First They Came...

Pastor Martin Neimoller is reputed to have delivered these now quite famous words, and the summary of history as he saw it below, in a speech before representatives of the Confessing Church, Frankfurt 1946.

THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

The passage above can also be quite neatly summarised as "United we stand, divided we fall" or any number of derivatives and even through modern times still rings true.

Recently on a photography website, a blog title caught my attention: "We're Photographers, Not Criminals!" It caught my attention because for so long shooters, as a somewhat semi-organised group, had been trying to get the same message through about them.

I clicked and started reading with interest.

"Join... some of Australia’s leading photographers at an Arts Freedom Australia Protest Rally to demand fair access for all to iconic public locations like Sydney Harbour, Bondi Beach and Uluru. " (Source)

The parallels to our (Shooters) cause was uncanny!

As photographers have suffered a major image blow (excuse the pun) with the increasing association between them and any host of shady characters or downright criminals (terrorists, paedophiles etc), shooters suffered (and continue to suffer) following the Port Arthur massacre and any other incident with a firearm.

And though the reasons are somewhat different, the fight to retain access to "public" lands is again common to both. For photographers the excuse of 'National Security' and 'child welfare' are the cloaks behind which the assumption of guilt until innocence is proven lie. World famous landmarks are slowly becoming out-of-bounds for professional and amateur photographers alike. While for shooters, public safety (speaking of which, I don't think it will be long before the first fatal wild dog attack occurs on public lands) does the job of shutting down access to vast tracts of so called public lands; the assumption being we're all a bunch of malicious, negligent and drunken morons.

Like the photographers plan to, the shooters attempted to bring home a contrary message to the public; that we are not malicious or negligent or lay-about drunks. That many, many of us are just your average suburbanite, or perhaps a professional offering you our services in day-to-day life, seemed to fall by the way-side as the politically correct, anti-shooting (referred to generally as "the antis"), hysterical fanatics took their cause to the media who of course lapped it up; forever hunting for the next sensationalist story.

Now of course I'm not suggesting that every minority support every other minority without question; to do so would be ridiculous. But Don't let the fact that you don't stand to benefit directly from a cause limit the support you give. Because one day, you may need their help to protect your freedoms.

March and another flood event

Almost 12 months to the day, Junee - and the surrounding Shire this time - experienced record rainfall.

The rolling claps of thunder and bright flashes of lightning accompanied the sun's rise on Sunday, 7 March. A series of storms were skirting the western part of the Shire while intermittent, light rain fell on the town itself.

By 8:30am the rain had begun to clear and while showers were forecast for the afternoon, no-one did or could have predicted what was to come.

January had been disappointing in the rainfal stakes to say the least, while February had been a good month with close to double the mean rain being recorded. The town was looking fantastic; the gardens were lush and the parks and ovals in great condition. There was an air of optimism on the streets. Talking to some of the local agronomists yielded such information as "best soil moisture profile for a decade" and "best early season rain in years". But there was more to come.
By lunchtime the clouds had started to gather and light rain soon began to fall.

1pm and while sitting at home, it was a challenge to hear the tele over the rain pounding the tin roof. It looked as though it had well and truly set in for the afternoon and being the weather/water/flooding/engineering nerd that I am, it wasn't long before my will to stay put was overwhelmed with the desire to see what I was sure would be a transformation of the landscape as the numerous dry creeks and gullies began to run water.

A quick drive around town told me that the heavier rain was falling in the southwest areas. The creek that drained this part of town had been a topic of contention within a small part of the community following some recent flood studies. And now it was running as high as I had seen it.

It was starting to become clear that this was no ordinary rain event, but instead was something of some significance. Venturing further afield only reinforced this.

A quick drive down the highway, towards Wagga, revealed just how significant this storm was. As we topped the crest of the hill, before us was a truly awesome sight.

The paddocks were awash, the road more closely resembled a river and fences were straining against the will of the water rushing off the hills.

Hundreds of metres of fencing had been bent over or ripped out, such was the force of the water.

Thinking that this would surely result in Houlghans Creek flowing we continued on along the highway to check a few more spots.

For the next 4 hours we travelled around the Shire. It was incredible to see so much water on a landscape that is so often associated with drought and fire. Creeks that hadn't seen water run in them for several years were now not only flowing, but were almost scary they were flowing so strongly. We were almost caught on Harefield Rd as flood waters rose behind us, threatening to cut the road. Several cars were stranded when their drivers attempted to negotiate the flooded roads. And the Great Southern Railway, the only direct rail link between Sydney and Melbourne, was washed out.

In total, 87mm of rain fell at Junee's official raingauge; the highest March daily total recorded since records began in 1892. But further south the falls were even more incredible. There were widespread 100mm+ falls, while the highest reported to me was 141mm. It was also Wagga's wettest March day on record with a total of 110.2mm for the day.

In the following days the scale of this event became quite apparent. Nearly $500,000 worth of damage was caused by the flooding to local roads. 20km of fencing was either ripped out our damaged beyond repair. For the first time in 12 years Houlaghans Creek ran its full length into the Murrumbidgee River and was flowing the highest it had been for some two decades.

It really was an incredible experience to see this transformation, particularly in the north of the Shire. A large lake, Lake Noorla, filled in less than a day; this lake by all accounts had not been full for some 25 - before I was born!

This Lake Noorla was apparently constructed late in the 19th century by Chinese gold miners to serve as a watering point for the drovers and their stock on the long trip from the Queensland channel country to Melbourne. Some of the old timers recall a time when regular duck hunts, fishing trips and boating took place on the lake. And to now see it in all its glory, when only a month ago it had been a dry, dusty paddock was just awesome.





Where the creek ran out of the lake, it ran across the road, stretching for almost a kilometre. In the late afternoon light, with crisp blue skies and white clouds above, the image of this water flooding through the eucalypts conjoured a romance of the old Australia. Kangaroos bounding through the grass, a spray of water with every jump, the warbling of currawongs and the screeching of galahs; it was so wonderfully Australian.


And with this rain there was now even more optimism; Mother Nature still new how to make it rain. And I love that there is connection with the elements in the Country. Out here rain is meaningful. It isn't thought of as annoying, or a pain. Out here it isn't a nuisance, but a life giver.


It transforms the country, the landscape. It washes away the dry, brown and tired facade of summer's landscape, revealing the green of new growth and arrousing the frogs and crickets in their songs. So here's to a good season; let's hope this was but a prelude!

Teaching 4 Year Olds Philosophy... Some May Think Its Crazy

But not Lynne Hinton, Principal of Barunda State School, QLD. I purposely added 15 minutes extra to my trip so I could listen to the end of the show I was that fascinated. It's definitely worth a listen!

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/06/26/2609566.htm?site=brisbane

Growing Your Own

Last weekend was the first time Nic and I made it to the Farmers' Markets in Wagga. It was also a first that we arrived with a dedicated sum of money for buying our fresh veges and other goodies. On previous occasions we've always gone to 'just have a look'.

The setting was Wollundry Lagoon in Wagga, behind the Civic Centre (I think!) and it was a great spot overlooking the lagoon, plenty of room for kids to run around etc. The morning was cool and crisp, the sweet smell of bacon, sausages and eggs carried through the air from the stalwart of markets: the sausage sizzle.

We've always been keen to grow as much of our own produce as possible; unfortunately moving from rental to rental doesn't really alow it. But the next best thing is to buy locally grown produce. This was our aim.

First stop was the obligatory breaky of bacon and egg rolls, followed by a quick lap of all the stalls to sus out what was there. An impressive vege stall caught our eye. To say it was value for money was an understatement. We walked away with two lettuces, about a kilo of baby carrots (fresh from the ground the day before) about a kilo and a half of beetroot, a BIG cauli, a bunch of spring onions and a kilo of brown onions for under $20!

Next stop was a local butcher (who, as it turned out, owns a farm just outside of town and knows my boss and his wife very well) for some organic lamb. Having been exposed to 'organic...' in the Blue Mountains, Penrith and Sydney, we were expecting to pay with a kidney - but again, value for money! A good feed of forequarter chops for $10/kg! And as I later found out, this bloke will do entire lambs and pigs for you - sensationl!

Upon returning home with our market successes, a conversation about the benefits of living on sizeable land and in a regional setting ensued. It had only been earlier that week that I had caught the end of a conversation on the radio with a well respected demographer (who's name escapes me!). His opinion was that as the cost of energy (fuel, electricity, gas etc) became more expensive, we would see something akin to a rural renaissance as people moved closer to food sources. But would we? I agree with his theory, but have the masses in the cities and suburbs simply become to far removed from the realities of life to successfully move back to a more self-reliant lifestyle? I think they have.

The art of 'growing your own', while recently seeing a revival, has faided away into the shadows of iPods, Blackberries, computers and home entertainment. For me there would be nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a meal consisting of food only grown in my own garden or a friend's - and I believe that satisfaction, that attitude is neccessary if you want to successfully 'grow your own'. You must do it for the love, not because it's a trendy following of Jamie Oliver (don't get me wrong, I believe he does it for the love). Growing your own food is more than throwing a few herbs in a garden bed or having a fruti tree in the back yard. How many grow-your-own'ers would be prepared to raise livestock for the table? How many would go down to the chook shed to find a suitable specimen for the Sunday roast, or take a fat lamb to the local butcher? I bet there wouldn't be many.

Though soon there may not be a choice in the matter. Irrespective of what the climate does over the next few decades, it would appear that humanity is destined for possibly its greatest catastrophy ever. The BBC reported just this week that the number of people suffering from hunger has hit 1 billion. That's right, roughly a sixth of the world's population is suffering from hunger. This has recently been excacerbated by the downturn in financial markets; it seems that is responsible for 100 million over the last year being added to the list of hungry. And in reinforcement of the above statements and comments, persistently high food prices have also contributed to the hunger 'crisis'.

I can't help but wonder if we, as a society, have our priorities drastically out of order. The record price paid for what was literally a sliver of land in Bondi a few years ago had me asking this question. In 2006 a block of land 120m.sq in size sold for $3m; $29,000 per metre! But what is it good for? Will it supply you with food and water? Will it allow you to dispose of your refuse and wastewater, or perhaps recycle said wastewater in a productive manner? No. All it will do, at the most basic level, is give you somewhere to sleep. As a comparison, prime agriculatural land in NSW will fetch $2-2.5k per acre...

I don't know what it will take, how many more to go hungry before we sit back and reassess our priorities and realise that the city has very few benefits. Sure it has great 'culture', clubs, and a lively night-life, but what value will all of that be when you can't put food on the table?

Better to have the land and grow your own if you ask me.

The sound of bells...

Well, I suppose as most of you who read this would have heard, the sound of wedding bells will soon echo through our families. The better half and I will be tying the knot next Spring, after having spent the last 7 years together. For the romantics out there, I proposed at a lookout overlooking the floodlit Three Sisters.

And now, we have moved full swing into operation wedding - good thing I'm doing project management this semester... Who would have thought there was so much to organise, or that the fellas actually had a part to play in the whole shebang! From bonbonneres to my personal favourite: bridal lingerie haha. But already the planning has come along in leaps and bounds: the reception and ceremony venue has been decided, located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee - well not quite on the banks but close enough - the caterer is just about decided on, photographer booked and celebrant chosen. And they say you need a minimum 12 months to organise a wedding ha! Tonight saw me trying on suits, shirts and vests, while the coffe table is buckling under the weight of bridal cattledogs, magazines and sample invitations.

But onto other things; uni is the usual mongrel it always has been, work is pretty good too and I'm slowly taking on more responsibilities which is geat. We had a good drop of rain over the Anzac weekend and the farmers are starting to get into sowing full swing.

It's funny how everything in the country has such a greater meaning. Up in the Mountains, while rain was good, it didn't have a whole lot of meaning; and for anyone in Sydney it seems it's just a royal pain in the arse. But out here you know that every drop that falls from the sky has the potential to yield an income for the farmer, bolster the spirits of the community and ultimately to provide food and produce for the country.

Of course it isn't always like that - get rain at the wrong time of year and it'll be the end of a good crop and during summer it primes weed growth which requires big $'s to control.

It wasn't a huge fall, only 20mm total, but it was just so good to watch it fall, hear it on the roof and literally watch the landscape green up. I went to Gundagai on the Friday and then again on the Sunday. The difference in 'greeness' was noticeable. Pretty incredible really.

Let's just hope there's a lot more where it came from. Some private forecasters have even had a gamble that the Murray and Darling Basins will see a turn around - let's hope so.

Ciao

Living in a small town...

This morning I heard the unfortunate news that a young local fella had been killed in a single vehicle accident just outside town last night. I didn't know him.

Yet I can't help but feel down about it; you know that most of the town will be feeling this loss and being such a small and relatively tight community the impact will be far reaching. And it truly is a loss for the town. What many don't realise is how valuable a young person is within a small town. As I said, I didn't know him, but if he was typical of the young fellas around here his life was probably already deeply woven into the workforce sporting and social communities; pretty much the three foundations of any small town.

But this is part of living in a small town; it brings life into sharp relief. It's raw and there's no hiding behind any little wall you try and put up to block these things. You feel - in this case - the downs the entire community feels, though by the same token you also feel the highs.

RIP

I think one of the hardest things about blogging is coming up with a meaningful, entertaining - hopefully even witty - title that doesn't, to put it bluntly, suck balls. It has to be the biggest block, but perhaps that's just me...

Anyway, it's pretty lonely here at the moment. Nic is off up the Mountains visiting her family and I'm at home supposedly catching up on uni work - well I am, I knocked off an assignment... It's just so hard to get motivated to do something when you're alone. This feeling of "couldn't be arsedness" kind of overwhelms you... And then suddenly the day is gone. Tomorrow will be different!

For some reason only one arm is peeling (sunburn) despite both arms receiving an equal amount of sun and follow up aloe. The non-peeling arm cops the sun when I'm driving so I'm assuming that is it.

The sunburn is from our day on the water with Simo - fishing charter extrordinaire who couldn't help it if the entire maratime population of the eastern sea board - save a few kamikaze flatties and red rockies - decided to go on a hunger strike. Still, it was a great time away and good to just relax and not really give a flying potato about anything...