Hanrahan

The best bit about not being taken seriously by the media is that you don't waste time chasing quickfix and hype; We are not trapped in a false comfort zone created  by living in a cave ; a self righteous self centred comfort zone where you can cocoon yourself constantly and deal directly with the one direction criticism that manages to force its way down the entrance. ( Symbolized by Woolworth's chairman recently celebrating "the 16% " -the cut.  I don't begrudge these often effective people the comfort ( We rest too ) , but I do begrudge them their ignorance and arrogance about big picture politics .I accept their efficiency but  reject their right to rule on behalf of the world ! Worse , wannabes who think they should Some of the drip feeders think they do it tough,  but they don't know what tough is. We in the bush,  and always on the sharp edge of a profit margin ( below it or above it ) , know how to invest well ( its true- where are most of Australi

Nothing creates better mental health than a trip outside.  If you're a miner or a speculator , be  a steer  for a day .  You WILL see things differently away from the moving coloured  screens that fake the real world and trick those who spend too much time in front of them . If we have a spare dollar out here , we put it where it pays reliable dividends . We don't have enough spare dollars to gamble with them either .We are all blessed here, not because we are better by nature,  but just by being here and taking in the bounty Steers go a bit mad at this time of year;  running around the boundaries and looking for amusement . They are prepared to gamble . To run at a fence or run at a whim. They lose what spare energy they have in games Driving across the huge expanse of western plains yesterday ( takes a whole day to go across it) we noted how the sheep and cattle were largely looking after themselves ,  fattening themselves up for market without a care in the world or a man

I guess with hindsight its correct to say that "we" have sometimes pushed some country too far .But I am not convinced we haven't done some good ; and with our better understanding our kids will do better. In a dry and precarious land we all shower and live together pretty well. Its not as though we are exactly "in charge "either. Kangaroos love jumping our fences and camels ignoring them , There are millions more of the jumpers than ever before because of the food and water we provide on cleared land next to their official homes (for example, if you go to the Grampians you won't find any kangaroos at the official old sighting spot at Zumsteins. The kangaroos around the Grampians live on our land - not the National Park . YHIFOB How generous should we farmers be? We hardly make a living anywhere in the world providing cheap food for so many. Which is why its nice to go spot lighting occassionally. Now some overseas observers have finally noticed our ca

Now you may say "takes one to know one " You'd be right,  and that's the point . We all live with uncertainty and that can scare us . Here though , you see a few cycles more than most and you worry less and predict more. Be wise to be open to learn . Ya see , with people who worry about our territory  is they they don't experience it ....so they just don't know . And lookin at how they talk themselves into a panic over it , the woories  and wooriers have grown to the point that even I can see their perspective is completely outta wack. Ya see,  first of all they don't live here and therfore they don't know the situation well enough to know about the reliability and context of that thing they say we have --resilience What I really don't like and why I am saying so today is to see the unecessary negative effect of all this misapplied worry on children- e it reduces our children's faith in science and technology and our ability to manage risk

The community I grew up in had a few great sayings . One of  the best was 'takes one to know one ". Which means if you think you know the motivation of another , be careful you didn't source it from your own mind . Something about logs in your own eye there ?

Polys wonder why we don't trust them . What I don't get is this idea they have at the moment that "We Must We Should , We Have to - trust them " . "Climate change" - whatever that means . How come,  all of a sudden, we should not only change speed ,  but change tack with  these dictator( they know what's best - not us ) .  Somehow now you have become so well intentioned AND so capable - even though you can only talk about tax and not what you would do with it . I wouldn't let any door salesman get away with such wishful thinking ! What do they think we are ? fools ? I mean they said we were going to run outa water but look what happened after they built these white elephant ( desal plants ) that our kids must pay for.    Now they say we are going to run outa fuel . But ones recyclable and ones not . Seems like they got the order and the importance mixed up a  bit . Any fool farmer can tell them they wouldn't know what water conservation looks