Charles-Louis Aeschlimann (that’s their wedding photograph above) on May 5 1866. He died at the end of January 1879 and Margaret and her family of seven eventually moved from the family vineyard in Geelong to settle at Arawata on a property called Ruby Park. (Photos from Margaret Aeschlimann – Celebrating 100 Years in Arawata 1897-1997).
More than two centuries THERE are several thousand people with Swiss heritage living in Australia, but the first known Swiss citizen entering Australia was Johann Wäber (John Webber). He was commissioned by Captain James Cook to illustrate the explorer’s third and last voyage to the great continent between 1776 and 1780. Early 19th century Swiss settlers in Victoria included Sophie La Trobe, wife of Victoria’s first Gover-
Soldier son: Charles or Charlie Aeschlimann, fifth child of Margaret and CharlesLouis. He is pictured here in the uniform of the 4th Victorian Bushmen (Mounted) Contingent that fought in the Boer War. He returned safely. (Photo from Waihola 100 years – Holmes Family Centenary 1887-1987).
nor, Charles Joseph La Trobe. From the early 1840s, Swiss wine-makers began establishing vineyards in Victoria. The gold rush of the 1850s saw a dramatic increase in the number of Swiss in Victoria, including more than 2000 men from the Canton Ticino region. By 1871, 1240 Swiss were living in Victoria. Eighty-eight per cent of them were men. The number of Swiss in Victoria began to decline in the 1890s, but by 1933 almost one in three was female. By 1947, the Swiss population
in Victoria was 437, less than half of that in 1871. After World War II the Victorian population of Switzerland-born immigrants began to increase, supported by the Assisted Passage Scheme. By 1961, the population was 1547, and a further 400 had settled by 1971. The community increased slowly over the 1980s and stabilised in the 1990s. By 2001 Victoria had the largest Switzerland-born population in Australia, with a total of 2119 people.
PAGE 14 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Time saver for dairy farmers DEMANDS on dairy farmers time in the past few years has increased dramatically with herds becoming larger.
Time Saver: The Yard Blaster in action at Ken Dixon’s Dairy Farm. According to Ken’s workers the dairy yard took one hour to clean but now with the Yard Blaster it only takes 10 minutes.
They are constantly looking at ways to cut time in certain areas to give more time to others and washing the dairy yard after each milking is one area that can take an enormous amount of time if the right washing system is not in place. The Yard Blaster has not only cut washing times but also saves on water. In the past few years The Yard Blaster has been installed in many dairies around the country with fantastic results. Farmers claim they have a clean yard in a matter of minutes, freeing up labour to attend to other jobs around the farm. The Yard Blaster is a project of Gabriel (Gabby) Hakim, a well know figure in the dairy industry, who saw the need to assist farmers with their yard washing and to save massive amounts of time in the dairy. An enormous amount of time testing hydrant pump combinations was required before the right combinations were found. Dairy Pumping Systems worked closely with Gabby to bring
to the dairy farmer the best possible solution for their yard washing. They worked on the principal that volume rather than pressure is the ideal way to achieve the desired result, a system that flooded the yard clean without misting and covering yard rails and anything else with clouds of effluent. The lower the pressure the larger and therefore heavier the water droplets become and this eliminates misting and wash blowing back in the operators face in windy weather. The relationship between the pump and the hydrant is absolutely crucial. There have been attempts to copy the Yard Blaster over the years by using a multitude of different specification pumps, however they have not been able to achieve the same results and often disappointment is the result. The Yard Blaster name is protected by Trade Mark so be aware the attempted copies are definitely not a genuine, original Yard Blaster If you want to clean your yards with less water and less mess make sure you insist on a genuine Yard Blaster. It will be worth it.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008 - PAGE 15
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
Proud to dairy By Matt Dunn
Leongatha resident Sam Vagg has a love of the land that is deep and abiding. He is a country boy at heart and will always remain so. This year Sam leapt into contention for the Agricultural Societies of Victoria Rural Ambassador Award, which was decided during the Melbourne Show. The award was created to “highlight the talent, creativity and ingenuity of young rural Victorians and in doing so encourage entrants to be role models across local communities”. For Sam, his entry into this year’s award was something that came out of the blue. “I actually applied last year. I got a phone call a month or two ago asking me to do it this year: ‘We’ve got a vacant spot for you and we’ve seen your resume. We believe you fit the criteria, if you want to have a go’,” he said. “So I said: ‘I’ll give it a go.’ I slowly put together my biography for the competition.” Sam is in the merchandising and fertilising department at Landmark real estate and stock agents in Leongatha. Eventually he would like to take his knowledge and apply it to his own property. It would be fair to say that he has milk in his blood. His grandfather started the family farm, which is now run by his father. Sam has completed his second year
of an Advanced Diploma in Agriculture (in Dairy) at the National Centre for Dairy Education – Australia (NCDEA). Sam, who has energy to burn, recently participated in a Business Skills Program run by Young Achievement Australia. His company, Why ADAD, produced and marketed shirts and vests featuring the company logo and the slogan ‘Proud to Dairy’. “Why ADAD won two Victorian awards, including Best Company of the Year, and the national Community Value Award, for which three of us got to fly up to Sydney to accept. We launched the range at the Target 10 Victorian Dairy Conference at Shepparton, which was attended by more than 200 people from all over Australia. “I think our product gave farmers an insight that there are young people still in the industry, and trying to get back into the industry,” he said. He said that it was not difficult for young people to get into the farming industry, if they had a mind to. “There’s definitely a skills gap in the industry, and it’s something that needs to be addressed. There’s plenty of businesses in the rural industry that are taking young people on,” he said. “The rural industry – if you’re working for Landmark or you’re working for Elders or another company – they’re always looking for young people who are willing to get into the industry, because there’s a massive shortage of people to fill those spaces. “If you have a bit of background in
the industry and have done something after Year 12, like an advanced diploma, which is what I did, or degree in agriculture, there’s tons of jobs.” However, “long term” Sam would go back to the land and do his own thing. “I want to work on my own farm. Working in the industry I’ve got to learn a lot of ideas. I’ve worked on six different dairy farms in Australia,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from those other farmers. By doing that I’ll have an advantage when I go back to my own farm.” One of the farms Sam worked on was in Forbes in NSW, and had 2000 cows. It is perhaps indicative of the way the dairy industry is going, with a clear emphasis on big operations. Sam has ventured to New Zealand too, to check out the way things are done over there. He said the set up was “similar to South Gippsland”, although it was “getting harder for people to get started over there. “That’s why we’ve had a lot of New Zealanders coming over to buy farms. Farms here are cheap compared to what they are over there,” he said. For Sam, there is no way he would ever leave South Gippsland. He knows the value of this land. Well travelled as he is, his life and home are here. And with his can-do attitude, he is set for success.
Sam Vagg: the Leongatha resident is happier on the land, but still comfortable at the lectern.
PAGE 16 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, November 25, 2008
South Coast Farmer - Summer Edition
If the shoe fits Daredevil: in his spare time Bevan likes bull riding. But a broken arm put paid to that!
OUTTRIM apprentice farrier Bevan Harris has recently outshone students at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE to be crowned ‘Apprentice of the Year’. The 17-year-old, who is serving the first year of a four year apprenticeship
to Hazelwood North master farrier, Richard Farrar, received $500 funding towards equipment which was vital to his trade. A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse’s hoof and the placing of shoes to the horse’s foot. Bevan has grown up with horses and moved from Bairnsdale to Outtrim when he was 15 and completed his schooling at Leongatha Secondary College. His family has been heavily involved in breeding and raising horses. He travels all over Gippsland, visiting farms and working on all types of horses including Clydesdales, pony club, campdraft, and racehorses. On most Wednesdays he is out and about in South Gippsland. Some of his campdraft clients include Peter Boddy, Karen
Penny and Sue and Kero Gilliland. On another day he could be shoeing trainer Gary Rogers’ trotters and pacers at Longwarry North. Bevan can also break in horses and train drafters. Bevan was pleasantly surprised to receive his top apprentice award. “I didn’t really expect it but if you go in with the right attitude and work hard then it all pays off,” Bevan said. “Hopefully one day after I have learnt all I can, I may be able to start up my own farrier business.” The work is very challenging and no pushover. “During the course you are required to forge your own tools, the school has its own coke forge. There’s a gas forge at work as well. A lot of the tools are now purchased though but we still need to know how they’re made.”
While the job incorporates a few blacksmith skills such as fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal, farriers must also have an in-depth knowledge of veterinary medicine. At NMIT Bevan is required to learn and understand the anatomy and physiology of the horse’s lower limb. During his spare time Bevan, amongst other things, has tried bull riding. He has been to quite a few rodeos including Kyabram and Dartmour. Unfortunately Bevan broke his arm. “My boss basically said to give up the bull riding for a while and finish my apprenticeship,” Bevan said. Bevan’s girlfriend is Jessica Lomagno from Korumburra. The two met through their common love of horses. Jessica competes in dressage events.
At work: Bevan Harris was surprised but delighted that he won the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ Award. He is pictured with his girlfriend Jess Lomagno.