Gippsland Farmer October 2023

Improving outcomes

Cattle methane boost

Philip HOPKINS

THE role of methane in global warming isdistorted because methane is ashort-lived gas that does not leave awarming legacy, according to an OxfordUniversity physicist and IPCC contributing scientist.

Dr Myles Allen said akey factor in this misunderstandingwas thatthe formula used globally to assess the warming impact of different greenhouse gases was getting it wrong.

“The problem is we have widespread misunderstandingand confusion about how methane influences global climate,” he said during arecent presentation to livestock producers, government representatives and media hosted

by Cattle Australia in Canberra.

Dr Allen said the most widelyused system for assessingthe warming impact of different greenhousegas emissions, known as GWP100(GlobalWarming Potential100), pretended that methane was akind of carbon dioxide (CO2).

“It isn’t,” he said.

“If we weretorefocus climate policyonwarming outcomes rather than emissions inputs, we might actuallyfind it much easier to engage farmersonclimate policy.”

Dr Allen said it mattered that the most widely-used metric was not providing an accurate picture, “because we needtoknowthe impact ofour actionsonglobal temperature”.

The scientist behindGWP,Dr Allen maintains he is not for the livestock sector or against it, stressing that he was simply for the science and what the numbers say and wherethey lead.

“Einstein told us, make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler,” he said.

GWP (GlobalWarming Potential Star), he said, is a more accurate measurethanGWP100 ofthe warming effect of short-termgases like methane.

Dr Allen said the problem with GWP100 was highlighted in a recent IPCC assessment report that “no body is arguing with”.

The key point was the quote: “Expressing methane emissions as CO2 equivalent using 100yearGlobal WarmingPotential

(GWP100) overstates the effect of constantmethaneemissions on global temperaturebya factor of three to four,while understating the effect of any new methane emissionsourcebyafactorof four to five, over the 20 years following the introduction ofthe new source”.

“So theseare big errors,” Dr Allen said.“This isafactor of 300-400 percent.”

This was not academic quibbling over 20 per cent hereorthere.

“These arebig differences in the way the gases behave.”

Reading past the comma in the quote had led some to suggest GWP effectively allows the cattleindustry to relax, takeits foot offthe pedal and not worry about methane. Dr Allen warned

against that conclusion, urging the livestock sector to “read past the comma”.

That wasthe part thatsays GWP100 “understates” the warming effectofany new source of methane emissions overa 20-year-period (such as acattle herdincreasing in size over that time) by afactor of four to five, or 400-500 percent.

“I think therehas been abit of atendency for the farming community tostop readingatthe comma,” Dr Allen said.

“Obviously, the first half of the sentence seemsquitepositive, good news for you, but you have got to look at the second half as well.”

Continued Page 3

Left to right:Melbourne University Professor RichardEckard, Gippsland AgricultureGroup General Manager Jen Smith and Meatand Livestock Analyst Simon Quilty.

Boost for cattle on methane emissions

From PAGE 1

STABLE herds with decreasing emissions negated awarming effect. But akey overall messagefor the livestock sectorwas this: in astable herdwith emissions gently decreasingover time at arate of 0.3 percent per year over 20 years -which could be achievable through genetic selection, animal health improvements and emissions-inhibiting feed supplements –the warming effect of emissions would be negated.

And if aherd’semissions could be reduced at agreater rate than 0.3pc per year,ithad the same impact on global temperatureas actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, pulling global temperatures down.

“So this is wherewehave an opportunity,” Dr Allen said.

Short-lived methane emissions behaved “totally differently” in the atmospherethan long-livedCO2 emissions,which remain in the climate system for thousands to tens of thousands of years, accumulating ever faster and leading to accelerated warming.

Conversely, Dr Allen said, methanehas a short lifetime in the climate system, about 10 years.

"When methane emissions arerising with the addition of new sources, they will cause global warming.But if you arereducing methane emissions over time,the warming they cause is reduced," he said.

"Methane oxidises in the atmosphere, and as the amount of methane in the atmospherefalls, so does the warming it causes."

When emissions arereduced over time, the industry can reverse its warming impact,hesaid,something thatdid not apply to CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.

“If we can reduce global methane emissions from the livestock sector,we’redoing the same favour to the world as planting trees to taking CO2 out of the atmosphere -we’repulling down global temperatures,” he said.

Dr Allensaid warmingeffects of different gases should be accounted for independently, particularlymethane and CO2, which GWP enables.

The world has agreed to hold the rise in averageglobal temperature to well below 2degrees, but "notasingle country actuallyreportsthe warmingimpact of their emissions".

Despite the demonstrated limitations of

Ararat farmer guilty of animal cruelty charges

AN Ararat farmer has been convicted, fined $14,000, and disqualified for 10 years from owningorbeing aperson in charge of any farmanimal after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges, at the Ararat Magistrates' Court.

AgricultureVictoria program manager animal health andwelfare compliance, Daniel Bode, said IanWhite was convicted of 13charges, including cruelty and aggravatedcruelty charges involving the death and serious disablement of numerous sheep in his care, and two charges for failing to comply with notices.

The court heardthe charges related to afailure to provide proper and sufficient food and veterinary or other appropriate treatment to about 475 head of sheep at Mr White's property at Buangor,east of Ararat, in June and July 2021, and then August and October 2022.

Mr Bode said AgricultureVictoria officers first attended the property in mid-June2021 in response to an animal welfarecomplaint.

Sheep werefound to be suffering from starvation, worms, and pregnancy toxaemia.

Despite numerous attendances and notices to comply issuedbyofficers, 135

sheep wereobserved deceased, and 15 wereseriously disabled.

MagistrateBailin said it was acase thatvery strongly calledfor disqualification, as the suffering of thesheep was sustained, incredibly serious and profound.

Mr Bode said the 10-year disqualification order would protect animals from further pain and suffering at the hands of the accused.

"It sendsaveryclear messagethat those who continually commit offences against animals shouldnot have the privilege and opportunity to carefor them in the future," Mr Bode said.

"Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animals, animal welfare breaches canjeopardiseVictoria's reputation as ahumane and responsible producer of food, which can, in turn, affect all producers.

"Thisisa reminder to alllivestock producers that animal cruelty will not be tolerated by the Victorian Government or our community."

Anyonewishing to make aspecific complaint regarding livestock welfare can call AgricultureVictoriaat136 186 or emailaw.complaint@agriculture.vic. gov.au

GWP100, the United Nations Framework forConventionon Climate Change annual conference recently agreed to adopt that metric globally.

This had also caused amisconception that only GWP100-based metricscould be used.

However,DrAllen said UN rules still explicitly allowed each country to use metrics other than GWP100.

The aim was tostopglobalwarming from individual countries, but nobodywas reporting the impact of their emissions on global temperature.

“It is staggering if you stop and think about it," he said.”

Farming organisations in NZ and the UK call for adoption of GWP*".

An umbrella group of developed countries outside the EU, which includes Australia, New Zealandand the UK, had recently formed.

Dr Allen said for the sake of transparency, thosegroupsshould state the warming impact of their emissions to the UNFCCC, in addition to their national contributions.

“The warming impact is easy to calculate -the formula involves two multiplications and asubtraction,the old formula involved one multiplication -don’t let anybody tell you it is too complicated,” he said.

He also pointed out that farming unions in the UK andNZhavealsobeencalling for their nations to support the adoption of reporting as GWP*.

Dr Allen said he was not awareofany

Australian farming union joining this conversation.

“I think you should, because it matters; we need to know the impact of our actions on global temperature," he said.

“It is something that Australia could really makeapositive impact on international negotiations by stepping forwardtoimprove transparency by reporting warming impact as well as the conventional carbon footprint."

Dr Allen said separating methane from carbon dioxide in setting climate targets was "the one thing absolutely everybody agreed on", as was shownina paper involving 35 authors who hadpublished on greenhouse gas accounting metrics in the years since the Paris Agreement was signed.

“If you want to know the impact of your targets and policies on global temperature, you have got to keep these things separate, there is no point pretending they’re equivalent.

So, everybodyagreedonthat, but it doesn’t seem to so far have made any difference," he said.

"All of the scientists are saying the same thing- separate these thingsout.The likes of the UK Government or European Commission aresaying well, no, 'Welike to mix them up'. I am not quite sure what morewecan say as ascientific community. Now it is kind of going to be over to you to digest all this and talk to your government about what it would take to change things.”

Photo: File

Premier Andrews steps down

Zaida GLIBANOVIC AND Liam DURKIN

VICTORIA was stunned last month after the shock announcement of Daniel Andrew’s resignation as Premier of the state.

Mr Andrews dropped the bombshell on Tuesday, September 26 that he would be resigning as Victorian Premier and Member for Mulgrave effective from 5pm the following day (Wednesday, September 27).

In his own words, Mr Andrews said that “when it is time, it is time”.

Mr Andrews led Labor to three straight election victories since establishing office in 2014, and was the state’s longest-serving Labor premier

“It’s not an easy job being the Premier of our state-that’snot acomplaint, that’s just afact,” he said.

The 51-year-old has been adivisive figure in politics, asapolarisingleader with a strong hold over Victorian Labor

Despite the widespread criticisms of launching the toughest lockdowns in the country during the COVID pandemic and initiating industry closures, Mr Andrews was convincingly re-elected in November, 2022.

With most of Gippsland occupiedbysafe Nationals Party seats, Mr Andrews faced no shortage of opposition on local issues during his time in office.

His legacy in Gippsland may not be overly positive due to anumber of controversial decisions such the cessation of native timber harvesting, the botched electric vehicle factory in Morwell,and the cancellation of the 2026 CommonwealthGames, which weretohave events in Gippsland.

While the Premier did announce areturn of the State Electricity Commission as part of an election promise, somehave labelled it as nothing morethan atoken gesture at best.

Locally, Mr Andrews also faced tough criticism from rank-and-file voters for hardly ever gettingout on the road and visiting regional towns past Traralgon to hear their concerns.

Addressing the public alongside his wife Cath, Mr Andrews said it was an honour and aprivilegetohaveservedhis nine years in office.

“Nine yearsago, Ivisited Government House to be sworninasthe 48th premier of Victoria -it has been the honour and privilege of my life,” he said.

“I’m also proud to think of all that we have achieved over these nine years in goodtimes, and alwaysworkinghardto do what’s right, not simply what’s popular.”

Despiteonly justbeingre-electedlast year,the self-proclaimed “workaholic” said

“thoughts of what life will be like after this job started to creep in.”

“It requires100 per cent from you and your family, that of course, is time-limited, and now is the time to step away."

Daniel Andrews at theopening of the Morwell Tradeand Skills Centreand TAFE Gippsland last year

Photos: File

Daniel Andrews, pictured at anewsconference in the Latrobe Valley in 2017,resigned as Premier of Victorialastmonth. He wasthe state’s longest-serving Labor premier

Daniel Andrews even released asingle (sort of) during his tenure. The novelty song went on to become ahit

Varroa mite fight

AGRICULTURE Victoriaisintensifying the fight against the Varroa mite in a bid to protect the honey industry after anational management group meeting involving industry and government bodies on September 19.

Victoria’s Chief Plant Health Officer,Dr Rosa Crnov, said the NSW Varroa mite outbreak was no longertechnicallyfeasible to eradicatedespite sustained efforts by government and industry.

Victoria remains freeof Varroa mite, and under the transition to managementprogram, the focus will be on slowing the spread of Varroa and ensuring our industries are preparedand supportedfor its arrival.

Dr Rosa Crnov Victoria’s Chief Plant Health Officer

"Victoria remainsfreeof Varroa mite, and under the transition to management program, the focus will be on slowing the spread of Varroa and ensuring our industries areprepared and supported for its arrival," she said.

"The transition to management model will support business continuity minimising the impact of Varroa on our beekeepers and pollination-dependent industries.

"Surveillance of Varroa and keeping track of the movement of bees and beekeeping equipment via our permit system will continue to help us maintain aVarroafree status in Victoria while we work with industry to adapt to the new model."

Beekeepers must continue to record any bee movements, regularly test bees for varroa and follow the requirements of the Control Area Order and any permits they areunder

The pause on processing permit applications fromNSW willremaininplacefor an interimperiod while applicationsfor permits for movements from all other jurisdictions into Victoria will continue to be processed.

AgricultureVictoria will work on developing the national transitiontomanagement plan as part of the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) process. The plan’sfocus is slowing the spread of Varroa mite, supporting pollination, building industry resilienceand providing management solutions.

Since Varroa mite was found 15 months ago, Agriculture Victoria’s world class biosecurity capability has been able to support two successful pollination seasons without the pest entering the state.

Varroa mite is aparasite of adult honey beesand honeybee brood. Itweakens and kills honey bee colonies and can also transmit honey bee viruses. Varroa mite does not affect native bees.

For moreinformation on Varroa mite requirements,reportingand permit applications, visit the Varroa page on the AgricultureVictoria website via agriculture. vic.gov.au/varroa

Any suspected cases of Varroa should be reported to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881

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BoM details heavy rainfall in 2022

THE Bureau of Meteorology hasreleased a formal recordofthe persistent heavy rain and flooding in easternAustralia during Spring 2022, when many areas had their highest rainfall on record.

Special Climate Statement 77 has details on the rainfall and catchment conditions around Spring 2022. It also includes comparisons with previous rainfall records and flood events.

The statement found many sites across south-easternAustralia had their highest totalSpring rainfallon record, including morethan 200sites with at least 100 years of observations.

Persistentheavy rain during Spring 2022 led to extensiveriverine flooding in the

Murray-Darling Basin in New South Wales and Victoria, and floodwaters moved into South Australia. Significant flooding also affected parts of southernVictoria, southernQueensland and northernTasmania. Some gauges exceeded their historical flood peaks during Spring 2022, including the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers in NSW,the CampaspeRiver at Rochester in Victoria, andthe Tamarcatchment in Tasmania.

Rainfellon catchments wherewater storages and river levels werehigh and soils werealreadywet after two years of above-average rainfall. Majorweather systemsbrought large rainfallstosouthern and easternAustralia,with four monthsof verywet conditions between August and November 2022.

Therewerethree major climate drivers influencingAustralia'sabove average rainfall at this time: La Niña, anegative Indian Ocean Dipoleand apositive Southern Annular Mode.

In comparingflood events,the bureau looks at measures such as rivers reaching recordnew heights;and the number of areas affected by different flood levels and for how long.

While the 2010/11 flooding was more widespread nationally, flooding in the second half of 2022 was moreprolonged in the southernMurray-Darling Basin. Agreater number of river gaugesinthe southern Murray-Darling Basin stayed above flood levelsfor arecordnumberofdays in 2022.

Special Climate Statement 77can be foundon the Bureau's website at bom. gov.au/climate/current/statements

Farmer funding intitiative benefits

FUNDING is now available for initiatives that help farmers achieve water,labour dcost savingsalong with wider envinmental benefits.

The proposed irrigation upgrade must be an approved farmplan to be eligible.

Eligible projects:

Re-use systems:

Maximum size 1MLfor every 10 ha of catchment, and;

 Incentive of $400/ha (ex. GST) up to maximum 50 per cent of project costs.

Best practice surface irrigation;

 Incentive of $200/ha (ex. GST) up to maximum 50 per cent of project costs. Flood to pressurised (spray) irrigation conversion, and;

 $600/ha incentive (ex. GST) up to maximum 50 per cent of project costs.

For moreinformation, phone irrigation extension officers Alexis Killoran on 0428 387 869 or email alexis.c.killoran@agriculture.vic.gov.au,orCaelanMcIntosh (0476 885 716) or caelan.mcintosh@agriculture. vic.gov.au

Photo: File GP1661870

Warmer weather cuts snow season

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

WARMER conditions have forced an early end to the snow season.

Mt Baw Baw ended its snow season on Sunday,September 3after Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) made theannouncement on August 25, following many predictions that the snow season would be avery disappointing one.

Normally, Australian ski resorts will remain open until the firstweekend of October,but warmerspringweather forecastedbythe Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has forced an early closure.

Baw Baw has struggled to accommodate snow sport lovers; with only one lift and one run open for most of the 2023 season,

the snow season became unviable for the resort.

Research by Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO, into climate change’s impact on snow conditions has found a growing trend of snow depth decline and shorter snow seasons.

"By 2050,the average snow season becomes20-55days shorter for the low scenario and 30-80 days shorter for the high scenario. Larger changes arelikely at lower elevations, such as Mt Baw Baw and Lake Mountain," the CSIRO report found. Additionally, the BoM has said that changes in snow cover in Australiaare strongly linked to changes in air temperature. According to the BoM, Australia's

climate haswarmed onaverageof1.47 degrees Celsius over the past century, with peak snow depths decreasing by 0.35 centimetres per year

With Australia now entering an El Niño event, the BoM warned earlier this year that rainfall will be below average across easternAustralia, meaning less snowfall on the Australian Alps.

Additionally, during El Niño, temperatures areoften warmer during the day and night, creating terrible conditions for snow production.

Another climate factor -a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) year -also tends to affect the snow seasonacross south-eastern Australia,withnegative years producing higher snow depths on average.

These lower recent natural snowfalls on Mt Baw Baw has affected skiing, tobogganing, lessons and snow play, with warmer night conditions making man-made snow production difficult.

Snow-making is one way resorts are combatingpoorsnowfalls.The electricity and water intensive process works by compressing water to create athin mist; if it's thin and cold enough, it will stay in the airtocrystallise and formsnow.

However,snow-making is incredibly costly and very little snow fall takes atoll on resort budgets, with the smaller peaks like Mt Baw Baw unable to foot the bill.

Talking to the SydneyMorning Herald, the Climate Council research director,Dr Martin Rice, said thecosts of snowmaking would continue to grow,forcing resortsinto year-long activities like hiking.

Dr Rice addedthatski resorts would struggle to operate at their peaks due to the climate change factors affecting snowfall conditions.

While the entry and chainhireatMtBaw Baw resort has ceased since September

3, access to the mountain remains open. Visitors outsidethe snowseason are reminded to check the local weather forecast beforevisiting, as snow can fall at any time of the year,creating icy conditions on the road.

Contrastingly,September is commonly the timeofyear with the deepestsnowpack. In an exceptional year for snow in 2022, the heaviest recorded depth of the season at Spencer's Creek in NSW was 232cm on September 20.

Though it's been atough season for Victoria's local alps, some positives have come out of snow season 2023.

Parks Victoria has reaffirmed its commitment to Saint Gwinear; DEECA (the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action) has committed to athreeyear service agreement for the South Face Road; and ARVisworkingtowardsnew projects and funding modelstoensure the long-termviability of the Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort.

Erica Ski Hiretook to Facebook to thank the community for its ongoing support into the green season.

"The township has been hit hardbypoor snow conditions, but is ready to welcome you in green season and has plenty to offer so book accommodation,do thatwalk, ride the train or just relax in the beautiful mountain air.Check out some of the locals waiting to welcome you in green season."

Mt. Baw Baw is not the only resort to announce early closures. Two other Australian resorts, Mt. Stirling and Lake Mountain, also ended their seasons on September 3.

Other Victoria Alpineresorts at Falls Creek, Mt Buller and Hothamwill soon end their snow seasons in the first weeks of October

Preparefor El Nino: CFA

AS we edge closer to an earlier fireseason, CFA’smessage to those in high-risk bushfireareas is clear -prepareyour property. Awarmer spring is contributing to higher firerisk in parts of the state this season, according to the latest Spring Seasonal Outlook, which was released before the officialconfirmation of an El Ninodry season.

People can complete several simple tasks to reduce their risk this season, and now is the time to start taking action.

The CFAChief Officer,Jason Heffernan, said CFAcrews right across the state weremakingevery efforttopreparefor thisyear’s fireseason,but they needed acollective community effort to reduce bushfirerisk.

“Victoria is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world, so it’s vital for everyone to plan ahead,” Mr Heffernan said.

“All it takes is some basic maintenance such asclearing your gutters,picking up loose leaves and twigs, pruning tree branches so they aren’t overhanging the roof of your property, or even just keeping your lawn under 10 centimetres tall.

“High rainfall and moisturelevels over the past12 months willhaveled to vegetation growth on private properties,soit’simportanttomaintain your property through spring and into fireseason.”

Chief Officer Heffernan also encouraged everyone to sit down with their family or household to discuss and practice their bushfiresurvival plan together

“CFAhas all the informationyou needon our website to create a clear bushfire plan with your loved ones,” he said.

“If you already have one, blow the dust off it and go over it with your family. Practising your bushfiresurvival plan could save your family’s life.”

Victorians can learnmoreabout how to preparetheir property at cfa.vic.gov.au/ prepare, and for moreabout bushfiresurvival plan, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/bushfireplan

Take the followingactions to prepare yourself and your property:

 Move your winter woodpile away from the house or sheds;

 Prune tree branches so they arenot overhanging the roof or touching walls;

 Clear your gutters;

 Keep grass shorter than 10cm;

 Remove leaves and twigs from around your property;

 Test anything that is part of your fireplan, such as sprinklers, pumps and generators;

 Register your burn-offisbyusing the FirePermits Victoria website at firepermits.vic.gov.au/notify, or call ESTA on 1800 688 511, and;

 Make sureyour household has a bushfire survivalplan.Find out how at cfa.vic.gov.au/bushfireplan

Tree species reportonfarm forestry

Philip HOPKINS

INFORMATIONonmorethan200 trees species is included in the newly released final report for small private forest growers, the Trials Review, Information and Genetics (TRIG) project.

It comesafterthe federal government allocated grantstotalling $73.76 million to establish new forestry plantations and finally abolished the 'water rule' that stopped plantations beingestablished in high rainfall (600 millimetre) areas.

According to TRIG steering committee chair,DrKevin Harding, the project leveraged the past work of Victoria’s farm forestry sector,fromthe 1980s to the early 2000s, by accessing legacy information and datasets to ultimately deliver new, updated tools and information for the next generation of farmforestry plantings.

One outcomefromthe project is the development of productivity maps of two key species(Sugar gum - Eucalyptus cladocalyx andSpottedgum - Corymbia maculata),which will be made available via an interactive web portal on the Forestry Australia webpage.

Other outcomes include the potential for forest forestry plantings to access carbon markets in Australia; the identificationofa series of model plantings to be highlighted as demonstrationsites, withsomecase studiespublished in the report; and an overview of the opportunities and barriers to access existing and new sources of improved seed for akey suite of farm forestry species.

The report found that 216individual species werelisted as being planted at least once on at least one site; 91 species were only represented once; and 33 species were represented at least twice.

After analysis, alist of 16 'promising species' was developed. These wereSpotted gum, River red gum, Sugar gum, Swamp yate, Sydney blue gum, Flooded gum, Red

ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon), Yellow box, Mountaingreygum, Red ironbark (Eucalyptus tricarpa),Yellow gum, Lemonscented gum, Forest redgum, Maritime

pine, Large-leaved spottedgum (Corymbia henryi) and Southernblue gum.

The report found that thereisgenerally aplentiful supply of seed and that enough

orchards already exist. Awebpage was created that includes case studies and an interactive map that helps identify species for farmforestry

Dr Harding said farmers and small private forest growers need to maximise the quality of trees that they integrate into their farm plantings or investment plantations if they aretogrowcommercially competitive trees.

“Farmers and foresters need to be informed on the genetic quality of thestock they source and use, as well as its likely performance in their planting region," he said.

“Performance tends to be dictated by species, provenance (whereitcomes from) and inherent genetics like frost resistance and drought tolerance and stem straightness, desirable branchinghabit and tree vigour."

The federal government's $73.76 million grants the Support Plantation Establishment program will provide grant funding over four yearstohelp establish new long-rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests.

The program will seek to establish up to 36,000 hectares of new plantation across Australia. Thegrantsare open to private industry, First Nations businesses, farm foresters,and state and territory governmentforestry bodies.

Applicants arerequired to provide acocontribution at least equal to the grant amount awarded. This can be demonstrated by the value of the land the new plantationforests will be established on, financialmeans,orstate, territory, or local grant funding.

The AlbaneseGovernmentwill provide funding of $2000 (GST exclusive) per 1 hectareofnew long-rotationplantation forest established, with aminimum plantation area of 20 hectaresto be eligible for agrant. Applications for Round1ofthe Support Plantation Establishment program opened in June and close on January 24, 2024.

Photo: File

New research into farming soil conditions

FARMERS aspiretoleave their farmto the next generation in abetter condition they received it in. Improving and securing soil is an important part of achieving such an aspiration.

‘Human connectivity’ refers to producers’ relationship with theirsoil and the farming practices they implement.Although this is akey indicator of soil security, thereis currently no way to measurethis.

The University ofSydney and the Australian FarmInstituteare undertaking research to deliver aprocess to measure human connectivity to soil.

Youcan assist this research by completing ashortself-assessment tool that will not only provide anonymised data to paint apicturefor the research, but also help identify your own strengths and opportunities for soilmanagement skills development.

The assessment shouldtakelessthan15 minutes.Oncompletion,you’ll receive a personalised report highlighting your soil connectivity skills, and opportunitiesto improve management of six key threats that impact soil security.

Get yourpersonalised soil connectivity report today and help with ground-breaking research on measuring the human influence on soil security.

To find out more, visit https://soilconnectivity.farminstitute.org.au/

Wild fox and dog scalp collection

VICTORIANfox and wild dog collections arecontinuing. Submit entirefox scalps for a$10 rewardand/or entirewild dog body parts for a$120 reward.

Participants need to register for the new digitalpayment system and should refresh their knowledge of the terms and conditions to ensuretheirsubmissions areacceptable.

Visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty

THE South East Victoria collection schedule for October is:

Ellinbank collections: fox and wild dog, 1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank, Monday, October 9.

Bairnsdale collections: foxand wild dog, 35 Bairnsdale-Dargo Road, Bairnsdale, Tuesday, October 10.

Maffra collections: foxand wild dog, 1StratfordRoad, Maffra, Wednesday, October 11.

Yarram collections: fox only, Rodgers Street, Yarram, Wednesday, October 11. Woori Yallock collections: fox only Symes Road, Woori Yallock, Thursday, October 12.

Investing in our food andfibre sector

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

THE state government will invest $1 million into a CSIRO-led consortium that aims to co-ordinate research and boost Victorian agriculture,with aspecial emphasison Gippsland.

The Minister for Regional Development, Harriet Shing,made the announcement at the Morwell Innovation CentreonFriday, September 15.

The CSIRO will lead the consortium, collaborating with universities across the state and government sectors to work toward improving outcomes for the food and fibre sector.

Partners in the Australian-first consortium willbeRegional Development Victoria (RDV); Deakin, La Trobe, ACU, Monash, Swinburne, Melbourne, RMIT,Federation and Victoria universities; nine of the state's regional partnerships; the six Regional Development Australia Committees; and Food and FibreGippsland.

The consortium will supportprojects with market and investment strategies, supply chain reviews, infrastructureplanning, and technical and export feasibility assessments and boost access to market, sustainability and environmental planning.

According to Food and Fibre Gippsland, there are about 6500 farming families in the region.

From agriculture, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, flowers, seaweed, hemp, wool and mohair to the manufacturers and food processors-the food and fibre sector is diverse.

Ms Shing recognised the large contribution that Gippsland's farming industry contributes to the economy.

"Weknow that our food and fibresector is one of the most important drivers in economic activity andofjobsnot just

hereinGippsland, in Victoria but around Australia," she said.

"Wehave around $18 billion in food and fibrearound Australia, hereinGippsland last year we saw around $7 billion -wesaw 15,000 jobs -coming out of our food and fibreindustry."

In the 2022 year,Victoria was the biggest food and fibreexporter in the country by value, making up 26 per cent of national exports.

Thesectorisalsoaidedbymanybusinesses that produce, sell or supply the food and fibre.

The food program research director at CSIRO,Leif Lundin, said the consortium would accelerate innovation in the sector, capitalising on research.

"Specifically for Gippsland we have had anumberofprojects come in as suggestions and its associated with the seaweed cultivation and vertical farming," he said.

Deakin University and Food and Fibre Gippsland released areport in 2022 regarding the feasibility of aGippsland seaweed industry and found that it could be areal opportunity for the region.

Additional innovative possibilities on the cards for Gippsland includeindustrial hemp and vertical farming, with Food and FibreGippsland undertaking research.

Ms Shing said the productive and sustainablehemp industry wasanopportunity for Gippsland.

"Hemp morebroadly is an exceptionally important fibre, it is sustainable, it is fast growing, it has alow water uptake and it is able to be deployed in avariety of different commercial and industrial settings," she said.

With innovation at theforefront of the research,MsShingsaid the consortium would make it easier and moreaccessible to investigate proposals and pursue projects on the ground.

"It's really important that as we continue to grow our food and fibreindustries we're innovating, we'reusing the opportunities that we have with technical and academic expertise," she said.

The Gippsland Regional Director of Regional Development Victoria, Sara Rhodes-Ward, said improving the value of the sector would in turnimprove the prosperity of the region.

"In the Gippsland region, we currently produce alot of food and fibre; we arewell known and obviously we've got $7 billion that we'recurrently contributing, but that equatestoonly 30 per cent of that product being value added in the region," she said.

"Weknow that if we can move the 30 per cent up that we will create morejobs, more investment and moreprosperity for the region."

Collaboration: Pictured from left is Federation University’s Professor Andrew O’Loughlin, Regional Development Gippsland director Sara Rhodes-Ward, chief executive of the Latrobe Valley Authority Chris Buckingham, Minister Harriet Shing, CSIRO’s Leif Lundin and Latrobe City Council Mayor Cr Kellie O’Callaghan.

Photo: Zaida Glibanovic

Early start to fireseason

THE start date for this year's Victorian fire seasonhas beenset byfireauthorities with the first FireDanger Period(FDP) for the 2023-34 fireseason starting on Monday, October 9, for Wellington and East Gippsland ShireCouncils.

The declared El Niño weather pattern means Victorians can expect ahotter and driersummer than in recent years, with CFAurgingcommunities to preparetheir properties and create aBushfireSurvival Plan.

CFAwill introduce furtherFDPs for Victorian municipalities in the coming months based on assessments of the amount of rain, the grassland curing rate and local conditions.

CFA's Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan, said the FDP declaration was earlier this year,which is an indication of what we can expect for the summer ahead.

"While crews areready to respond and support communitiesthis bushfireseason, firesafety is ashared responsibility and we ask Victorians to prepareand know their local risks," Mr Heffernan said.

"Weare asking anyone burning offin the next two weeks beforethe official FDP begins to be very careful.

"Take this opportunityaheadof the FDP to clean up yourproperty, prepare your bushfireplanwith yourfamily and download the VicEmergency app."

The CFA's DeputyChief OfficerSouth East, Trevor Owen, said fireauthorities wereexceedingly conscious of the increasing dry conditions in Wellington and East Gippsland Shires owing to reduced rainfall during winter and spring.

"With increased day and night temperatures and lower rainfall than average forecast over the coming months, the timing for the earlyintroduction of the FireDanger Period is necessary," he said.

No burningoff is permitted during the FDP without apermit to burn.

Applications for apermit to burncan be made via theFirePermits Victoria website, www.firepermits.vic.gov.au.

While you can also apply for apermit by calling ESTA on 1800 668 511, registering yourburn-offonline allowsemergency calltakers to allocate more timetotake callsfrompeople whoneedemergency assistance immediately.

Fire Danger Period information:

 Awritten permit is required to burn offgrass, undergrowth, weeds or other vegetation during the FDP.You can apply for apermit at firepermits.vic.gov.au.

 Lighting fires in the open without apermit can bring apenalty of morethan $21,800 and/or 12 months imprisonment. For afull list of conditions, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/ can.

 Farmers can find legal guidelines and practical advice at cfa.vic.gov. au/farms.

 Moreinformation about FDPs is available online at www.cfa.vic.gov. au/firedangerperiod.

 To find out what you can and can't do during FDP,visit www.cfa.vic. gov.au/can or call VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226.

Farmers and climate

THE Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO have unveiled anew name for their digital information product 'My Climate View', along with updates to help morefarmers make informed decisions now to build climate resilience for decades to come.

Previouslyknown as the ClimateServices for Agricultureonline platform, My Climate View provides farmers with critical data to assess how climatetrends, including changes to temperatureand rainfall, may affect their business for specific commodities and date ranges in their location, to a five-squarekilometreresolution.

Along with the new name, My Climate View has been updatedwith:climate information on new commodities –avocados, cherries andchickpeas; and big improvementstohow usersaccessand view their local and commodity-specific climate information details and on how climate information is calculated.

The Australian Government’s Climate Services for Agriculture programisa collaborationbetweenthe Bureauof Meteorology and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

The BoM program director,climate services for agriculture, Elizabeth Johnston, said My Climate View was aproduct that had been designed by farmers for farmers.

"It is critical Australian farmers and

communities have the locally relevant and commodity-specificinformation they need to preparefor the future," she said.

"The product presents pastand future climate information, all in one place."

The program team, which includes agricultural scientists, climatescientists, social scientists, digital product developers, and communication and engagement specialists, continues to integrate feedback from farmers and their advisers across Australia into the My Climate View product.

CSIRO’s drought resilience missionlead, Dr Graham Bonnett,said morethan 2000 people who work in agriculturehad been engaged across Australia.

“My Climate View has been developed to help farmers understandthe aspects of future climatethatare most relevant to them and what they farm,” Dr Bonnett said.

The ClimateServices for Agriculture program is part of theAustralian Government's FutureDrought Fund's investment into the development of better climate information for Australia's agriculturesector

My Climate View is available now and free to all users. Farmers and the agriculture sector areencouraged to explore their local climate information and sharetheir feedback: CSAEnquiries@csiro.au.

The first FireDangerPeriod (FDP) for the 2023-34 fireseason commences on Monday, October 9, for Wellington and East Gippsland ShireCouncils.

Photo: Contributed

YesOptus, Bairnsdale, Sale, Traralgon and Warragul

Urging farmers to take careatwork

FOR paramedic Jess, the inherent trust that comes with being afirst responder is ahighlight of the work she does on-farm with Ambulance Victoria.

It’s this trust that positions Jess and other first responders as respected advisors to farmers whooften tend to be the most stoic of audiences.

“We'relucky enough to have that trust as soon as we walk in with this uniform, and Ithink that really helps when we give advice and when we express concernabout safety,” Jess said.

“It'sa position that israre. Ivalue it a lot -just having that automatic faith that you'renot going to lecture anyone and you'renot going to judge.”

Jess, who works across Gippslandand responds to many incidents involving farmers, is using thistrust to encourage positive discussions aroundsafer farmpractices, includingphysical and mental safety.

“A lotofour work in Gippsland centres around farming. There's alot of dairy farming, there's alot of cattle. It’s important for us to know about farms because we work on them,” she said.

“I’ve responded to morethan 4000 incidents. Some of the most common incidents involve machinery and thereare alot to do with the animals themselves. Alot of crush injuriesthrough cattle head-buttswhere cattle will just swing their head and there’s afew hundred kilos behind them.

“At one incident apiece of machinery came down on an experienced farmer’s limb who had used the machinery hundreds of times before. Whenwearrived, it wasn't bleeding profusely, but then as soon as they let go of it, there was alot of blood, and we could already tell that they’d sadly probably lose the limb.”

This incident stayed with Jess, and she has since looked into the fate of the farmer

“Thiswas oneofthe ones that Iwanted to follow up on and see how they weregoing, and we learnt that the limb was amputated and they’re unable tofarmasaresult. I was really devastated for them.”

In Jess’ experience, the idea that ‘it won't happentome’ can be common among farmers when she responds to incidents. She wants farmerstoknow that thingscan change in the ‘blink of an eye’.

“There's always going to be risks. Whenever we get in our car as paramedics; we'refacing arisk. Ithinkit’s important to acknowledge that farming is never going to be risk-free, but it's about doing that risk analysis and saying,‘okay, how can Ireduce thoseriskstomakeitasafer environment?'

“Thereare things farmers can doeach day to make their work safer.Checking the

gates areclosed, checking their equipment is up-to-scratch and not rusty or doing a risk analysis of the surroundings of the machines, oilingupthe machine or replacing abolt.”

“This is especially if you'reworkingby yourself, making surethat all the safety elements areinplace is very, very important.

“There's still ariskthere. But by doing these things we'rereducing the harmthat can be caused by it.”

Jess is afierce advocate of both physical and mental health and believes farmers should actively prioritise both.

“I’ve found that farmers areused to just pushing through and their bucketjust fills up, drip by drip until eventually, the bucket overflows,” she said.

“Thereshould always be things in place to reduce the likelihood of getting injured or having that bucket overflow. Part of that is asking for help. Help doing an activity or completing atask or ajob, help getting mental health support or getting an ambulance.

"Show the same concernfor yourself as you would others.”

Jess hasshared her story as part of WorkSafe Victoria’s ‘It’s never you, until it is’ campaign, which promotes farmsafety and highlights that injuries and death on farms arepreventable.

Working long multiple days in arow by yourselfcan bepart ofthe job, but even one day of 17 continuous hours causes impairment equivalent to .05 blood alcohol concentration.

Consider the cost to you and your family Don’tlet long hourscomeatthe price of you being injured or worse.

Know the signs and find ways to reduce the risk of fatigue at worksafe.vic.gov.au/ farmfatigue

Paramedic Jess, who works across Gippsland, is urging farmers to ensuretheyhaveagood work-life balance.

Photo: Contributed

As farmers face the pressures of running abusiness, and withstanding challenges like droughts, floods and bushfires, it is common to experience distress, including anxiety and depression. With alittle help, you can employ tools and strategies that supportstronger mental health and wellbeing –making you, your family and your business more resilient.

If you arethinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.Ifyour life is in immediate danger,call 000

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au/ Providing information and support for anxiety,depression and suicide prevention.

Ifarmwell www.ifarmwell.com.au

Ifarmwell is afreeonline tool kit to help farmers cope effectively with life’s challenges and get the most out of every day,regardless of the circumstances they face.

MensLine Australia

Call 1300 78 99 78

MensLine Australia is atelephone and online counselling service offering supportfor Australian men anywhere, anytime.

National Centrefor Farmer Health www.farmerhealth.org.au

The National Centrefor Farmer Health supports farmer mental health through research; education; prevention-focused mental health resources including Managing Stress on the Farm, Steering Straight and Campfire; and, provide supportservices including afarmer health trained online psychology platform.

Help is at hand Your Step in The Right Direction?

2023 was meant to be the year when things improved again and we could finally let out the collective breath we wereall holding.

After picking ourselves up from devastating fires and floods and living through the COVID-19 pandemic, for a while there, it seemed like this was the case.

However,with all of the interest hikes and the increasing potential of a drought, it can feel like we’reconstantly being hit with one challenge after another

As it stands the big four banks have predicted that the cash rate will drop in the next two years (yes please!), but therecould be peaks of up to 4.35 per cent beforewestart to see adecline (that is the equivalent of buying anew iPhone everymonth in your household compared to this time last year).

Combining the impending interest rate rises with a49.5 per cent below average August rainfall (the tenth-driest August on recordsince 1900) it’s no wonder our farming community is struggling with having apositive outlook.

Farmers areknown for their resilience, but even the toughest of us can reach our limits.

High levels of stress can impact our wellbeing, if not managed it can increase the risk of anxiety and depression which has ahuge impact on the ability toplan, think or make good decisions.

New research paints an alarming pictureof the mental health of Australia’sfarmers, with 30 per cent reporting adecline in their mental

health over the past few years and up to 45 per cent considering self-harmor suicide.

Over half (51 per cent) of farmers choose not tosharetheir problems with loved ones or arehesitant to talkabout them, leading to asilent struggle.

RFCS Gippsland offers freeand confidential assistance to help you get back ontrack with both personal wellbeing and financial wellbeing.

Similar to how aseed relies on good soil, afarmisdependent on the hard work of its community

RFCS Gippsland is deeply proud to be partofthe Gippsland farming community andhas been for over 35 years.

RFCS Gippsland provides farmers and rural related businesses with a specialised team dedicated to financial and personal well-being.

Our team is passionate about wellbeing and promotes the ‘Detect and Protect’ campaign: engaging farm service providers and communities on how to identify rural mental health concerns and what to do to help improve their situation

If you arestruggling emotionally and financially (or know someone who is), protect them and yourself by referring to the free confidential services of RFCS Gippsland.

Our specialised rural financial support team will work on improving your finances whilst adedicated wellness supportofficer will focus on you. Call 1300 045 747 or visit rfcsgippsland.org.au/wellbeing to find out more.

Innovating Australia’s lamb industry

ANEW online sales conceptstreamlined to benefit not only the nation's lamb processors but also producers and stock agents, is due to be launched on the FarmGate Auctions platformthis month.

Abblamb is the brainchildoffourthgeneration Binda prime lamb producer Rob Fraser,who could see new technologies werebeing underutilised in the prime lamb value chain.

"I felt lamb producers needed aplatform wheremarketing costscan be reduced," Mr Fraser said.

"That platformcould also allow my property's credentials around biodiversity and carbon management tofollowmylambs.

o follow my lambs Abblamb mimics the saleyards on-farmand advantage of passing in only

of the same article side-by-side."

escribed Abblamband welcomed ventur ventingthe wheel, but buyers can push abutton and purchase mation at their fingertips," he said.

"Agentsare vital oducers together to in the marketplace -t system

offers afair marketplace for everyone in the supply chain.

"I wanted asystem wherethe lamb producer could reserve their product when at auction that didn't come as amassive cost or biosecurity risk to the farm. As alamb producer, Iwanted to bemoreofaprice maker,not taker."

As an Abblamb director,hehas worked withthe independentonline livestockselling platformFarmgate Auctions to refine asystem thatgivesadollars per-head price on lambs beforethey leave the farmgate.

To use Abblamb, vendors and processors simply register for free on the FarmGate Auctions website.

for vendors is $1.50 port costs incur d, to stock.

comparison hysical saleyard buyers assess lambs visuand estimate theirdressedweights, every tegories fr light will be carried out independent assessors, ambindividually weighed forthe processors can be

on the same day or by arrangement.

Lots will be offered each day from 8am (7.30am in South Australia) and based on regionsalong the easternseaboard and South Australia featuringphysical sales that particular day for easeoftransport logistics. Vendors aregiven two opportunities to sell their lambs beforethe stock is reassessed.

"Producers enter how long the lambs have been offfeed, and shrinkage rates are calculated automatically," Mr Fraser said. The digital auctions will run for around 10 minutes, with each lot closing as it is sold, unlikeothersalesplatforms whereall lots remain open until the end of the sale.

Mr Frase producers

innovative

Abblamb selling system.

"Going from farmdirect to the processor rather than being trucked to the saleyards andthen being loaded onto another truck helps improve animal welfareand biosecurity and reduce the carbon footprint," he said.

"Weare going through challenging times in the lamb market both domestically and globally, and people arelooking for marketing options.

"As aproducer,I was losing interest in breedingprime lambs withthe lackofa fair place to sell my lambs. Thedrawbacks ofover the hook arethat you would be in the queue for about four weeks with no ocessors or

guarantee of price per kilogram and skin value."

processors of access to lambs on-farmevery day. sale the public holiday of October 2. Agents can list lambs up to midnight the day beforeand sell them on ublic holiday, allowing processors to thenext day," said. for 9ameac riday for storelambs.

downsizeand make newfriends

Deer numbers harvested up 4% to over 123,000

Philip HOPKINS

ATOTAL of 123,376 deer wereharvested in Victoria last year,according to the Game Management Authority Estimates of 2022. Thiswas afour per cent increase on the estimated 118,874 deer harvested in 2021 and a49per cent rise on the average (82,802)since 2009 but similar to2018 (121,657).

The most popular hunting areas were aroundthe townsofMansfield,Licola, Bairnsdale, Dargo and Eildon. The highest number of deer harvested werearound the towns of Mansfield, Eildon, Omeo, Whitfield and Bairnsdale.

"The similarity in overall annual deer harvested compared to 2021 can be explained by an increase in the proportion of active hunters (39 per cent and efficiency (19 per centincrease in the deerharvested per hunting day) beingcounteracted by the overall number of hunting days decreasing by 12 per cent," said the GMA Research Principal, Dr Jason Flesch.

Active hunters aregame licence holders endorsed to hunt deer who hunted at least once in 2022.

Last year,about half of game licence holders actively hunted, similartothe recorded average (48 per cent). On average, active deer hunters harvested 4.9 deer over 8.6 days, whichare both below average (5.7 deer and 11.1 days respectively).

SambarDeer was the most harvested species with an estimated harvest of 76,178 deer,ofwhich 53 per cent werefemale. This was 62 per cent of the total deer harvest.

Fallow Deer was the second most harvested species, with an estimatedharvest of 41,180 deer,(33 per cent of total)ofwhich 62 percentwerefemale. Fourper centof the harvest wasnot clearly identified.

Dr Flesh saidthese species' percentages differed from previous years. "Typically, Samba Deer and Fallow Deer account for 77 per cent and 18 per cent of the deer harvest respectively, and 2per cent of the harvest is not clearly identified,"he said.

The number of licenced recreational deer hunters in 2022 was 50,478. This is the largestnumberof licenced recreational

deerhunters recordedtodate-aslight increase of one per cent increaseonthe previous highest number recorded in 2021 (49,857). Of the 50,478 licensed deerhunters, 50 per cent actively hunted in 2022. On average, active deer hunters harvested an estimated 4.9 deer over 8.6 days.

GMA Research Principal, Dr Jason Flesch, said the research was based on information gathered from randomly selected licenced deer hunters who voluntarily participated in the phone surveys. “Throughout 2022, approximately2400licenced deerhuntersweresurveyed to collect information about their hunting activity including how many deer wereharvested, wherehunting occurred, hunting methods used, and the speciesofdeer harvested.”DrFlesch said.

Last year,the report estimated that the total number of deer harvested using scenttrailinghoundswas 12,428 or 10 per cent of thetotal deer harvest. The SambarDeer percentage was 6.4.

Hunting Samba Deer with the aid of houndsislegalinVictoriabetween 1 April and 30 November within permitted areas and with the appropriate licences. This differs from the use of gundogs and deer-hunting dogs which can be used year-round to hunt deer (except Hog Deer) wherever hunting with dogs is permitted, the report says.

The 2022 deer-hunting season was the first since the Black Summer bushfiresand the COVID-19lockdowns, and thus free from any impact of these events.

"Prior to these events, the estimated total deer harvest had been increasing by 17per cent annually. In 2022 the increase was substnatially lower and once confidence intervals are considered, it is likely no real growth in total deer harvest occurred," Dr Flesh said.

While morehunters wereactive in 2022 (41 per cent rise over 2020 and 2021) and theirhunting was moreefficient (18 per centincreaseover 2020 and2021),they hunted for fewer days (15 per cent and 40 per cent decrease over 2020 and 2021). The report is producedannually by the GMA in collaborationwith the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.

Photo: File

Tony Centra: the Sale legend coming

FOR Tony Centra,lifebegan in Sale 70 years agoonasteamtrain,and asmall bungalow on Desaily Street. He arrived in Melbourne on October 1, 1953.

His family eventually joined himand completely left Italy behind. The Sale ALDI supermarket now stands on the site of the Centra family's first home.

These arerecollectionsand memories from Tony's earlier years in Italy and Australia, as shared with his brother,Peter Centra.

Tony Centra was bornonAugust 29, 1937 toRosa and Giovanni Centra in the small village of Borgo Celano,inthe province of Puglia. The village was more commonly known as "Villagio" and was situated between San Marco in Lamis and San Giovanni Rotondo.

Tony was the eldest of seven brothers and sisters -Mary, Angelaand Nick(twins), Lou and Mick (twins), and Matt, who were all borninItaly. Overtime, Tony was to becomeaninvaluablesupporter of his parents and his siblings.

The family lived in asmall rented house in the one room. No electricityand no running water.Anoil lamp provided the family with the lighting they needed.

Tony explained: "The family was dirt poor."

"Welived apeasant life, just surviving."

Work was to become the main methodby which Tony helped to support his family.

Tony had limited schooling, having only completed five years of primary.

As he has said, "I didn't learnmuch at school …Iwasn't very good at school."

Life's experiences weretobecome Tony's education.He would turn his hand to mostthings and through aptitude and determination, he would succeed.

Heavymanual work was to become the main method by which Tony helped to support his family.

From the very young age of 11, Tony commenced work. He workedwith his grandfather "Tatuch" Nicola at "Lu Vosc", on asmall plot of land owned by Peter Stefanetti's father,Michele, who was in Australia at the time. Michele was one of the first from the Villagio to migrate to Australia and he was to be instrumentalinthe Centra family eventually migrating also.

At Lu Vosc, Tony helped with the planting and harvesting of potatoes and wheat, two important staples the family needed to survive. Lu Vosc was six to seven kilometres from the Villagio and Tony walked abush

track each day to go to work.

Tony's next job, as barely a12-year-old, was working as ashepherd, towards the village of San Giovanni. He looked after a herdofgoats withthe owner.One night they stayed in asmall primitive stone hut; just theone room with all the goats inside at night. Having been therearound aweek, Tony recalls waking at night and finding that the owner wasn'tthere. He became frightened and he cried. The next day the owner came back and Tony toldhim he was going home.

"Papa kicked my arse back to the owner."

Papa asked the owner if it was true that he had left his son alone,and yes, thatwas the case. Papa then told Tony: "You finish today and then come home".

As a13-year-old, Tony gained employmentin a road building gang. Pick and shovelwerethe tools for this back breaking work. Therewas no machinery except for ajackhammerusedtodig holes in the groundsothatexplosives couldbeused to help clear the very rocky terrain for the road building.

Tony persuaded the boss to allow him to use the jack hammer.Itwas very hardwork and his wrists swelled from the continual vibration. Tony also helped fill theholes with geligniteand afuse for detonation. On one occasion he added a fuse that was too short and he barely escaped with his life as the gelignite exploded. Tony still has the large scar on his ankle where a stone hit him with great force.

Tony, who was around 13-years-oldatthe time, was then to go on to work in astone quarry between the Villagio and Foggia. It was very manual work with picks, sledge hammer and explosives -all to supply the growing city of Foggia, which was the provincial city of the region.

Therewas no campsite and no water.Tony and the other men slept on the floor of the local caves which had been uncovered during the excavations for the quarry. They slept on the ground with ablanket on top.

Itwas avery primitive and hardlifefor

Tony and his fellow workers.

Food consisted of only bread that Tony's mum had given him every day.

Tony started work as the water boy but soon was put to work on the sieve which separated the fine sand. He recollects the wind stirring up the sand and getting into his eyes. Thereweremany tears from the

discomfort at these times, with the tears helping to flushout hiseyes. The only water was fordrinking,with aman bringing around abucket and cup to the workers.

The day's work atthe quarry started at daylight and finished when the bus from Foggia came by in the late afternoon. They had no watch or clock and this is how the working day was measured. Tony thinks work finished at around 5-6pm.

Tony then wentontowork onafarm, looking after the pigs, sheep andducks. Therewerenofences so Tony had to be with the animals all the time to look after them. Horses were used to plough the land. He alsohad to clean out the stableseach day

Tony's bed whilst he worked on the farm was the concrete horse trough, with some hay underneath him for some very small element of comfort.

He managed to get home possibly once a month when he cried to the boss: "I want to go home to see mum."

Homelifein theVillagiowas noteasy

Therewas the constant rhythm of life to do what was essential to survive. Tony recalls the very cold winterswhenheavy snow would have the family 'lockedup' inthe one room home. They had to have enough food stored to get through these times. Food consisted of chickpeas, walnuts, chestnuts, broad beans and potatoes. Mum would make bread once amonth in the community oven. The family had to have enough wheatstoredsothat mum could make the large round bread loaves called 'Panettone'. Amemory Tony recalls was his mum handing him and his siblings ahandful of chestnuts for lunch.

"That was it -nothing else."

He also remembers when the twins (Nick and Angela) werebornthat mum had difficulty feeding them. Tony would take them to alocal woman who had ababy and who had extra milk to sparefor the twins. Papa believed this was notsustainable and decided to buy agoat, and the milk went to the twins.The goatthen livedin the one room with the family. Papa had ajob pruningolivetrees and he would bringthe cuttings home to feed the goat.

Nappies for the babiesthat came along also needed to be cleaned and washed. This wasproblematicinwinter.Therewas awell in the room but no electricity The solution was asmall domed top charcoal burner called a'Vrascier', with the nappiesplaced

on top to dry. Thereneeded to be forward planning for the winter with Papa andTony cutting boxthornbushes and burning the branches to create the charcoal to be stored for the winter.Nothing was left to chance. Planning ahead was critical.

During anumber of these early years, Papawas absentfightingat warfor the Italian army, as aprisoner of war by the Germans and then whenhe migratedto Australia. Tony was relied uponbyhis mother to help out morethan ever

Therewas great hardship for mum and her family whilst dad was away. In their married life, mumand dad were to be separated from each other for morethan 10 years. The pressureoflooking after the family in Italy for mum was to be eased by extended family support andassistance from the small community.

The Centrafamily'sgradual journey to Australia came through the Stefanetti brothers -Michele (Peter's father) and Luigi. They had been in Australia before the war and wereinterned during the war as 'EnemyAliens'- (Migrantsfromany country with whom Australia was at war). After the war,they both wanted to remain in Australia, and Michele got his two sons to come out (Peter and Mateo).

Then Peter asked Papa to come out too. This was in 1951. It was abrave move. As a40-year-old man, he reluctantly left his familyto travelintothe unknown to aforeign land. His hope was to establish himself with work and to save enough to bring his family out to Australia also.

Tony was to also play an important role in this plan. Papa was sponsored by the APM planting trees out at Longford. He would go on to work in manual jobs for the remainder of his working life, often working anumber of jobs, seven days aweek. He would never returntoItaly in his lifetime. He only had bad memories of his hardtimes there. Papa was awonderful provider for his family and Tony followed in his footsteps with his own admirable work ethic.

One day mum said to him: "You have got to go to Australia to be with your father."

Therewerenoquestions asked.

Tony set offonSeptember 4, 1953 on the boat 'Neptunia'fromNaples. Hewas farewelled at the port by his mum. He was happy to leave for Australia but unhappy to leave his mother and brothers and sisters. Tony recalls as if it was

from rags to riches

Tony took the job. Morehardwork. Making bricks,digging up clay, stacking and removing bricks from the kiln. Tony also had to stoke the furnace at night. It was tiringwork. Each meal consistedof only bread and butter

His home was avery small cabin on the brickworks site.Sosmallthatthe bed neededtobemoved to open the door.There was no toilet.He'went' behind the bushes

Tony had abreak whenhe was told of theworkers canteenat nowdemolished hospital in Traralgon on the highway.

He endeduphaving his evening meals thereand paying one pound aweek for this.

He was looked after by the lady who was the canteen cook, maybe because he "licked the plate dry", she gave him more food. She also made jam and peanut butter sandwiches for himfor hislunch.Tony appreciated her kindness.

He had been working at the brickworks for three weeks and then went on the bus home to visit Papa.

yesterday the emotionalfarewell tohis family in the Villagio.

Tony was 16 years of age when this next uncertain stage in life began. He had no bag and no change of clotheswhen he boarded.

Tony recalls his first memory on the ship.

"There wasso muchfood. Ihad never seen so much food in all my life!"

Duringthe trip,hebunked inwiththe women and children. He was seasickevery day and he cried alot, missing his family.

Papa and Luigi StaffanettiwereatStation

Pier to meet Tony and they spent the night at aboarding house. It was called the "100 rooms" and the next day they hitched a ride with amilk truck with Tony sitting on the large metal milk crates.

The train to Sale was asteam train. They stopped at Warragul and Papa gave Tony his very first beer.Heskulled it.

Life in Australia commenced in asmall bungalow behind Peter Stefanetti's house in Desailly St.

TheSionnunshad sponsored Tony to work with them at the Sion Convent girls school. Luigi Stefanetti hadmadethe arrangement asheworkedfor thenuns and lived at theConvent in asmall cottage on Codrington St.

Tony worked at the Sion Convent for around 12 months as agardener

He only saw Papaon the weekends, as Papa was working in the 'bush' for the APM.

He often said to Papa that they had to get the family out to Australia -"We need to get my mum and brothers and sisters here." He missed his family. In those early times, Papa said they couldn't affordityet.

Tony recallsthathewas paid twopounds at the time, when the averageweekly wage was 12 pounds. He didn't think this was fair.When Gino Nocci spoke to Tony about taking his job at the brick works in Traralgon, Tony was keen to go.

Papawas reluctant for him to take on thejob becausehefearedhewouldnot see his son again.

Tony vividly recallshehad 30 pounds in his pocket to give Papa and aflagon of sherry.

The bus dropped him offinRaymond St and Tony walked to the house that he was helping Papa to pay off. Papa answered the door and hiseyes lit up. He said- "I thought Ihad lost you." They both cried.

Tony requested: "I want mum here."

The plantobring therest of thefamily was taking shapewiththe purchaseof the house from "Nanna" who lived in the front house. The house cost 300 pounds. The Sale ALDISupermarket now stands on thesite of the first Centra home. Tony remembers the walls weremade of hessian and in winter thehouse was very cold. Additions and improvements over time made the Raymond St house ahome for the Centra family.

The passage for the seven family members to come out to Australia was 700 pounds. They arrived in 1954 and the family grew in 1956, with theaddition of Peter.The family was complete.

The Centra's werethe largest family to leave the Villagio for abetter life. Many other families followed in their footsteps.

Tony continued to work to assist mum and dad to pay offthe house. He worked at the butter factory (now the gallery and library on the highway) for 10 years before going on to other work and success. Tony was amost valuable and respected worker in all jobs during his working life.

Tony was agreat support in many ways for his family, both as ayoung boy in Italy and as afamily focused man in Australia.

Tony Centracan be very proud of himself and his contribution to his family.

As afamily we areforever gratefulfor mum and dad's brave decision to come to Australia. The current and futuregenerations of the family will reap the rewards of the hardwork and sacrifice of our parents and Tony.

Tony Centra’s passport photo for his 1953 entry in Australia.

Young farmers taught valuable lessons

Stefan BRADLEY

VARIOUS surveys and data tell slightly different stories,but the average age of farmers is skewing older -intheir 50s or 60s -and it appears to be trending that way over time.

With the GippslandRed Meat Conference, which took place in late August, the organisers,the Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG), put the spotlight on young farmers under 35-years-old.

Rozzie O'Reilly, from New South Wales, spoke at the event. At age 30, she is operations manageratone of the largest suppliers of prime lamb genetics to Australian lamb producers, Lambpro. After acouple of years of very high market prices, she's expecting achallenging 12-18 months ahead with "all-time low" prices, but she's up for the challenge.

"There's talk ofsomeprettyscary low prices thatare going to be paid, but we see it as an opportunity," she said.

"We'rereally trying to position our clients in that premium space so they don't succumb to the lows of those market prices."

During her talk, Ms O'Reilly spoke about improving reproductive performance in sheep and the efficiency and market gains thatcomewith achievingthatbreeding objective.

"Weneed young people coming in to sustain the agricultural industry," she told the Gippsland Farmer

Ms O'Reilly said that traditional farming had yettobeseenasacareerbyyoung people, whichshe believes is afactor for why the average farmer is about double her age.

"Thereare so many opportunities that peopledon't know about whenthey're comingthrough school, and that's really being brought through to fruition now in the opportunities that are available for young people," she said.

"And it is acareer; it's not ajob you do between jobs. It really is acareer."

Swifts Creek farmmanager RichardArmit, aged 33, said he attended the conference to gain insight into newtrends and challenges in the "dynamic" agricultural industry and learnwhat others aredoing.

"It's great to be heretoday and see such alarge turnout," Mr Armit said.

"I was interested in learning about the issues of carbon andmethane -that will be a big issue going forward over the next 10-15 years."

Mr Armit shared his thoughts on why the agricultural industry had struggled to attract younger farmers.

"I don't really know why, but alot of my friends on farms have taken on other work in the cities," Mr Armit said.

"Even those from second or third-generation farming families wereasked by their parents if theywereinterested in the farm, and they said no.

"I suppose when we weregrowing up, there wasn't much money in the farms.

"And it is ahard-earned lifestyle."

"You'reoften isolated awayfromyour friends. And if you have ayoung family, it's moredifficult too."

Mr Armit noted this was reflected in the conference attendees,who were mostly over 35 and that since farmland is expensive,it's hardfor those outside of afamily business to break in.

"I think probably lots of their kids decided it wasn't for them," he said.

"Must beabout $15-20millionfor the average-sized farmifyou work out all the sums. It's obviously alot of money."

Farmers under 35 hadthe opportunity to be mentored by Rozzie O’Reilly from Lambproat the Red MeatConference.

Photo: Zoe Askew

Key ways to keep on top of emissions

GOOD practice, moreresearch and incentives forfarmersmay be the bestways to reduce emissions, as discussed at the Gippsland Red Meat Conference (held on August 29).

This was akey topic at one of the sessions at the conference, featuring Simon Quilty and RichardEckard, titled ‘Greenhouse Gas Reduction Schemes Worldwide’.

What works best, the carrot or the stick?

Will producers respond best to incentives,orregulation?

The whole storyabout greenhouse gas and carboncredits isaconfusing one, and redmeat producers have asignificant exposuretothe market, with livestock identified as majoremitters of methane, agas seenaseighty times morepotent thancarbon dioxide over atwenty-year timeperiod.

Simon Quilty, market analyst and regular Gippsland Red MeatConference presenter,recently returned from aChurchill Fellowship tour studying Greenhouse Gas EmissionReduction Schemes in the USA, Canada,Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, and theUK. What he found was thatmuchofEurope’s attempts at lowering methane output wereabout using ‘the stick’, meaning forcing farmers to comply throughregulation. Mr Quilty believes the ‘carrot’willget the best results, wherefarmers arerewarded for lowering methane emissions.

Mr Quilty told the Gippsland Farmer that Australiaisat“crossroads”,and suggested that arewards system be implemented whilst using technology to accurately measuremethane production. In otherwords, aprice valueonmethane reduction.

“The methane measurement is crucial,” he said.

MelbourneUniversity Professor Richard Eckard, whoseresearch focuses on how climate change affects agricultureand viceversa,told the Gippsland Farmer the pathway of loweringemissionsfor livestock businesses will come from the supply chain, rather thanthe government.

“By 2030,weknow our supplychain will ask us to have (30 per cent)lower emissions and demonstrate it. Selling our productisthe maingame we’rein.” Professor Eckardsaid that farmers who work with best practice and efficiently will be best-placed to meetthese emission targets, with the government having a different role, with research.

“(The government’s) got to put in more research into providing farmers with thosenextoptions beyond that,”hesaid “Howdowetake the next steptoreach those (2023) targets? Whatcan we do to halve our methane after that?Thatstill doesn’texist.”

Better futures at meat conference

Stefan BRADLEY

ABOUT 240 producers gathered for the sold-out Gippsland Red Meat Conference in Sale in late August, to learnfromeach other and plan a better future for their businesses.

The conference, held at the Sale Baptist Church, was organised by the volunteerled GippslandAgricultural Group (GAgG), who pulled together the content and secured the speakers.

It aimstohelpbeef andsheepbusinesses of all sizes increase productivity and resilience throughknowledge and technologysharing. Arange of trade displays offered practical information and advice on key topics such as farmbiosecurity planning and climate emissions.

An AgricultureVictoria spokesperson said the sold-outevent benefitted the Gippsland meat industry while also boosting the local economy.

“Weare pleased to sponsor the Gippsland Red Meat Conference,” the spokesperson said, who also noted that AgricultureVictoria provided $10,000 in sponsorship and hosted adisplay at the event.

GAgG General Manager Jen Smith, who is alocal sheep and cattle producer,said the event sold out early, and hailed the positive energy.

“It’sabsolutely energising tobe here today. What we’ve got is aroom full of producers who arelooking for that edge in their business,” she said.

There’s about 60 partners, sponsors and industry-people. It’s fantastic to have thoseservice providers inthe room to sharetheir knowledge that we can apply to our farming systems.”

The event lasted the entireday -froma working breakfast at 7.30am to a dinner at the Victoria Hall which was scheduled to conclude at 11pm.

After registrations,morningtea and an opening address byGAgG, the first presentation at thechurchtookplace at 9.35am. Meat and livestock analyst Simon Quilty, whoreturned in alater presentation, spoke alongside Managing

Director of Mecardo, Robert Herrmann about the constant motion of the red meat markets.

Nine morepresentations followed.

Frank Archer from Landfall Angus had his own presentationtodiscuss matching genetics to one’s production system. He also shared astage with farmers Alister and Steph Micallef on whether operations needed to be large-scale to be profitable.

Ms Smithsaid as producers tackle challenges surrounding markets and climate, theexpertsat the conference can speak on what producers can do to position ourselves.

“Toquote speaker FrankArcher,you don’t have to be an expert, but you have to be agood decision maker,” she said.

“Tobeable to put close to 200 producersfromGippsland in aroom with some experts is going to power on some of that decision-making …going forward.”

Ms Smith spoke of the trifecta of adverse conditions affecting the redmeat sector -rainfall, interest rates and commodity prices.

“We’ve seen asignificant rise in interest rates, and avery significant declinein our commodity prices for bothlamb and beef,” she said.

“Combined with really low rainfall for most of East and Central Gippsland but it’s too wet in South Gippsland.

“That trifecta of issues is really affecting things.”

The other speakerswereRozzie O’Reilly (Lambpro), RichardEckard (Melbourne University professor), Mark Ferguson(NextgenAgri), Sarah Bolton (Greenhams), ScottLangley (Langley Farms) and Nathan Scott (AchieveAg Solutions).

After the last presentation concluded around 5pm, it was time for networking andnibbles, then dinner at 6.30pm at the Victoria Hall.

The dinner featured sports legend, media personality and ‘lambassador’ Sam Kekovichasa guest speakertoentertain the crowd. David and Aly Caldwell from GAgG also spoke about the humorous realities of farming.

Ms Smith said it was great to finish off the conference with adinner that was social, connective, vibrant and fun.

“GAgGseesthisasreallyimportant to tacklingchallenges aroundmental health in the farming community… to bring producers together for socialising and laughter,” she said.

Asked if the conference will returnnext year,MsSmith said “for sure”.

“Weneed to think aboutthe model and raise the profile of these events for industry,” she said.

Farmers Alister and Steph Micallef spoke at the‘Big Farm/Little Farm’ panel discussion on scale of operation. Photo: Zoe Askew

Meatand livestock analyst Simon Quilty (left) and Managing Director of Mecardo, Robert Herrmann have predicted redmeatprices would likely rise from 2025 and peak in 2027

Photo: Lyric Anderson

Aussie FireChiefs at BrownWigg

BrownWiggisgearing up for an early, hot summer. The various BrownWigg branches havehad alot of recentinterest in firepumps, andAussieisstanding by to supportthosecommunitieswithplentyoffirepumps available.

“Farmers, bushies and eventownies havebeen around looking at fire pumps,” said Romao Benedettiof BrownWigg Bairnsdale.

“After thelast firesdown here, people wanttobe prepared.”

Brownrigghas agood stock of Aussie’s popular Fire Chiefs, which areflying offthe shelves with hose kits as the summer heats up

The Aussie Fire Chief is claimed to be thebestlightweightportable firepump in the world.

Developed specifically for Australian bushfirefighting, the pump will deliver amaximum head of 75 metres (vertical lift)

The FireChief will prime from depthsas lowas7.6 metres, so it’sideal fordrawing water outofa well,river or dam.

Aussie’sFireChiefispopular becauseofits efficiency and thetop qualityHonda petrol engine.

The secret of theFireChief’sperformance is abig 7” diameter impeller thatis perfectly matched to the capacityofthe engine.

TheFireChief will deliver about 200lpm at 50 metres total head

That’splentyofwater to douse aspotfire, dampen down vegetation,orrun aroof sprinkler system.

BrownWigg’sservice centre,anauthorised Honda Service RepairAgent, is at theirSaleaddress

Pump owners areadvisedtohavetheir Honda engines and pumps serviced foroptimal performance, leading up to thefireseason.

“Pumps booked in for service areusually backthe next day,”said Benedetti.

“If youkeepyour firepump in the shed protected from the weather andwellmaintained,theylastyearsand years,” he said

FIRE PUMP MAINTENANCE

The firepump is critical to any fireprotection plan

It must startfirsttime andwork well duringa bushfire emergency.

Running afirepump regularlywill ensurethatthe pump is primed ready for actionatshort notice.

Familiarisation with using thegearwill reduce stress during final preparations on theday of high bushfire danger.

In this post, we’verun throughsome of the mostimportant fire pump maintenance procedurestoperform,and coversomeofthe complicationsthatcould result from neglectingthem

THE ENGINE

It’simportant that yourun the engine forafew minutes on aregular basis during thefireseason

Bear in mind that fuel canbecome stale in just afew months and must be replaced Usinga fuel additive can extend thefuellife. Make surethe fuel tank is left fulland that you have sufficient additional fuel on site for refills duringan emergency.

Check the oil level in the engineand refer to theengine manualfor thetype of oilneededifthe levelneeds toppingup.

Thepumpmust be on level ground to ensure the oil sensor detectsthe correctoil level in the engine.

The enginewillnot runifthere is insufficient oil

Check the air filterisclean andthere is sufficientair flow around the engine.

Outside thefireseason, consider gettingthe engine serviced once ayeartokeep the engine in topcondition

THE PUMP

Checkthe pumpbowl is fullofwater by removing the filler cap on thetop of the pump. Replace thecap tightlybefore starting the engine Aussiefirepumpsare self-priming, so once set up they will hold their prime unless drained. If thebowlisempty then refill it Neverrun thepumpwithout water running throughitas this will damage the mechanical seal.

On starting thepump,the water shouldbeexpelled throughthe dischargeportwithin minutes.

The lengthofthe suctionand discharge hoses will determine howlongittakes for the water to flow.

Thepumpwill not prime if thereisanair leak in the suctionhoseorthe strainer is blocked.

Check the suctionhosecouplingincludesthe sealand that it’singood condition, andthat the strainerisfully submerged andnot blocked

Run the pump at full revs for thebest performance.

If the pump is used forpumping saltwater or pool water it must be flushedwithclean water immediately after use.

Failuretodosocan leadtocorrosion of theimpeller andthatcan cause it to seize.

Check for leaks around thepump and hose joins, once thepump is running.

If waterisleaking from the back of thepump, the mechanical sealneeds to be replaced.

An Aussierejuvenation kit contains all the o-rings and themechanical sealfor afull service

Itissimpletofit andcan be done by anymechanicallyminded person.

HOSES AND SPRINKLERS

Your deliveryhoses need to be ingoodconditionand longenough to reacharoundyourproperty. Thesuctionhosemust reachthe water source even whenthe level drops.

Check thereare no splits in the hoses andreplace if necessary. Sprinklersshouldberun to ensuretheyare notblocked

SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE

Regularpracticeisthe bestway to ensurethateveryoneinthe household,and evenneighbours, arefamiliar with startingand using thepump and the hoses. Maintainingyourfirepump is essentialfor yoursafety during thebushfire season.

Hopefor the bestand preparefor the worst.

NEED HELP?

There’s aBrownWiggnearyou!

Bairnsdale 03 5152 1313,Maffra0351411544, Meeniyan 03 5664 0265,Sale 03 5144 4441,Stratford 03 5145 6844,and Yarram035182 5148.

Or locate yournearest AussieGolddealer online at aussiepumps.com.au/locate-a-dealer/ Loads more information on preparingfor afire emergencycan be found in theAussieBushfireSurvival Guide.

Pick up yourFREE copy at your nearest BrownWigg,or online at aussiepumps.com.au

Peter Falls from BrownWigg Bairnsdale stocking up on Aussie FireChiefs and hose kits.

Run the engine for afew minutes on aregular basis during the fireseason.

The suction hose must reach the water source even if the level drops.

Aussie’sFREE BushfireSurvival Guide.

Residual risk policy “too risky”

Comment

John CAMERON

AFTER the 2009 bushfires, the Victorian BushfireRoyal Commission (VBRC) recommendedfiveper cent of theforestbe fuel reduced each year,even though fire behaviour experts called for eight per cent in line with practise in WesternAustralia.

In 2015, Victoria ignored the VBRC recommendation and the advice of Australia’s most experienced firebehaviour experts and introduced anew approach, ‘Safer Together’.

TheMinister, the Hon Lisa Neville said, “Our new approach is about doing moreto reduce the risk of bushfire, and knowing what we do is moreeffective. We will involve local communities in decision making taking into account what people value in their local area.”

‘Safer Together’was not safer,ormore effective,nor whatlocal ruralcommunities wanted.The resulting fuel reductionsince has averaged about 1.4 per cent of the forest each year,well below the VBRC five per cent target and expert recommendation of eight per cent. In the summer of 2019/20, 1.6 million hectareswas burnt, 396 houses destroyed, businesses irreparably damaged and five lives lost despite mild weather in the fortnight after ignition.

Inquiries since have generally blamed climate change and ignored or downplayed the fundamental impact ofheavy forest fuels on fireintensity, rate of spread, fire spotting and difficulty of suppression.

Area burnt, lives lost and difficulty of suppressing wildfires is determined by fire intensity. And fireintensity is influenced morebythe quantity of available fuel (dry fine surface and near surface leaves and twigs) than it is by the forest firedanger index (climate, weather and drought factor).

Victoria’sBushfire Residual Riskof70per cent is toorisky

VICTORIA'S objective is to maintain the statewide average bushfirerisk at or below aresidual risk of 70 per cent in the long-term.

This ‘residual risk’ is aproxy for the average statewiderisk thatbushfiresposeto life and property. It is expressed as the percentage of risk that remains after both unplanned bushfire history and planned andimplemented fuel reduction activities aretaken into account.

It is reported on an annual basis.

The target of 70 per cent ‘residual risk’ means that the state government delivers on averageonlya 30 per cent reduction in bushfirerisk, relative to a‘time bomb’ forest with absolutely no bushfiremitigation whatsoever.Forests with no bushfire mitigation carry catastrophic wildfires even under non-catastrophic climatic conditions. Expertsinbushfirebehaviour believethat the target residualrisk of 70 per cent is far too high and leaves Victoria vulnerable to

megafires and significant loss of life, homes, property andnative flora and fauna. Alower residual risk target of about 20 per cent is roughly equivalent to the VBRC target of five per cent fuel reduction each year,and is required if we aretoavoid catastrophic bushfireloss in the future.

Achieving the residual risk target by counting wildfire is nonsense

THE state government only ever achieves its bushfireresidual risk target of 70 per cent with substantial wildfire, the fires they claim their ‘SaferTogether’ policyis supposed to reduce.

The residualbushfirerisk only drops below 70 percentafter substantial area burnt by high intensity wildfire-the type of firethe policy was supposedly designed to avoid.

This ‘Safer Together’ Policy and its reliance on very high Residual Risk of 70 per cent is reckless and extremely dangerous.

The IGEM reported dissatisfaction by emergency and community sectors with fuel reduction and the IGEM recommended areviewofthe residual risk target with substantial fire.

The state governmentmistakenly assumes high intensity wildfireover summer delivers the same result as alow intensity wildfire duringmilder weather in autumn or spring. It does not. Unlike low intensity prescribed fire, high intensity wildfireresults in impenetrabletalldenseunderstoryoften dominated by flammable species such as ‘petrol bush’.

Volunteerscrubfromwildfiresuch as in 2019/20, becomes ladder fuel making the forest morefireprone and futurefuel reduction and bushfiresuppressionmuch

moredifficult.DepartmentofEnergy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) statewide residual risk is an ‘average’ residual risk across districts.

Astate average residual risk results in unacceptable regional risk

IMPLEMENTEDfuelreduction and ‘unplanned’ bushfires areaveragedacross districts to arrive at astatewideresidual risk, which is then compared to the statewide target of 70 per cent residual risk.

This has resulted in Forest Fire Management Victoria Latrobe District with aresidual risk well in excess of 70 per cent.

Araging bushfireinLatrobe District is not going to be pulled up by the fact that the residual risk in the Snowy District 250km away is below the target of 70 per cent.

DEECA residualriskinJune2022 for Forest FireManagementVictoria (FFMVic)

Snowy District was five per cent primarily based on 717,000 ha of wildfirein2019/20 and Tambo District was 28 per cent, also primarily based on 942,000 ha of wildfire in 2019/20.

Given the changed forest composition with ladder fuel, these estimates of residual risk grosslyunderestimates the bushfirerisk in the Tambo and Snowy Districts.

Fuel reduction within the 2019/20 East Gippsland fireground (embracing Tambo and SnowyDistricts) averagedonly0.6 per cent in four years beforethe fire(only 26,500haper annum).Ofthis,81per cent of the prescribed burnt coupes weretoo small to be effective such that ‘effective’ prescribed burning only accounted for 0.34 per cent of the forest each year

‘Effective’ prescribed burning was only one 15th of that recommended by the Victorian BushfireRoyal Commission.

In addition, the coupes werenot strategically located across the landscape, werea long way from ignitionpoints, andthuswere useless for assisting initial suppression.

Ineffective fuel reduction was accompanied by compromised suppression.Tambo fires 38 and 39 werenot reported until midday on 21/11/19and ‘wereonly able to be resourced the next day with three crew members who weretasked to monitor fire spread and help developcontrol strategies.

This firegrewto90ha after one day and 745 ha after the thirdday, whereitwas fought with only seven firefighters, two bulldozers and no night crew.

Residual risk and planned fuel reduction in Latrobe are negligent

THE stategovernmentsJoint Forest ManagementPlan(JFMP)statesthat: “it aims to meet or exceed district and regional residual risk targets that contribute to the statewide target and to enable the delivery of bushfiremanagement objectives, as

&free

documented in the BushfireManagement Strategy (BMS). It provides flexibility to account for different seasonal conditions."

This statement does not appear to have been implemented for FFMVic Latrobe District which embraces Drouin, Traralgon, Noojee and Inverloch. The problem in FFMVic’s Latrobe District is that the state government hasnegligently allowedthe residual risk to climb to 83 per cent in 2022, well above asafe level,and has no effective plantoreduceitaccording to theirJoint Forest Management Plan (JFMP).

Despite the diresituation, the planned fuel reduction for Latrobe District is apaltry 12,000 ha pa over the next three years.

This will allow the residual risk in Latrobe District to climb to 84 percent beforedropping ever so slightly to 79 per cent leading into the summer of 2025/26.

With typical 43 per cent implementation, we can expect only 5000 ha pa of actual fuel reduction and residual risk to climb towards 100 per cent.

FFMVic planned prescribed burning and forecast residual risk for Latrobe District 5 Planned fuel reduction for Latrobe of only 2.1 per cent of the forest is well below five per cent recommended by the Victorian BushfireRoyalCommission, as arethe plannedfuelreduction for Tamboand Snowy.

The state government only implements 43 per cent of its planned fuel reduction. Assuming this 43 per cent applies to Latrobe District, then the planned fuel reduction of 2.1 per cent will probably only deliver actual fuel reduction in of about one per cent, or one-fifthofthe VBRCrecommendedfive per cent of the forest each year

Excessiveoverheadsand high fuelreductioncosts

VICTORIAN fuel reduction costs areaveraging $1500/ha overthe pastthree years and areabout five times as expensive as implementedby DEECA’s counterpart DBCA in the South West Forests of WA DBCA prescribed burncosts for the South West Forests of WA average $300/ha over the last few years.

DEECA’s overhead costs for Victorian prescribed burning areexcessive.

About the author: John Cameron (Dip Hort. Burnley and MBA Monash) is aforestryand business consultant previously holding positions in General Management, CorporateDevelopment, Forest Research, and Consultant and as aFireController in a CFAIndustry Brigade. He has made numerous comprehensive submissions to various bushfireinquiries.Consulting experience includes providing expert reports based on cost-effective policies,strategiesand prescriptions to deliver improved environmental, socio-economic and financial outcomes.

Local consultant John Cameron believes the state’s bushfireresidual risk is too dangerous.

Photo: File

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Revealing the benefitsoffarmforestry

VICTORIA'Soldestfarmforestry demonstrationsite is being restored through a partnership between VicForests, Gippsland Agroforestry Network and Lardner Park.

The site, established in 1978, occupies six hectares at the northernend of Lardner Parkand wasinitially planted by APM Forests, Forests Commission Victoria, WarragulTechnical Schooland the Department of Agriculture,withsupport from other companies and organisations servicing agricultureand forestry.

VicForests Senior FarmForestry Officer, Trevor Nicklen, said once completed, the site would be home to aseries of farmforest plantation plots.

“These plots will demonstrate the management and performance of farmforestry species that areknown or thought to establish and grow successfully on arange of sites in West and South Gippsland,” Mr Nicklen said.

“VicForests,along with the Gippsland Agroforestry Network, will then create opportunities to educate farmers about the benefits of farmforestry through various field days, forums and publications.”

With support from the Gippsland Agroforestry Network andLardnerPark, VicForests is restoring the site by investing about $80,000 into the management of the site.

The completed restoration will featurea 10-year management planfor the site, new species planted, upgrades and management of existing plantations,and development of new interpretation boards.

Site preparation has already started to

prepare for planting of aSpotted Gum tree and pasturesite; aSpotted Gum and BlackWattle timber-belt; and aSheoak environmental belt that will start in early September

Soiltestshavebeenconducted on the planting site to measurenutritional status and determine fertiliser requirements specific for growing trees.

Since 2021, VicForests has awarded grants through its Gippsland Farm Forestry Program to 26 landholders across Gippsland to assist in planning, establishing and managing atotal of 361 hectares of new farmforests.

The Gippsland-based program seeks to supportthe integration of timber trees within the context of awhole farmplan, ensuringthese trees play avital role in

improving the broad range of economic, environmental, social, and cultural values within andaroundthe farming landscape.

The grants arefunded by the state government, which is incentivising tree planting at the farmscale through to much larger commercial plantations.

Further grant opportunities areexpected to become available later this year

Report slams residual risk fire policy

Philip HOPKINS

THE state government's residual risk policy, which includes areas burnt by wildfire, must be abandoned so that Victorian communities aresafer and less hit by bushfires in the future, according to aleading forestry group.

The policy should be discarded and replaced by the recommendationof the Black Saturday 2009RoyalCommission report for along-termprescribed burning basedonanannual rollingtargetoffive per cent minimum of public land, says the South East Timber Association. SEATA, whichincludesmemberswithextensive firemitigation and firefighting experience, advocates for active and adaptive management of native forests on private and public land.

SEATA set out its approach in asubmissiontothe draft bushfirepolicyreleased by DELWP in July.

The current policy has aresidual risk of 70 per cent.

If lessplanned burningcontributes to moreareaburnt by wildfire, the government can still meet the residual risk target of 70 per cent or less. If residual risk is 100 per cent -there has been no fireinthe landscape and no fuel reduced and Victorian forests areatmaximumriskwhere fires will spread and have an impact. If residual risk is at 70 per cent -the impacts to life and property will be reduced only by about athird.

Key SEATA recommendations are:

 The full details of residual risk modelling and assumptions should be released to the public, and;

 Atruly independent panel of bushfireresearch scientists, with strong practical and theoretical understanding of bushfirebehaviour and fireecology, should be appointed to review the validity of the outputs from the bushfireresidual risk model.

SEATA said the 2009 Royal Commission's policy of burning afixed percentage of hectares per year was discarded and replaced

by the Safer Together Policy in 2015.

DELWP set astate aide targettomaintain bushfireresidual risk at, or below, 70 per cent whichincludes the 70 per cent residual risk.

"This means the risk of amajor fire, like Black Saturday, would be reduced by about athird," the policy said.

"This new approach sees our management movingfromahectaretarget to arisk reduction target for bushfiremanagement."

SEATA said the 2009 Royal Commission recorded that the then annual fuel reduction of about two per cent was inadequate comparedtothe recommended five per cent each year

"The departmentfailedtoreachthe target in all years up to until 2016. Since commencement ofthe residual risk approach, the average area treated annually has declined by one third," SEATA said.

"SEATAmembers continue to beperplexed that the bushfireburnt area can be used in the calculation of residual risk, despite theenvironmental devastation

inflicted by high intensity bushfires. Why is is that fireand land management agencies could meet, what is presumably akey performance measure, by undertaking less mitigation burning and seeming to rely on high intensity bushfires every few years, to meet the target?"

SEATA said two researchers from RMIT and Austria analysed the hectare-based approach and the risk-based policy. They foundthatthe hectare-based approach scored 13 out of amaximum 48, while the risk-based policy scored 40 out of 48.

"SEATAmembers, some with over 40 years of firemitigationand fire fighting experience, aredumbfounded by the scoring," said SEATA secretary, Peter Rutherford, in the submission.

"These academics appear tobelacking in the necessary bush science and environmentalskillsneededtoprovide an informed analysison whichof thetwo policiesis mostappropriatefromabushfire/risk management perspective."

Lardner Park, near Warragul will soon be home to arestored farm forestry demonstration site.

Photo: Contributed

Energy conference sold on hydrogen

Philip HOPKINS

THE hydrogenproject inGippslandcan be acatalyst for manufacturing local fertiliser and cutting the need for imports, the Gippsland New Energy Conference in Sale was told.

Jeremy Stone, non-executive director and adviser for J-Power Latrobe Valley, which is part of the Japanese consortium that is developing the HESC coal-to-hydrogen project in Gippsland, said Gippsland had great assets -avast and cheap coal resource, a work force and infrastructurethat can be repurposed to create hydrogen. .

It was not just about hydrogen; the process also gave access to nitrogen. “Hydrogen and nitrogen together can formammonium, giving us asovereign capability.Wecan add the CO2 to make fertiliser,” he said, creating ahome capability that no longer required huge imports. The hydrogen and CO2 could also produce methanol and aviation fuel.

“If we mix biomass in with our coal, which we’ve done in our pilot, we can produce carbon neutral hydrogen, carbon neutral fertiliser,aviation fuel and methanol. This is something unique to Gippsland with the conditions of the LatrobeValley coal and our process making it unique to Gippsland to provide other benefits,” he said. The biomass would come from plantationwaste or special plantation forests.

HESC involves gasifying the Latrobe Valley's brown coal, separating the hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the process,ata plant adjacent to Loy Yang Apower station. The hydrogen is shipped to WesternPort, whereitisliquefied and sent to Japan in tankers -the world’s first liquid hydrogen supply chain.

The long-termaim is to sequester the carbon dioxide in empty oil and gas reservoirs in Bass Strait -carbon captureand storage (CCS).

After asuccessful $500 million pilot plant phase, the group is now moving to the commercial stage of the project with $2.5 billion from the JapaneseGreen Innovation Fund. “That’s apretty significantcontribution, but we need moretoimplement the project,” Mr Stone said.

Dr Vicky Au, the deputy leader of the CSIRO hydrogen industry mission, told the conference that usingfossil fuels to produce hydrogen was still much cheaper thanusing renewableenergy.Hydrogen was part ofthe energymix required to achieve the net zerotarget, as solar,wind and battery storage would not be enough for Australia to meet its net zeroemissions target by 2050.

However,DrAusaid the barrier to using renewable energy to produce the hydrogen was the cost. “The cost of renewable hydrogen is prohibitively high. We would require asubstantial subsidy from government for the transition phase,” she said.

Green hydrogen is achieved through a process of electrolysis powered by renewable energies such as wind or solar. Electrolysis

involves using an electrical current to break down the water molecule into oxygen and hydrogen by electrodes.

Questioned whether therewas atimeline for atransitionto green hydrogen in Gippsland, Dr Au said modellinghad been only done nationally and notfor Gippsland, but modelswerebeing changed and updated annually. “Also, for the new hydrogen strategy, thereisa transition point. Using fossil fuel is the lowest (cost) at the moment,” she said, with renewables probably becoming economicbyabout 2035-40 with the advances in electrolysers.

“China has really brought down the cost of electrolysers.Those arethe facts that will help bring down thatcostofrenewable hydrogenproduction. That is where we are;with so much effort being put into technological improvement, we may see that brought forward.”

Mr Stone said he would be happy for agreen renewable hydrogen project in Gippsland, butcosts neededtocome down. “Everyone wants that electrolyser the ability to upgrade production, find the mines that extract the lithium and cobalt, silicon to make the batteries, wind farms and electrolysers -thereare huge supply chain issues. Frankly, we can’t wait until 2040 to start doing this at scale,” he said.

“Wedon’t have the time, we need carbon neutrality as fast as we can, but pragmaticdecisions areneeded. Focus on carbon intensity, the economic benefit, be pragmatic on project-by-project basis, put ideology aside."

Mr Stone said HESC, which had been going for ten years, had already produced 99.99 per cent hydrogen in the Latrobe Valley. “We wouldlike to take that to the next stage,” he said. Hiscompany, J-Power,has 25 gigawatts of generation capacity aroundthe world, with 50 per

cent renewablesinJapan.“We invest in clean technologies -wind, biomass, solar around the world -and hydrogen,” he said.

Mr Stonesaid HESC commercial productionwould be 40,000 tonnes per year of hydrogen -30,000 tonnes to Japan and 10,000 tonnes to help carbonreduction in Victoria and Australia. “Weneed to be in operation by 2030,” he said.

The consortium consists of two basic entities: J-Power and Sumitomo Corp, which areresponsible for production of hydrogen and CCS; and downstream, Japan Suiso ('Hydrogen' in Japanese), which consists of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Iwatani Corporation, which takes careofthe liquefaction and shipping to Japan.

“They liquefy the hydrogen down to minus 253 degrees Celsius, reduces the volume to 1/800th of its scale, making it easier to storeand transport. The ship is unloaded in KawasakiCity,aportclosetoTokyo,” he said.

Mr Stone said Japan's basic use for the 30,000tonneswas powergeneration. “New turbines arebeing developed to take hydrogengas,but also to use for transportation,” he said. In Australia, the 10,000 tonnes wereinitially for transport -trucks, buses and fuel cells. “It’s also aswap for existing hydrogen thatisproduced nowwithout any carbon abasement,”hesaid, which pushed millions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. “Wecan swap some of that withthe 10,000tonnes and get good a climate benefit. CCS is part of the process.”

Mr Stone said Japan imports 90 per cent of its energy as fossil fuel. “With a2050 carbon neutrality policy, they need to do a lot of things to lift clean energy to replace 90 per cent fossil fuel,” he said.

In the past, people talked about hydrogen on acolour-coding basis. “That is agood wayto start, but the customer needs more

than that -they need to know what sort of carbon intensity,” he said. That would involveCO2kg/H. “Once atradeable commodity, customers willwantthis carbon intensity at aprice. The analogy is the petrol station; you choose 91,95,98fuelbased on need andprice point. This is where the customer is heading with hydrogen as we transition to net zero,” he said.“ In Australia, aguarantee of origin scheme is being put togetherbythe CleanEnergy Regulator.Weare happytobepart of that process.”

The carbon intensity requirements for green hydrogen varied from country to country, from 2CO2kg/H, 3.4kg or less, 4kg and 3.4kg. “Theseare the numbers that provide evidence of how organisations can transition to lower carbon.”

Mr Stone said the fact was CCS had been around for 45 years; therewere35CCS facilitiesin the world. “More than 200 CCS projects arebeing developed around the world as we speak, being supported by US, Canada, Japan, UK, China and South-East Asia SEA. The IEA (International Energy Agency) and IPCC see this as anecessary requirement globally to reach net zero targets,” he said.

The government-funded CarbonNet in Bass Strait and Exxon Mobil in the Gippsland Basin wereresearching CCS. “If we become afoundationcustomer, we can get Exxon Mobil or CarbonNet to buildasequestration project that can be used by otherindustries in Victoria and across Australia -hard-to-abate industrial industries that need to do something with their CO2. It would be great if they could use one of these sequestration projects,” he said. “Thereare many projects out there. Ithink we need to do all these projects at the same time to hit targets.”

Photo: File

Relieving community living pressure

Stefan BRADLEY

GIPPSLAND Centre Saleand Wellington FoodPantry haveteamed upto help provide relief for locals affected by food insecurity, with anew food donation bin in the centrealready providing aboost for the high demand.

Wellington Food Pantry Inc areanot-forprofit organisation run by volunteers to provide food relief to people in Sale and surrounding areas. Registered customers generally come in eachfortnighttopick up three or four bags of groceries for $10.

Money israised through the Wellington Community Opportunity Shop on MacArthur St, Sale and the service relies on supplies being deliveredthrough Foodbank Australia.

The service is run by dedicated volunteers who arepassionate about helping those in need.Recently, state schools in Australia have noted that many students arecoming to school without lunch, due to the cost of living increases hitting families hard.

Gippsland Centrehas recently aligned with WellingtonFood Pantry and is encouraging their retailers and customers to find ways to help.

“Somuchfoodthatisperfectly good goes towaste each day, let’s divert thatfood to the peopleinour communitywho need it,”Gippsland Centre managerEmma Waghorne said.

“Woolworthshavecome on boardand are providing boxesof apples, oranges, bananas and mandarins each week.

“The RejectShop brought in about 50 soups and 15 boxes of tea bags too.”

Other stores have also provided food products, which has been gratefully received.

Gippsland Centrehas adonation bin at the Woolworths end of the centre. So far, residents have already given back.

Ms Waghorne said the bin was full of donatedfoodonlyafew daysafter being put in.

“Weare very happy with the community spirit being shown,” Ms Wagnorne said.

“I would love to see the community get behind helping those in need by donating one or two items when you shop each week. The people in need are our neighbours, and we need to be lookingafter each other

“This is one small way we can each give back to the community, you never know when you may need to access aservice likeWellingtonFood Pantryyourself.I encourage everyone in our community to get behind this initiative and help in any way you can.”

Eachweek,WellingtonFood Pantry provides food relief to morethan 100 Sale families and outreach services to Yarram and Golden Beach.

Wellington Food Pantry spokesperson

Keeley Barakat said with the cost of living rising so dramatically, many of the families they support aretrying to choose between paying the mortgage or being able to provide food for their families each week.

“These areoften working people who find it harder to make ends meet,” Ms Barakat said.

“Weare very gratefulfor all donations received and some high demand items are hygiene items, baby food, nappies and nonperishable food items”.

Ms Barakat said Wellington Food Pantry has seen moredemand this year than ever before.

“It’s the worst we’ve ever seen,” Ms Barakat said.

“Wewereaveraging about 10 customers a week in previous years, but within the last six months we’re averaging about 80-to-100 aweek.”

The customers seeking support areacross all ages, including pensioners, students, familiesstrugglingtopay themortgage, the homeless and single parents.

“It was mostly pensionersinprevious years, but now it’s a wide spectrum of people, it wasn’t that way before. They’re just finding it so tough to make ends meet,” Ms Barakat said.

Truecaresupport worker Benji Schuback brings his clients to the Wellington Food Pantry, who aregenerally from lower socioeconomicbackgrounds, and/or have adisability or a mental illness.

He said the elderly and people with disabilities arethe ones falling through the cracks without access to support. Others arehaving to relocate due to the high cost of rent.

“People arestruggling moreand morejust for the basics,like bread and milk. The cost of everything isskyrocketing,” hesaid.

Ms Barakat said she would love to hear from any businesses that has food wastage that could be collected at the end of each day and refrigerated for distribution the next day.

Send amessage via WellingtonFood Pantry’sFacebook page if yourbusinesscan help by providing donations or sponsorship.

If you’d like to volunteer,receive food relief or donate groceries or money, the Wellington Food Pantry’s opening days and hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9.30am to 2pm, and Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm. If you can affordit, for $10 they’ll provide pantry staples, bread, frozen meals, fruit, vegetables, and sanitary items.

The pantrycan befound in theUmart mall on Raymond St in Sale.

Wellington Food Pantry’s KeeleyBarakat and Laurel Austin arelooking for volunteers to help with distributions in the Sale region Photo: Stefan Bradley Residents in and around Sale have given generously thus far Photo: Contributed

Boosting malenetball participation

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

SPORTisfor everyone- NetballVictoria knows this.

Netball Victoria is actively building the sport for male engagement by breaking down barriers for junior athletes.

Duringthe schoolholidays, agroup of youngaspiring malenetballerswere treated to game time and skills clinics run by none other than Gippsland’s very own Australian Under 17’s team representative Zac Mabilia.

Netball Victoria’sEastern region participation coordinator,Leanne Bland said male participation is key to growing the game.

“Ourmaleparticipationcoordinator, Jayden Cowling,who has been newly appointed, identified that we have 346 boys playing in Gippsland,” she said.

“Feedback that we get from the general community that moreboys playing netball want to play against the boys.”

“We’ve created this opportunity totry to bring some of the Gippsland players

together to play against each other.”

Youngboysinnetball can playagainst girls up until 13 and under in their local associations and clubs. Still, with Netball Victoria’s genderpolicy, the boys arenot permittedtoplayinthosecompetitions once they hit that age based on an assessment of the difference betweenfemale and male strength and stamina.

While associationscatertothoseboys looking to play past age 13 by facilitating mixed competitions, the level of competitivenessand opportunities arenot quite the same.

Bland said she believesthat Gippsland has the demand to run junior boys competitions one day in the future.

“Hopefully, we’relooking at the growth at netball whereboys can verse boys in the future; we thought bringing the Gippsland kids together we hope this can transpire intosomethingthat can continueand grow,” she said.

The recent triumph of the Victorian Men’s

and Mixed NetballAssociation(VMMNA) in the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) 2023 National Championships in Perth shows how enthusiasm for men’s netball and participation is growing.

Datafromthe AustralianSports Commission’s latest sports survey shows an estimated 115,400 men played netball in 2022 -upfrom64,300 in 2020.

Netball Victoria recognisesthe rapid male interest in the sport and is willing to facilitate grassroots action.

From the physical, social and mental benefits, the sport continues to grow, and it’s not hardtosee why.

Remaining physical in team sports is incredibly important for young children Playing team sports makes regular exercise ahabit from ayoung age and helpsdevelop bone and muscle strength, fitness, health, interpersonal and social skills.

Theproblem is that everyone is different, and we all like certain things. Still, these

young men found their calling in the skilful contemporarysport of netball with exciting new possibilities in apotential local boy’s competition.

Mabilia (17-years-old)ran the Gippsland boys come and try netball day. The young gun from Wonthaggi paved the way for boys in netball in the region.

An athletic child, Mabilia played all sorts of sports, but netball was his favourite. Mabilia, joining his cousins one day, discovered alove for thegame after ajunior clinic called Net, Set, Go,and wentontoplay for Victoria’smen’s team with aselection in the national team.

“It’s pretty special to have some boys playing and to see Netball Victoria putting on clinics for boys to do,” he said.

Having had nowheretoplay locally after he took out the Gippsland League Best and Fairestinhis last year of under 13s at Wonthaggi, the young netballer said the opportunitiesfor boysinthe sporthave grown since his day.

With Netball Victoria’s commitmentto work on ways to increase the participation of youngboys in the sport and facilitate competition, Mabilia says it will attract many moreyoung boys to the sport. Mabiliamuststilltravelto Melbourne to access high-level opportunities. Still, with the Gippsland Stars Victorian Netball League announcement, who knows, perhaps aGippsland men’s team may beon the cards. Currently playing for the Altona Falcons in the M-League,Mabilia said that netball is one of thehighest-growingsports in males and is excited about wherethe futuremay lead.

Whileweshould not get tooaheadof ourselves withalocal boy’s competition still only afuturepossibility, the boys at the school holiday clinic had great fun, and that’s what it’s all about.

Netball Victoria hosted acome-and-try dayfor young boys across Gippsland recently Photos: Zaida Glibanovic

Male participation in netball is growing across the country,especially hereinGippsland.

Welcome to anew age of cricket

Liam DURKIN

“From little things big things grow” Paul Kelly

IT may have taken longer than somewould have liked, and the road to get therepaved with no shortage of potholes,oreven roadblocks in some cases, but the two cricket leagues in the Latrobe Valley have finally joined forces.

With the cricket season set to begin this month,all isinreadiness to welcome a new era for the sport in the region, as the Traralgon District Cricket Association and Latrobe Valley DistrictCricket Leagues combine.

The result: ‘Cricket Latrobe Valley’ -one of the biggest country cricket leaguesin Victoria, and officials arehoping it will be one of the strongest.

CRICKET LATROBE VALLEY SEASON 23/24 GRADINGS

Premier A

Ex Students Glengarry

Toongabbie Morwell

Moe MTY Raiders

Mirboo North CATS

Churchill

AGrade

Rovers Centrals

Imperials Willow Grove

Traralgon West Latrobe

Gormandale

Premier B

Centrals Glengarry

Mirboo North Churchill

Jeeralang-Boolarra Toongabbie

Moe Ex Students

Morwell Thorpdale

BGrade

CATS Imperials

Willow Grove Traralgon West

GormandaleRaiders

Latrobe Rovers

Premier C

CATS Traralgon West

Glengarry Mirboo North

Centrals Moe

Ex Students Morwell

Rovers

CGrade

Thorpdale/Raiders Willow Grove

Latrobe Churchill

Jeeralang-Boolarra Toongabbie

GormandaleRawson

Imperials

Notes:

Yarram District -TDCA to Sale-Maffra

Trafalgar -LVDCL to Warragul District

Jeeralang-Boolarra (withdrawn A Grade)

Yallourn North -inrecess

Newborough -inrecess

Walhalla -associate member of WDCA

While therewas ascaledback merger of sorts betweenthe Central Gippsland Cricket Association and the TDCA in time for the 2018/19 season to formthe Latrobe Valley District Cricket League, the new body is indeed looking to make afresh start, allthe while preserving the history and tradition of both former associations.

Followinganextensiveexternal review of cricket in the Latrobe Valley region in 2017, which, for the most part, found too many matches weresimply too one-sided in the CGCA and TDCA, the committee concluded amerging of the two associations, playing under apromotion/relegationstructure, would ensurethe long-term viability of the sport at alocal level.

The ‘Latrobe Valley Cricket Review Committee’ consisted of Tony Flynn, Wayne Mills, Michael Walshe, Dean Burridge, Sarah Prime,Tim Darby, Rino Metlokovec, Barry Little and Graham Harvey.

Noting Mills and Harvey werepresident of the CGCA and TDCA at the time, all seemed in readiness for amerger to go ahead.

Well, it sort of did, and it sort of didn’t.

Five clubs from the TDCA jumped shipChurchill, Morwell Tigers Yinnar Raiders, Callignee and Traralgon South (CATS), Centralsand Traralgon West left tojoin the CGCA, which was rebranded Latrobe Valley District Cricket League.

The remaining TDCA clubs -ExStudents, Glengarry, Toongabbie, Rovers, Gormandale and Traralgon Imperials stayed, and were laterjoined by the newlyformed Yarram District Cricket Club making for aseventeam competition.

While therehas been toing and froing in the last few years to try andforce afull-scale merger,things finally came to ahead in March this year when Imperials sought a move to the LVDCL.

Being reduced to six clubs, and later five when Yarram decided to join the SaleMaffra Cricket Association, may well have eventually forced the TDCA’s hand.

At special general meetings each held in early July,the TDCAand LVDCL voted on whether or not to go ahead with afull scale merger

The TDCA vote was unanimous in favour of merging, whilethe LVDCL’s wasalso positive.

Clearly, in the eyes of member clubs, the time was finally right to come together

Witha new league,a new leader was needed, and long-time local cricket administrator Brad Howlett, of Centrals Cricket Clubnotoriety,won theendorsementof then-sitting LVDCL presidentWayne Mills. Given Howlett’shistory with Centrals, whereoutgoing TDCApresident Steve Kay is also alife member,hewas perhaps the ideal candidate to help with the process. Howlett said Kay had been tremendous in seeing the merger through cooperatively.

“Steve has been brilliant through the whole process, I’ve known Steve since Iwas akid, he was brilliant, genuinely brilliant,” Howlett said.

“Started having conversations with Steve about this in early June, bit of discussion back and forth, once it was decided that this was the right path, he was fantastic through the whole lot.”

Kay hadpreviously been resurrected to lead the TDCA when the five clubs left, but said it was now time to forge ahead under the new banner

“It’shappened, hopefully it all works out, hopefully all the clubs play it right, play it hard, play to win and that they do right by the juniors,” he said.

“It’s importantthat kids areplaying cricket, otherwise you’regoing to end up losing clubs. Thereshould be good people at each of the clubs teaching the kids coming through, getting good coaching from outside.”

Kay willbewatchingonwithinterest, havingopted not to get overlyinvolved at boardlevel in the inaugural season of Cricket Latrobe Valley.

“It’s not my turnnow, it’s other people’s turn, but Ithink the principles thatwe operated with under Traralgon regarding the clubs, juniors, representative cricket, if theyfollowthoseguidelines,cricket should be okay,” he said.

“I’ve known Brad for along, long time. His hearts in the right place and he’s been terrific to deal with, he’ll do the right thing and he’s as keen on cricket as Iam, and is keen to see it successful, so Ihave total 100 per cent faith in him.”

With any merger,tensions can run high, but Howlett said things werefairly harmonious all things considered for something that, in the eyes of some, should have

already happened 20 or even 30 years ago.

“The general feedbackfromboth sides, everyone is pretty happyand pretty excited,” he said.

“I think in conversations, some clubs have told me numbers arethrough the roof, Ithink it is great for local cricket in that sense.

“Thebestteams inthe LatrobeValley region will be playing against each other, they’ll be some fantastic cricket.

“For the former Latrobe Valley clubs there won’tbea greatdealofdifference in the set-up, promotion/relegation, those clubs areusedtoit, it will be different forthe TDCA clubs,but Ithink once they havegot the hang of it they will thoroughly enjoy it.”

That being said, with such abig league to oversee, Howlett knows fullwellthereis going to be some teething problems.

“I have no doubt therewill be issues about bits and pieces.

“Don’tknow what they arebecause if I knew what they wereI’d fix themnow,” Howlett said.

“I have said this openly, ‘please be patient’, we have aheap of stufftowork through, we aregoing to have ared hot crack at getting thisright,have some patience withthis, we’ll get thereeventually.”

The mergerhas already been enoughfor a coupleofclubs to seek affiliation elsewhere. As well as Yarram, Trafalgarhas decidedto move back to the Warragul District Cricket Association.

Understandably, with the increased number of Traralgon-based teams, the travel factor would have become ajustifiable burden for the Ships.

Trafalgar Cricket Club members voted in favour of heading back to the WDCA, but will need to pay their penance by starting in the competition’s second division. Unfortunately, the season is over before it has even started for acoupleofclubs, with YallournNorth and Newborough going into recess.

Havingnow establisheda hugeleague, hopefully for the betterment of cricket in Gippsland, Howlett said the boardhad an equally huge responsibility.

“It is afairnumber, it is abig cricket league, itisamatteroflooking after all clubs, not just the AGrade, trying to give those clubs, their players and their members the best opportunity to play the best cricketthey can, at theirlevel wherever they fit in,” he said.

“Therewas afantasticturnout at the AGM, it wasgoodto see post the AGM people from former Traralgon and Latrobe Valley clubssittingaround, talking to each other,even when they weresitting at the table they wereall mixingin which was great to see.

“As the season and the years go on, that will get better.New rivalries will start, but at the same time it will be ‘can’t wait to play there, good bunch of blokes, good afternoon tea, great trip there’.”

Abus from Rawson to Toongabbie could indeed be agreat trip.

Gormandale, WillowGrove, Latrobe and Rovers Cricket Club members at theCricket Latrobe Valleyfirst annual meeting.

Photo: Contributed

Former TDCA president Steve Kayhas helped with the transition to seeing the merged league come about

Photo: File

Leongathadynasty keepsrolling

Liam DURKIN

DIVISIONAL football might be agoodidea. The problem is thereisn’t aleague higher for Leongatha to play in around here.

The Parrots added another Gippsland League senior flag to their collection on Saturday, after beatingSouth Gippsland rival Wonthaggi 14.5 (89) to 7.7 (49) in the Grand Final.

Leongatha upstagedthe minor premier to adegree, whohad takenthe shortest route to the decider after accounting for the Parrotsin thesecondsemi-final a fortnight earlier,and won 16 gamesina rowleading in.

Come Grand Final day however,Leongatha well and truly showed their opponents, and the rest of the league for that matter,that when it comes to the crunch, the Parrots aresimply irresistible.

For aGrandFinal,the game itself was abit of alet-down(as was the crowd in all honesty) as by the 15-minute mark of thefirst quarter,Leongatha had four goals to one on the board on the lush, green MorwellRecreationReserve (a raresight for afootball ground in the Valley these days).

After such ablistering start, the Power was forced toplaycatch-up.Wonthaggi skipper Aiden Lindsay gave his side alift after converting from an Isaac Chugg hit-up to keep the scoreboardunder control at 17 points, beforedisaster struck.

Wonthaggi forward TomDavey might have been abit too hyped up for the big game, and was yellow carded for late contact on the eveofquarter time. Thismeant the Power weredown aman for the first 10 or so minutes of the second term.

Power coach Jarryd Blair tried to put a positive spin on the situation in the huddle, saying it suited his team as they would now have no option but to control the tempo While beingone downmeant Leongatha defender Cade Maskell would be roaming loose, Blair told his players Maskell would be taken out of the equation if they could in fact stay patient and hit shorts.

Interestingly, Blair put it back on the players, asking “what did you talk about?”

(from their line meetings) beforebreaking for the second quarter

Unfortunately for the sentimental favourites, the plan backfired completely, as the second quarter unravelled and amaiden GippslandLeague seniorpremiership slipped further and further away.

The Parrots continued their dominance, kickingfour goals to one, two of which came in the first five minutes.

Leongatha captain TomMarriott nailed a long range set shot to stretch the margin to five goals, while Wonthaggi’s first real look came when Chugg found Jack Hutchinson inside 50.

The first signs of alucky break possibly falling the Powers’ way occurred following the set shot from Hutchinson. Although his kick went wide of the goal face, the ball was lost by Leongatha’sJackHume as he went to run the ball out of defence and it bounced backwards after he’d gone to bounce it himself.

Hume had survived anervousweek, after being given the all-clear by the tribunal on Thursday.

The 22-year-old was handed athree game ban for striking Moe’s James Blaser in the preliminary final, but the tribunal decided the charge didn’t match the offence, resulting in anot guilty outcome.

While video footage didn’t look favourable for Hume, it is understood Blaser abided by the players code of not rattingout opponents facing the music.

Those in local footy circles will attest to how that codeworks, with anyone who goes against it moreorless blacklisted.

Like journalists going to communications -itisheavily frowned upon.

Leongatha kicked two goals while Wonthaggi was aman down, and continued their dominance as halftime approached.

Both teams played asimilarstyle between the arcs, holding their wings and halfforwardswidetogive them space to run forward.

The difference however was the next kick, the one going inside 50.

WhereLeongatha found targets, the Power simplycouldn’t, while defensively, it was a stark contrast

The Powersdefencewas all at sea underthe constant bombardment.The Parrots’ workrate to get numbers back saw Wonthaggiattimes kicking to four-on-ones.

AKim Drewmarkand goal furthered Leongatha’s ascendency, andwas followed by amarktoCameron Olden,who had the opportunity to add further Power pain.

Some good umpiring afew moments beforehand resulted in aball-upafter Olden took what looked to be apack mark.

Wonthaggi’s dirty day continuedto get worse, and was perhaps best summed up when the ball literally bounced backwards over Brodie Mabillia’s head as he was running onto aloose ball heading inside 50.

Youknow those days whereyou have 15 play-and-misses

APower goal at the 18-minute mark kept the scoreboardinsome check at 29 points.

Cooper McInnes had an opportunity to get it back to amanageable 20 or so minutes later,but his set shot sailed out on the full in the pocket near the scoreboard.

McInnes had kicked morethan 50 goals for the season, andendedupkicking three out on the full in the Grand Final.

When it’s not your day

Leongatha’s Jenson Garnhamprovided onefor the highlight reel, taking ahanger in front of the Parrots’ bench that would have no doubt been replayed afew times on Saturday night.

Understandably, giventheywerefour goals down, Wonthaggi looked to take the game on as much as they could. At times however this had the reverse effect, asthey were too excited to pull the trigger,ofwhich Leongatha feasted on as the Power’s foot skills on the day were, for the most part, well below average.

Davey’sday pretty much ended before halftime after he was given asecond yellow card. Compounding the issueashe retreated into the rooms, Leongathakicked anothergoal courtesy of a50metre penalty

The Parrots led by 34 points at the main break, andwhile it wasn’t an insurmountable lead,it was hardtosee Wonthaggi coming backconsideringtheywerestill going to be aman down when the second half got underway.

The Power certainly weren’thandling the occasion well, but started the second half brightly, kicking agoal in the first two minutes.

Leongatha’s Noah Gown responded at the other end, kickingtruly after out-muscling Noah Anderson.

Maskell wasstill free, andpicking up kicks with ease. Wonthaggi was really only able to bypass him on one occasion, when Troy Harley kicked agoal on the run at the nine-minute mark.

If they hadn’t already lost the plot following Davey’s brain explosion, the Powerwas just about to completely do so.

ShannonBray landed ahuge bump on

Drew which took the latter within range, andheconverted for his second goal.

It was panic stations from herefor the Power,somuch so that they flicked about half-a-dozen handballs between themselves at half-back, with no one seemingly wanting to take responsibility to move the ball forward.

This led to consecutiveholdingthe ball decisions,giving Leongatha evenmore confidence.

By now, all the Parrots had to do was play time, and Gown, who previouslyspent timewith Essendonand in theVFL with Sandringham this year,provided the levelhead to signal to his teammates to just hold things up when they had the ball following some chaos.

When they had to defend however,they wereequally quick to do so, and Maskell could be heardfromthe grandstand barking orders for those in green and gold jumpers to “get back” after Blair was granted a50 metrepenaltyand taken forwardofcentre.

The Wonthaggi coach looked like he was hobbling, and after acleverdribble goal from Aaron Turton just before three quarter time, the Parrots’ lead stood at 41 points. Wonthaggi had famously come back from a45-point deficit in apreliminary final in 2014.

If therewas ever atime to performanother miracle, this was surely it.

Such an outcome didn’t occur,nor was it ever going to. The last quarter fizzled out, as each minute only served to tick closer to aLeongatha flag.

Shouts of “Power outage” came from the Leongatha faithful,and the Parrots started chipping the ball around as early as the 15-minute mark.

Wonthaggi had virtually conceded afew minutes beforehand.Blair was clearly struggling to run,while Chugghobbled offatfive minutes and Bray not long after

As theend ofthe gameapproached, Leongathaforward JackGinnaneand coach Trent McMicking embraced in a private moment together on the bench.

Ginnane had missedlast year’spremiership following amuch publicised eight-week suspension, which he took all the way to the Supreme Court.

With apremiershipinthe bag 12 months later,hemay well have been thanking his coachwholeheartedlyfor giving him another chance.

Only two goals werekicked in the final term, with Wonthaggiadding alate one for consolation.

The Power found honest contributions from defender Fergus O’Connor,Tim Knowles, Jack Blair,Mabilia, Lindsay and Ryan Sparkes.

Those judged best in the clubvotes for the Parrots wereMaskell, Marriott, Ben Willis, Aaron Heppell, Olden and Jackson Harry.

Imagineifsomeone told Willis 10 years ago he’d be afour-time senior premiership player

As is tradition, two best-on-groundmedals areawarded in the Gippsland League Grand Final.

Marriott was awarded the Victoria Country medal for best-on-ground, while Heppell took the Stan Aitken Medal.

In the wash-up,somuchhad gone right for Wonthaggi this season, only for everything to go wrong at the final hurdle.

It all appeared to be perfectlyplaced for the Power to win their first Gippsland League flag this year: Favourite son Jarryd Blair was in his thirdseason as coach, had takenhis home club to the minor premiership, they hadn’t lost agame since Round 3, and Sparkes had won the league MVP by 10 votes.

But then not good enough on the day stage fright Leongatha.

It is said what goes up must come down, but the Parrots areshowing no signs of doing that.

They’ve now won fourflagsinthe last five seasons,

While therewas somequestionssurrounding the Parrots’ chances during preseason, and evenattimes during the yearafter they finished third, wordfrom Parrot Park was always that the current group was hellbent on going for at least one moreflag.

We did always say if you’regoing to win the flag this year,you’regoing to have to get past Leongatha at some stage. Well, acouple of teams did,just notat the right stage.

Recognising young stars

THE July Junior Gippstar Award Winner was Elly Fleming of Glengarry for her achievements in the sport of athletics.

In the 2022/23 season, Elly’s results were: 1st Australian All Schools 800m; 1st VicJunior 800m; 1st VicCountry 800m, and second fastest alltime 800m Gippsland Track Club.

Her recent Open National qualifying time in the 800m was 2:09.06.

Elly isone of Australia’s top junior athleteswho regularlycompetes in the open age group.The JulyOpen Gippstar Award Winner was IanMiles of Trafalgar for his achievements in the sport of lawn bowls.

Miles, earlier in the Strzelecki North Region season wonTrafalgarBowls Club’s Men’s Open Singles Club Championship.

As aresult, he thencontested the Strzelecki North Region Champion of Champions event, which he eventually won from Morwell’s Steve Collins in the final.

This win earned him the right to contest the Bowls Victoria State Champion of Champions event held in Bendigo. In Round1,Miles defeatedLee Williams (Rye) 25 shots to 11, then in Round 2Ian defeatedKevin Anderson (Moama) 25 shots to 24.

In the semi-final, Joshua Sanders (Lilydale) proved too strong for Miles, eventually winning 25 shots to 20.

The August Junior Gippstar Award Winner was Lucas Furlan of Traralgon for his achievements inhis sport of clay target shooting.

Lucas recently attended the World Universal Trap Championships in Spain as part of the Australian Under 21 Team.The team was successful in defending their world championship title from last year,winning the Gold medal.

Lucas alsowon the Bronze medal in the individual section of the under 21’s with agreat scoreof 192/200, just two targets behind the winning Italian shooter

The August Open GippstarAward Winnerwas JulieBeasley of Nilma for her achievements in the sport of golf croquet.

Leongatha with yet another Gippsland League senior premiership.

Photo: Liam Durkin