Town &
CountryJournal 13th October 2022
Trio of cowgirls Bushkids slice A tribute to local legend Gloria with their hats of paradise Madeline Ellis in the ring
Norco local troubled
Leonie Fuge editor@thedailyjournal.ink
T
he challenges faced by dairy farmers continue with low profits, rising industry costs and the continued wet weather. But for Southern Downs Norco farmer Andrew Mullins, the challenges are mounting. The knock-on effects of this year’s floods that badly damaged the Norco ice-cream factory and devastated Norco facilities and the co-operatives farmers is estimated to run into the tens of millions. Andrew told the Daily Journal that at the last month’s Norco’s co-operative supply meeting he was warned that due to damages to the ice
cream factory, “$35 million could be written off for shareholders.” This is a hit in the already empty pocket of a dairy farmer trying to survive in an environment not conducive to dairy farming. “Unless there is a massive price increase for milk and it becomes more profitable, I can’t
pay myself a wage,” said Andrew who spends around seven hours milking each day. “We have had a milk price rise but it’s not meeting the costs of inflation. Everything has dramatically risen, everyday costs like the fuel we use in tractors and trucks, the power we use to milk and the fertiliser and chemicals. Supermarkets take the biggest chunk of profits. ACC should be fighting for us, but they fight for getting lower prices for consumers,” he said. With these mounting pressures, the Bureau of Meteorology then confirmed another La Nina wet weather season. When Andrew heard more wet weather events were on their way he said, “My heart sank, it is like deja-vu for the third year.”
The impact of continued wet weather on the animals is significant said the farmer, “We had more milk in the drought than with the wet weather. The cows end up with sore feet that are easily bruised by rocks, and they are more prone to mastitis. When they are stressed they don’t want to eat and this reduces milk production. We are now down 20% over the past two years.” Facing such odds, Andrew said, “It was lucky Norco had found other markets to utilise the cream and had diversified from ice cream.” Photo shows Norco dairy farmer Andrew and his son Ned Mullins on their Southern Downs farm.
Spa treatment for the Leslies Leonie Fuge
leonie@smallnewspaper.com.au
T
hey booked in for a facial scrub and maybe a little filler and now they’re looking as sprightly as ever.
To honour Warwick’s founding ancestors, the faces of the region’s pioneering couple were set in stone by sculptor Vernon Foss. The first rock sculpture to be completed was Patrick Leslie’s face in 1996 followed by his wife Catherine (Kate)
Leslie’s face in 2001. The Patrick’s brothers, Walther mini Mount Rushmore and George settled a large attraction rests alongside the area of land around the Leslie Dam wall and was Condamine River and its sculpted from two large tributaries. granite boulders that stand side by side. Photo shows the freshly Over time, as with all of scrubbed faces of Patrick us, weather and age took and Kate Leslie sculptures their toll on the founding at Leslie Dam. couple’s faces which caused discolouration and staining. The details of the faces began to blend with the surrounding darkened rock requiring a good gurney to revive. The end results are easily seen with both faces rejuvenated and now clearly contrast with the surrounding darkened rock. Warwick’s founding couE warwick@rfsteelbuildings.com.au ple are recognised for purchasing the first allotment of land in 1848 and with
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