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What Makes Country Life So Good?

History of Old Canowie

With our “centrefold” story about the Broad family at Old Canowie, near Hallett, it seems a good time to explain some of its history.

Old Canowie was originally the site of the large Canowie Station, a pastoral property established in 1946 that became a centre for breeding influential Merino sheep and Shorthorn cattle. It was one of the earliest corporate pastoral companies, with ownership and management involving many prominent SA pastoralists. The property was later subdivided (part of the Strangways Act of 1868, that aimed to break up the large holdings of early squatters to encourage closer settlement. It allowed farmers to buy smaller portions of highly productive farm land with a 25% deposit and 4 years to pay).

The original homestead remains, representing a significant piece of SA’s early pastoral history. Canowie was renowned for its hospitality towards swagmen. Around 1903, the station provided their customary two meals and a bed for over 2000 swagmen annually, who worked for a few days in return.

The name “Canowie” comes from the local Ngadjuri name for a rock waterhole near the homestead.

COMMUNITY

This Gives Me the Sh*ts!

If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had that lovely bowel screening kit arrive in the mail. Did you do it… or did you shove it in a drawer and pretend it never happened?

I’ll confess, the first time mine arrived, I ignored it. I just couldn’t get past the thought of “Yuck! I’m not sending my poo through the post!” Eventually, common sense kicked in and I actually read the instructions. Turns out, you only need the tiniest speck of poo on the end of a stick. Easy as pie, but not quite that appetising.

My first test came back clear. The second one (a few years later) showed a little trace of blood. So, off I go for a colonoscopynot exactly a fun day out, but better than the alternative. My grandfather died from bowel issues, so it’s smart to check… even if it feels a bit “crappy”.

Bowel cancer is Australia’s second-biggest cancer killer, but if it’s found early, 90% can be successfully treated. So, I’ll grit my teeth, grab my big-girl pants, and get it done.

Yes, there are too many poo puns here - but if it makes you chuckle and you do your test, it’s worth every one.

Don’t delay, do your bowel cancer test. It could save your butt.

Update: Job done for Ali and I got the all clear. No sign of cancer and now I have a base result and don’t need another colonoscopy for 5 years.

History Connects

We had heaps of great feedback on the last Farm Gate News, especially those old photos of cars, trucks and the way grain used to be stored.

I sometimes wonder if I’m the only tragic for old farm history - but clearly not! Those photos strike a chord and connect people to their country roots. Older readers might grin (or groan) remembering the sweat and dust of those days, while grandkids- used to airconditioned tractors and auto-steer look gobsmacked and say, “You actually did that?” It’s good to remind ourselves how tough the old timers were - and how far we’ve come. It’s good fun looking back, but it also reminds us how much effort and pride built the farms we’re running today.

We hope you enjoy this pre-Christmas edition of Farm Gate News. From our family to yours, have a ripper Christmas and remember to find time to be “present” with your family &/or friends cos it’s not just about the “presents” on Christmas morning.

Ali & Danny Halupka Owners-Grant Sheds

Ellery Big Hole is just one of many spectacular and easy to get to gorges we visited in August. It’s in the West McDonnell Ranges, west of Alice Springs, NT.

Top: 1872 Canowie Station wool shed and wool bales loaded on a horse drawn wagon. Bottom: 1920, 4’6” strippers on Old Canowie (Source: State Library South Australia B-10662 & B-70420)

You Little Ripper... Grant Sheds LOCAL AUSSIE LEGENDS

Aussie Country Kids Achieving BIG Things

Rodeo Runs in the Fraser Blood

The Fraser family from Quorn, up in SA’s Upper North, have rodeo running through their veins. Scott Fraser is a former Australian Champion Bull Rider AND he qualified for the “World” finals back in his rodeo competiton days! Now sons Cody and Kolt are following in his boot tracks.

Both lads are riding the North American circuit - Cody on the pro bullriding tour and Kolt cutting his teeth in the amateur Saddle Bronc events. With few rodeos left in Australia, heading overseas is the best way to learn from the world’s top cowboys, horses and bulls.

Scott and Rachel spent several months in Canada and the USA this year cheering them on. Rachel says, “It’s a privilege to travel the world and follow the boys in the sport they’ve chosen.” A trusted friend kept their Quorn property ticking along while they were away.

Cody’s had four years on the pro circuit, starting with a Canadian college rodeo scholarship. He’s done well despite one near-fatal crash that let him with punctured lungs and eight broken ribs. “We’re lucky to still have him,” says proud mum Rachel. And yes, he’s back in the saddle!

Scott sent Danny a photo from Spanish Fork, Utah, saying, “We’re having a great time watching both boys compete. My lad Cody’s on the right - and in the middle is Post Malone, the country-hip-hop singer. He was really down-toearth, just yarning behind the chutes.”

If you haven’t heard of Post Malone, he’s one of today’s biggest U.S. artists, famous for blending country, rock, and hip-hop into his own unmistakable style.

Above Right: Scott Fraser (left) and his son Cody Fraser (right with black arm sling) hanging with globally famous superstar singer Post Malone (centre) at a rodeo at Spanish Fork, Utah, USA.

At Right: Kolt Fraser competing in a saddle bronc competiton in St Paul, Alberta, Canada

Below: Danny Halupka from Grant Sheds, with rodeo family Kolt, Rachel & Scott Fraser, in front of a couple of the eight Grant sheds they own. They are a beaut South Aussie family who underplay their achievements both in farming in an arid region and their sporting accomplishments.

FUTURE PROOFING

In South Australia’s mid north, Chris and Linda Broad are part of a multi generational cattle operation that spans two states. Together with Chris’s father, Michael and brother, Stephen, the family owns two cattle stations in the Northern Territory, along with their farm, ‘Old Canowie’, near Jamestown, South Australia.

Chris explained that Old Canowie is the home farm and was initially purchased by his grandparents, Harold and Joan, after the drought of 1967.

“Interstate buyers came to have a look and didn’t believe anyone’s appraisal of the place, it was quite terrible,” Chris says. “The banks were reluctant to loan money at the time, but Harold was a shearer and was financial enough to afford it.”

In 1980, Michael and his wife Denise moved to the Territory when the operation expanded with the purchase of Jervois Station, 320km northeast of Alice Springs. Six years later, the neighbouring property Jinka Station was purchased, creating a NT pastoral holding of approximately 5000 square kilometres.

Chris notes growing up in the Territory was a unique experience, and one that forged a strong relationship with his parents and his brother. “Going through School of the Air for primary school, Stephen was my only other classmate.” Once their schooling was completed, Chris moved to Adelaide for engineering studies and Stephen became a diesel mechanic in Darwin.

Having properties in two different regions gives the Broad family flexibility to capitalise where they can in both the good and poor seasons.

“Our aim is to produce beef in the most costeffective way. Ideally, we would like to graze

cattle on grass, but for the times we can’t, our fodder storage gives us the ability to supplement feed. Having Old Canowie helps us to help acclimatise our station cattle to better suit southern markets. If we can get our sale cattle over 340kg they can be sold to a feedlotter, which is a bit of a sweet spot at the moment. However, we are able to adapt our sale weights to suit the seasons.”

Michael and Denise moved down to Canowie 5 years ago, with Stephen, his wife Kiya and their three children, Henley, Quinn and Zaeda, taking on the management role of the Territory proper ties.

These days, Michael has settled into the processing of cattle and the feed side of things, while Denise looks after the bookwork.

Chris manages the cropping and maintenance side of the operation. Chris’s wife Linda helps out with cattle husbandry and quality assurance, along with raising their three children Ava, Audrey and Will. Linda explains each animal is weighed on arrival, with the weight assigned to their RFID tag, the data allows the Broads to understand what’s working and what isn’t in terms of weight gain, feeding, and supplements.

Sheds for Drought Proofing

Feed and supplements were part of the reason the Broads recently invested in their latest Grant Shed.

Measuring 18m x 30m x 6m high, the structure will be used to store hay, grain and feed in a bid to further drought proof the business.

“We worked out with our first shed that it only gave us 12 month’s supply of hay in a poor season, because the second year we had it, we almost emptied it,” Chris says.

“So that led to a second shed and then, when we got into the supplement feeding side of things, we worked out we need to be trying a bit harder with the barley, so that then led to the grain shed.”

Chris says the grain shed proved far more affordable than a silo, and they were keen to return to Grant Sheds because of the shed quality and previous positive experiences.

12m x 24m x 5.1m Grain Shed for Grain & Fodder Storage. The range of sheds on Old Canowie gives them feeding options and chances to take on opportunities that may arise. For example, being able to purchase grain or hay when a good deal arises, because they have somewhere to store it.

Chris Broad and his girls, Ava & Audrey at Old Canowie.

Linda & Chris Broad on ‘Old Canowie,’ situated between Hallet & Jamestown.

Old Canowie & NT is

& VALUE ADDING

3 Grant Sheds for the Broad Family at ‘Old Canowie’

Young Will Broad with the cattle at ‘Old Canowie’ and some of their sheds in the background.

2023 12m x 24m x 5.1m Grain Shed

2021 12m x 27m x 5.1m Machinery Shed

2025 18m x x30m x 6m MEGA Hay Shed

Just as having properties in two states gives them flexibility, so does having several storage options. “The idea behind all of our sheds and grain storage is to give us options,” Chris states.

“Before these improvements, if the cattle came down to a failed season here, they’d get sold on quickly. They’d come in, get fed a bit of hay, and then they’d get sold for the price you could get on the day. We were price takers back then, but now we can value-add even in a drought. We can choose to supplement feed them for longer, get them a bit heavier, and we might even see a market lift in the meantime.”

After years spent navigating the various seasons of central Australia, Chris says having those ‘options’ are invaluable, particularly for his father.

“My parents spent close to 40 years on the station and went through a number of droughts. Dad used to feel sorry for his cattle when there was little grass, whereas now he enjoys feeding and watching our cattle reach their full potential.”

18m x 30m x 6m MEGA Hay Shed with a 4m wide cantilever canopy. “We’ve had an emphasis on drought-proofing.” It led them to buying several hay

Cost Effective Sheds

On why they’ve come back to Grant’s for more sheds, Linda said, “Price and efficiency.” Or, as Chris put it, “Cost effectiveness.”

“The installers are excellent. They’re very good at their job. Very impressive actually.”

No Mustering on NT Stations

Cattle are rarely ‘mustered’ at Jervois but instead are ‘trapped’ at watering points, in much the same way that people do with goats. It’s an efficient way for processing with fewer people needed than for mustering.

Being on the top of the Simpson Desert, there are only 4 or 5 natural watering points on the property. The rest are all man made.

Steel yards are built around watering points with a one-way gate, or ‘inspear’, that the cattle are trained to walk through to get to the water. They leave the yards via an ‘out-spear’, another one-way gate.

When trapping, the exit gate is closed off and hopefully the next day you return to a yard full of cattle. From there they can be processed or trucked back to the main yards to be sent down to at Canowie.

At Jervois Station, NT, Stephen & Kiya Broad’s children. Young Henley with calf (above) and (at right) Zaeda & Quinn among the wildflowers.

We Welcome New Members To Our GRANT SHEDS FAMILY

Joining the ranks of Respected Farmers who own a Grant Shed are the following landholders. As you can see, the “Grant Sheds Family” come from a broad geographic area. Many farmers have invested in multiple Grant Sheds and are proud to recommend us to family and friends.

Key: Multiple Grant Shed owners are identified by a red asterisk *, their name in blue and the number of sheds they own is in blue brackets ( # ) Thank you for your ongoing faith in our sheds and your trust in the relationship you have with us. Said another way:

“We build bloody good sheds for bloody good farmers!”

Kelvin Westbrook Loxton Machinery Shed 6m x 30m x 5.5m

*Roger Moroney (2) Springton Machinery Shed 6m x 18m x 4.2m

*Leon Hodges (2) Ardrossan Industrial Shed 12m x 30m x 5.1m

Aaron Long Mt Barker Machinery Shed 12m x 18m x 5.1m

Peter Roberts Spalding Hay Shed 7.5m x 10.8m x 4.2m

Mark Sargent Laura Industrial Shed 6.1m x 11.7m x 5.5m

*Grant Francis (3) O’Lary Aircraft Hangar 15m x 12m x 3.3m

*Blue Wyllie (2) Naracoorte Machinery Shed 9m x 21.6m x 3.9m

Tim Orr Parkes Fertiliser Shed 7.5m x 15m x 3m

Mark Griffiths Riverton Machinery Shed 12m x 24m x 4.2m

Annika Danielsson Woodside Machinery Shed 9m x 14.4m x 3.6m

Matthew Ferris Kingscote Machinery Shed 12m x 14.4m x 3.6m

*Ouyen Livestock Ouyen Garage 8m x 24m x 3m

*Steve Buchecker (6) Woodside Garage 9m x 9m x 3m

*Barry Adams (2) Maitland Machinery Shed 12m x 12m x 5.1m

*Mark Prior (2) Roxby Downs Lean-To Ext’n 9m x 10m x 5m

*Blue Wyllie (2) Naracoorte Machinery Shed 9m x 31.6m x 3.6m

George Kyprianou Island Beach KI Garage 6m x 12m x 2.7m

Riley Leesong Jamestown Garage 9m x 16.5m x 4.2m

*Visintin & Markos (2) Corny Point Machinery Shed 12m x 12m x 4.2m

*Visintin & Markos (2) Corny Point Garage 9m x 10.8m x 3.6m

*Rheett Heness Jamestown Additions

*Lewis Bennett (2) Corny Point Machinery Shed 15m x 36m x 6.3m

80% bought a ‘Grant’ shed due to their own past experience or the experience of

and

*George Loffler (2) Waikerie Machinery Shed 15m x 33m x 4.5m

*Jim Norman (2) Karoonda Hay Shed 12m x 24.3m x 6m

Brian Higgins

& Jill Greenfield Port Pirie

Ian Symonds Karoonda Fer~liser

*Rhett Heness (2) Jamestown Machinery Shed 15m x

*Sam Woolford (4) Kimba

*Chris Broad (3) Hallett

Grant Grieger Swan

*Rob Symonds Willunga

*Ouyen Livestock (2) Ouyen

*Ouyen Livestock (3) Ouyen

Evan Brown-Simplot Forbes Fertiliser

*Leon Heinrich (2) Serviceton Fertiliser

*Leon Heinrich (2) Serviceton Fertiliser Shed

*Ken Sawers (2) Field

Brenton Geue Kingston SE Hay

Jim Norman (2) Karoonda

Ian Warnes ‘Woolgangi’ Warnes Aircraft Hangar

Scott & Zoe Starkey (3) Sanderston Bulk Grain Shed Tanunda Extension

42% = Existing Grant Shed owners buying from us again.

38% = Referrals from existing Grant Shed owners & people who have always known of Grant Sheds. The secret lies in the unique combination of our 70 years with a culture of understanding and caring for farmers and building great sheds that you and we are proud of. Thank you for putting your trust in us to build your new Aussie-Tough shed.

To Help You With Your FARM SHED SOLUTIONS Ideas Have

MOST POPULAR HAY SHED

12m x 24.3m x 6m Hay Shed. Open one side with 3 x 8.1m widespan beams, UB front columns & vertical hay bumper rails

A Look At These Beauties... 100% TAX DEDUCTION

Still applies on sheds for fodder storage.*Conditions Apply. Seek your own independent advice.

HURRY! SA Drought Infrastructure Rebates up to $20,000 end soon.

Eligible items include grain & fodder storage (eg. Hay & Grain Sheds) making NOW an Exceptional Time to invest in your new shed. But you’ll need to be quick... Applications close 31 January 2026 *Conditions Apply

“The Best Insurance I Could Buy…” Prevents Wall Damage In Hay Sheds

“When in the planning stages for this new hay shed, I debated whether to bother getting the bale bumper rails or not. I wondered if the extra cost was worth it?

“I’m so glad I did…

“The very first time we started loading hay into the shed, one bale moved as more were stacked on it, and it crashed into the wall. If not for the vertical bumper rails that I DID decide to get, the back wall iron may well have had a bloody big hole in it!

“I realise now those bale bumper rails are like the best insurance I could have bought and I thank Grant Sheds for recommending them as a valuable option.”

Jim Norman, Karoonda SA

AIRCRAFT HANGAR FOR HISTORIC OUTBACK STATION

18m span x 12m x 4.2m Aircraft Hangar

Built at Woolgangi Sttion, Warnes (north of Burra) SA.

It has 4 x 4.5m wide sliding doors and outrigger frames each side for the doors to slide onto so the full 18m end can be opened up.

‘Woolgangi’ is one of our state’s historic outback pastoral stations. It’s owned by Ian & Sue Warnes and the area of ‘Warnes’ is named after Ian’s family.

“I am very happy with the quality of the shed. The service I received prior to purchase was excellent. The builders were excellent and did an amazing job.” Vic Scerri, Manager - Woolgangi Station, Warnes SA

Vertical hay bumper rails protect wall iron in hay sheds.