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CountryJournal Week commencing August 9th 2021
Long road ahead
The Southern Downs Regional Council has until June 2023 to complete repairs to flood-damaged roads in order to claim federal and state disaster funding, Jeremy Sollars reveals. The red tape for councils around such funding – in the SDRC’s case around $5.5 million – is considerable, and councils must submit lengthy assessment reports and photographic evidence before the money will be released. The SDRC late last week released a rather complex statement on the disaster funding conundrum it faces, which involves damage to roads from the “rain events” – we in the media just call it “heavy rain” – in 2020 and 2021. See the back page for more.
Volunteering powerhouse
Pin drop weather stations
In keeping with Olympic Fever, Gerard Walsh this week talks to 2016 Netball
Queensland Volunteer of the Year Linda Bunch about her career and passions, and also ruminates on how local equestrian facilities played a role in Australia’s silver at the Tokyo Games. E warwick@rfsteelbuildings.com.au See the Long Paddock and Face to Face, inside.
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“Growers will be able to drop a pin on their location to produce farm specific forecasts, triggered alerts and decision-making tool outputs...” That’s the future of weather forecasting technology coming to your farm according to Pacific Seeds Marketing Manager Andrew Short. Page 3, he reveals is collaboration between seed supplier Pacific Seeds, Goondiwindibased AgTech company Goanna Ag, as well as climate and data science startup ClimateAI. Servicing Warwick, Stanthorpe and Beyond Made from Bluescope Australian Steel FULL SERVICE - SLAB, ERECTION & COUNCIL
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COUNTRYJOURNAL
Country briefs Selenium deficient Southern Downs A recent study--surprisingly enough from Iran --finds that much of Australia’s apple growing areas, including the Granite Belt, are deficient in selenium. The mineral tends to be in low supply in acidic soils with granite or basalt rock material present. Selenium is well known to graziers, but its importance to apple production is only newly understood. The paper says that growers using seaweed-based materials, enough selenium is being applied through these products. The study found that at harvest, higher application rates of selenium resulted in increased skin anthocyanin (red colour) by 43 percent, fruit sugars by 40 percent, fruit firmness by 78 percent and vitamin C by 32 percent. To read the paper, visit the apal.org.au/selenium.against
Like a boss Want to negotiate like a pro for your agribusiness? Learn the art of the deal through a GRDC online workshop, “Communicating with Influence” being held 25 August at 1 pm. The one hour workshop will showcase Sam Trattles, director of Other Side of the Table Pty Ltd, a commercial deals negotiator. She will share strategies you can use to deliver positive business results and be a boss when dealing with difficult conversations in business situations. You can register by visiting grdc.com.au.
10th annual steer show Get set for the 10th annual George & Fuhrmann bullock and steer show and sale slated for Thursday 2 September, 10 am, at the Warwick saleyards. Judging will begin at 8 am and presentations made at 9:45 before sales at 10. The
champion pen of steers is up for a $2500 prize while the reserve pen attracts a $1000 prize. Other prize categories include EU steers, pens of feeders, grain assisted steers, supermarket steers and heavy feeder class amongst others. For more information, contact Matt Grayson on 0419 686 549 or Maugan Benn on 0427 253 528.
Ag visa progress at last? The ABC is reporting that progress has been quietly made with the much vaunted policy priority of the National Party to introduce a visa for farm workers. Apparently a briefing on the visa plans took place just prior to the PM Scott Morrison departing Australia for the UK to talk Brexit-reltaed free trade deals with the UK, and that was the first briefing that had taken place on the to our federal MP David Littleproud who happens to be Minister for Agriculture since September 11th 2018. The ‘policy’ was up and aobut in 2018, and seems to only have resurfaced because the PM wanted to drop the requirement that Brits have to spend 88 days on Australian farms to extend their visas...effectively trimming around 10000 from the army of backpackers available to farmers...assuming the plane start flying again. The Nationals have reportedly pressured the PM in return for supporting him on the Brexit negotiations to revitalise the ag visa deal. With the PM back from Britain and the issue back on the table, watch this space.
Only in America John Deere has introduced a desert sand-coloured farm utility vehicle with military-inspired graphics "and other new features as a tribute to veterans." The "Gator Ultility Vehicle" comes equipped with "predator heavy duty all-terrain" radial tires mounted on black alloy wheels. As part of its advertising program, John Deere is spruiking its SkillBridge program which helps servicemen and women begin their post-military careers in a John Deere production facility during the last five months of their "military commitment."
Food prices fall World food prices eased in July, following the pattern set in June, reflecting falls in cereal, dairy and vegetable prices according to Reuters BUT the prices in July were up, when examined relative to July last year, by 31%. Reuters reports that wheat reserves are being drained mainly by bakers/millers, as drought impacts wheat crops across the Canadian prairers and the US plains region that jointly produce over half of the global output of wheat.
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Tech to advance climate planning on farm late in the season.” ClimateAI sources its analytics data from a wide range of public and private platforms and combines this with agronomics and machine learning to deliver what it believes is a superior forecasting model. The Pacific Seeds relationship with ClimateAI began when exploring how climate change might impact Australia’s grain production regions and the potential shifts needed in breeding, testing and regional seed production operations. “The more information we have the better we can identify what type of
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Skip is a collaboration between leading seed supplier Pacific Seeds, Goondiwindibased AgTech company Goanna Ag, as well as climate and data science start-up ClimateAI. Pacific Seeds Marketing Manager Andrew Short said the Skip platform will allow growers to look at farm specific short term and season ahead weather forecasts, while having the ability to add crop alerts to assist with making decisions. “Growers will be able to drop a pin on their location to produce farm specific forecasts, triggered alerts and decision-making tool outputs,” Mr Short said. “Multiple locations for Local on-farm weather stadifferent fields or farms tion data can also be marked delivering tailored data for attributes will be each location. needed by products “The Skip platform can also assist seain the future, where sonal decision making by giving growers can we test now and agronomists the ability to run simulations of various planting times checking which might already for potential seasonal impacts before put- display these future environmental charting seed in the ground and helping to acteristics and if our tweak crop management before it is too current seed produc-
tion locations will still be viable in the future,” Mr Short added. Goanna Ag CEO Alicia Garden said they were thrilled to be supporting Pacific Seed’s establishment of a new weather and climate forecast network. “We’ve always held a strong belief that site-specific weather observations were needed to drive high accuracy short- and longer-term weather forecasts,” Ms Garden said. “Our weather stations capture important parameters such as solar radiation that can greatly improve crop forecast models and it's fantastic to see this data feeding tangible on-farm decision making tools for producers.” The Skip platform is due to launch in Spring 2021 with industry stakeholders encouraged to pre-register their interest to take part. For more information or to get involved, contact Pacific Seeds on 4680 2666.
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FACE TO FACE with gerard walsh
Linda Bunch
volunteer powerhouse
AFTER growing up on a sheep property at Karara, Linda Bunch moved to Warwick at age 15 and is now involved with husband Bruce in their business Albion Street Auto. She went to Karara State School for years 1-7 before finishing her education at Warwick State High School. Now she runs the administration side of the business and is heavily involved in sports administration with the Warwick Netball Association. She is also on the management committee of the Condamine Sports Club and carried the Queen’s Baton in Warwick on the way to the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in 2018. Gerard Walsh: What are your memories of life at Karara? Linda Bunch: I remember my twin brother Neil and I fighting to see who would go up the paddock with Dad (Colin Cameron) farm. on the sheep property. We GW: Did you enjoy shearing would muster sheep on foot and time? later had a motor bike on the LB: I missed most of shearing
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as it was on school days. My job when I was in the woolshed was to sweep the floor, I was too young to be throwing the fleeces. GW: What are some other memories of Karara? LB: I am one of seven siblings and we would do a big grocery shop once every six weeks, we lived more than 50 kilometres from town so had to be pretty resilient. Karara had a store and post office at the time. GW: What was your first job?
LB: I started a chef’s apprenticeship at what was then the Elms Restaurant on the corner of Wood and Albion streets, worked in retail and hospitality and then administration. GW: Where was your first administration role? LB: I worked at the Water Resources office and in administration for A and P Constructions, the Dome Deli Café and Suncorp. Bruce and I bought Albion Street Auto in continued next page...
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COUNTRYJOURNAL continued from previous page... 1998 and have worked in the business since then. GW: What parts of the automotive business are you involved in? LB: We are specialists in exhausts, brakes and towbars. GW: Being on the highway, is a lot of your business from interstate travellers? LB: We do some work for highway traffic but the majority of our work is from the locals. We have received great support from the locals down the years. GW: Do you enjoy having a business? LB: Business does have its challenges but I generally enjoy it. We don’t have staff, it is just the two of us involved. The one disadvantage of not having staff is if we are having some time off, we have to close the business for that time. We have two weeks off around Christmas each year and occasionally a long weekend which might even include an international netball game.
GW: What about your netball involvement? LB: I played some netball at Karara State School and Warwick State High School and played my first club netball when we moved to Warwick. My first memories of netball are at Hamilton Oval for games and training at Warwick Central State School before we moved to Barnes Park. GW: When did you play senior netball at Barnes Park? LB: It was on a Tuesday night in winter and it was cold on top of a hill if there was a howling wind. GW: How long have you been Warwick Netball Association secretary? LB: I have been secretary since 2006, my involvement is all about enabling others to get the joy from netball that I have had? GW: Was the construction of the Warwick Indoor Recreation and Aquatic Centre more than two decades ago a boost to the sport? LB: Senior netball moved to
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WIRAC and is now played on Federal and State Government Monday and Tuesday nights. and used funds the association Player numbers have definitely had budgeted for over the previincreased since we moved to ous 20 years as well as a loan WIRAC. from the Condamine Sports Club. cont p.10 GW: What is the high point of your involvement in netball? LB: It has MEMBER FOR SOUTHERN DOWNS been the construction of seven Australian standard hard courts in recent years at Barnes Park, six of the courts have lights. Since moving to Barnes Park, junior netball has been on a Saturday. GW: How was the project e: southern.downs@parliament.qld.gov.au funded? • 9 Victoria St, Stanthorpe ________________ (Mon-Fri) LB: We received grants • 56 King St, Warwick_________________________ (Mon-Tue) from the
James Lister MP
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Celebrating our 25th Anniversary
21st - 22 nd August 2021 Celebrating the 1949 Australian Grand Prix on the Southern Darling Downs Watch historic and classic cars race the clock through the streets of Leyburn. Enjoy everything this vibrant and historic town has to offer with traditional bush hospitality.
Keep up to date, visit www.historicleyburnsprints.com.au and Like us on Facebook!
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COUNTRYJOURNAL
Swinging beats in town just for the fun of it
CONTRIBUTED BY SALLY EDWARDS
this as a way of thanking all the great volIf you are missing the fun sounds of live unteers and open-air music, the Rotary club of Warwick Sunrise have a surprise for you . supporters in The club will be hosting The Late Shift big the region who work band (pictured) for a concert in Leslie tirelessly to Park on Sunday 22nd August between 11.30 and 2.00 and the best news is that it make things better for is totally free. “This is a great opportunity to get out in everyone. This year Rotary the sunshine and enjoy some top-quality International’s music” said president Peter Rodeck. “Just motto is pack a picnic and bring along your picnic “serve to blanket or folding chairs and enjoy a fun change lives”. event. The music is for all ages and the enthusiastic might even get up and dance” If you are interested in said Peter. getting “Many people have been doing it tough involved or recently and we could all do with a little just want to bit of entertainment” he said. “ Our club find out about supports many groups and organisations the Rotary Club of Warwick Sunrise, in the local community, and we are hosting please contact Don Hughes on 0456 654
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CASENOTES FROM A COUNTRY VET
A “Troublesome” early birth turns out well Contributed by Edward Maxwell, Warwick Equine Vets Over the last eighteen months we have all learnt to expect the unexpected, however when I received a phone call at 5am from a client to tell me their mare had given birth to our clinic’s first foal of the season I was a bit surprised, although this was unexpected. Little did I know that this foal would be the recipient of a hyperimmune plasma transfusion to kick start a healthy life. She wasn’t due to leave ‘lockdown’ for another 14 days but the aptly named filly, Troublesome, opted for a premature arrival. Troublesome was not strong enough to stand unassisted and was unable to suckle from her mother, so we needed to intervene. Over the first few hours of her life we were able to manage feeding at home but as this became more difficult we decided it would be best to bring mother and foal into the veterinary clinic for overnight intensive care. Troublesome was very underweight and was unable to drink by herself which meant we would have to feed her via a nasogastric tube. It was a mostly sleepless night for me
quite out of the woods just yet. Troublesome had missed the vital first milk or colostrum from her mother which would have been her temporary immune system until she could form her own.
and some of our dedicated nursing staff as we milked the mare and fed the newborn every two hours. After 24 hours of manual feeding Troublesome was strong enough to suckle milk from her mother without any assistance. It was a great relief to have her drinking on her own, however she was not
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Without it she was highly susceptible to all sorts of infections. In order to give Troublesome the best chance of survival we had to deliver her a hyperimmune plasma transfusion. This donor plasma will act as her new immune system while she develops her own. Then, at just 48 hours old, Troublesome was ready to return home. With some antibiotics, a few litres of donor plasma, and plenty of fresh milk from her mother, Troublesome has the best chance at living a happy and healthy life. We have continued to stay in touch with Troublesome’s owners and they are happy to say she is doing very well and quickly outgrowing her name.
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COUNTRYJOURNAL
IT is easy to claim that the silver medal teams eventing win at the Tokyo Olympics had a little bit of Warwick Horse Trials Club in it. The three team members were Andrew Hoy, Shane Rose and Kevin McNab, and Stuart Tinney was the reserve. Andrew has been based in Europe for more than 30 years but the others have been involved in many Warwick club events down the years. Shane and Stuart were based in New South Wales but came to most of the World Cup qualifiers hosted by the club down the years. The Warwick course was the main one for Kevin when he was moving up the ranks in eventing and he was a member of the Warwick club. At the time, he lived near Tamborine and would come to Warwick for all events, big or small. Like so many riders, he was also an instructor and some of the horses he would bring to Warwick were for his students. One of the other riders at the time was Emma Dougall who is Kevin’s wife and they are now based in Europe. Many riders have headed to Europe as there are more opportunities for eventing riders in the Northern Hemisphere. Eventing is just like basketball and football where many of the Australian representatives are based overseas. The Warwick Horse Trials Club has the best facilities in Queensland. The first course built by the club was a cross country course, one of the few in Australia in a natural bush setting. Courses are still changed for all major events.
group at the Olympics. While the bus went each day to the eventing, I only went to cross country and showjumping and did see Andrew Hoy and Stuart Tinney in action. I went to other sports on some days at the Olympics. Great throws While initially, the dressage and showIt is not easy to forget jumping were held on the polocrosse watching Olympian Matthew Denny in grounds at Morgan Park, the horse trials school athletics and training on the club now has a clubhouse and area to set throwing ring on the farm at Allora. up courses for dressage and showjumping. I remember going to the farm for an interview and photo shoot and tying up a wire in the fence which had been broken by a flying discus or hammer before taking the photo. He had the different distances marked out including some at 60m and beyond. It is amazing how he had six At times, there are two or more showthrows in the Olympic discus final from jumping courses put up with various 65m to just more than 67m. degrees of difficulty for the different He went within a whisker of winning classes. bronze but rather than be disappointed, Most Warwick Horse Trials Club memhe got a sign made “Brandon’s Rooomate” bers down the years would have competed for when Brandon Starc was in the high in an event with an Australian representa- jump the next day. tive. It was a high achieving room with Olympic riders don’t get a new horse Matthew fourth and Brandon fifth in and compete in the top class, they start at Tokyo. a lower level and aim to go up the classes. Matthew is still young by throwing stanEventing is about a horse and rider com- dards but has now proved he has the abilbination. ity to win a medal at any event. At the time of the Sydney Olympics, the Many of the Australians who starred in Warwick Horse Trials Club organised a athletics at the Olympics did it with no bus to take a group from the Southern overseas competition due to COVID-19. Downs to the first week of the Olympics. Kevin McNab was part of the Warwick
The Long Paddock with Gerard Walsh
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continued from page 5. GW: What do you do with the one grass court you have. LB: It can be used for fixtures but we mainly use it for training for girls who will be playing on grass during a carnival. GW: You were named Netball Queensland Volunteer of the Year in 2016, what did that mean to you? LB: I was hugely proud to be acknowledges for my work, but also humbled to be in a room with officials who had worked as volunteers for the sport to grow Queensland wide. GW: What about the future? LB: I want to see netball continue to grow in the town and ensure members get quality netball while creating lifetime memories. GW: How did it feel when both Laura Geitz and Clare McMeniman were playing for the Australian Diamonds and Queensland Firebirds? LB: I am extremely proud that Laura and Clare both came from our region. It is always nice to be able to identify with someone in
the Australian team and great that two players from the region captained Australia. GW: Do you go to major matches? LB: The bottom line is I am a netball tragic and am happy to support any netball. My favourite time as a spectator was the 2015 World Cup in Sydney. GW: Do you expect Australia and New Zealand to make the final at the next World Cup? LB: England are now as serious contender in all championships, just like Australia and New Zealand have been down the years. GW: Any chance you will travel overseas to watch the Australian Diamonds play? LB: No, Bruce and I sometimes go to an international in Australia and make a long weekend of it. I have had very memorable trips with the girls (fellow netballers) to international netball weekends in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. We also go to Firebirds games in Brisbane. GW: Any other sport
LB: Netball has been my only sport but in school athletics my main events were shot put, javelin and discus. I remember when I was at Karara State School going to a school sports day at Tannymorel. I am a regular at the gym and do weights training. I am interested in good nutrition. GW: How big a thrill was it to carry the Queen’s Baton three years ago? LB: The lead up to the arrival of the baton was exciting, it was a huge honour to be involved and to see the joy on everyone’s faces. I am guessing some committee members from the netball association nominated me. GW: What about Warwick and the future? LB: It is a fastastic town which offers plenty of opportunities but small enough to be a friendly rural community. We have great schools and the town is a great environment for families. Virtually every sport is played in the area. Warwick is also handy to Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast. GW: What about business in the
town? LB: A lot of new businesses have evolved in the town in the past 10 to 15 years which suggests Warwick appeals to a wide range of people. GW: Do you enjoy your time involved on the committee of the Condamine Sports Club? LB: Yes, I have been on the committee as netball representative for seven or eight years but Angela O’Mara is now the netball representative and I am a vice president. It is good to be involved in a business that is so community minded. The club has given incredible support to the member clubs, netball, cricket, rugby union, hockey and rugby league. We also support other sporting bodies and community organisations. GW: What about the new work at the club? LB: The new work on the northern side will be finished this year and will enable the club to provide more services and cater for more patrons. The additional dining area can also be used for small functions.
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COUNTRYJOURNAL
Krista’s Country
with Krista Bjorn
Delicious dried fruits By Krista Bjorn With winter in its last month, fruit trees and vines are only just starting to bud and flower and seasonal fresh fruit is hard to come by. Thankfully, there are some delicious ways to use up the bags of dried fruit tucked away on our pantry shelves while we wait for the first mulberries and blueberries of spring. Dried Fruit Pies When I was a little girl, I was mesmerised by the book series, Little House on the Prairie. I loved reading about how they preserved food so they'd have plenty to eat during the long winters when they would often be snowed in for weeks, if not months, at a time. They would collect seasonal fruits over summer, apples, pears, and plums, drying them up in the airy attic where the heat from the wood stove below would dry them in no time. These would be strung on string or tucked in airtight jars to await winter. A few months later, as blizzards howled outside, they would soak the dried fruit in cider to plump and soften, then turn them into scrumptious dried fruit pies. We can do the same today. Simply choose your favourite dried fruits such as apricots, apples, pears, peaches, cherries, or berries, or a tasty combination of a few. Cover them with juice or cider and leave them for a good hour or so. Then toss them with butter and brown sugar, tuck them into a pastry shell or fold them into hand pies, bake, and serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh cream with a hint of vanilla. Delicious. Mustard Fruits One of my favourite ways to use up dried fruit is to make glistening jars of mustard
fruits. This decadent concoction is sweet and sour and spicy and goes beautifully with roasted beef, chicken, lamb, or pork, and is downright wonderful served alongside a cheese platter of sharp, aged cheeses and creamy Camembert or Brie.
work in a pinch, but they won't provide the rich flavour of whole spices. I used brown
Mustard fruits in a glass bowl. Photo: Krista Bjorn. You could also chop the fruit finely, or puree it after cooking, and spread a thin layer on bread for a delicious toast- mustard seeds in my recipe, but if you're ed sandwich. not a big fan of mustard, stick with yellow This time around I made apricot and sul- mustard seeds, which are milder. You can tana mustard fruits spiced with cinnamon also use white sugar or raw sugar, if you and star anise. If you can, use whole spic- like, but I love the molasses richness that dark brown sugar provides. es, which definitely give the best flavour. Broken spice pieces will add good flavour When your mustard fruits are done, too, but they're rather difficult to fish out pour them, still hot, into sterilised glass of the sticky sauce. Ground spices will jars and seal. cont’d next page...
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continued from previous page Store them on the counter until cool, and then in the fridge until you're ready to use. The sauce will be runny when hot, but will thicken nicely as it cools.
Mustard Fruits
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Ingredients: 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/3 cup water 4 cinnamon quills 1 star anise 1 cup dried apricots ½ cup sultanas 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/3 cup white wine vinegar Directions: Place sugar and water in a non-reactive pot over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Add spices and dried fruit, lower heat and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring regularly. Using a slotted spoon, remove fruit and spices from the liquid. Discard spices and set fruit aside. Return pot to stove top and add mustard seeds and vinegar. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add fruit and return to boil. Pour mixture into sterilised glass jars, allow to cool on the counter overnight, then store in fridge until ready to use.
George & Fuhrmann, Warwick
VENDOR DESCRIPTION - Cents/KG - WEIGHT - $TOTAL BULLS G,E,G & M Hoey, Allora, Red Angus Bull, 327.2/865/2,830 COWS C Horton, Clifton, Droughtmaster Cow, 337.2/595/2,006 Auspomour Pty Ltd, Inglewood, Santa Cow, 337.2/590/1,989 H Wolski, Millmerran, Angus Cows, 331.2/558/1.849 EXPORT HEIFERS Auspomour Pty Ltd, Inglewood, Santa Heifer, (4t), 386.2/510/1,969 HEAVY FEEDER STEERS Pilton State School,Pilton, Angus/Hereford Steer, 494.2/420/2,075 N & R Adamson, Ellangowan, Simmental x Steers,482.2/430/2,073 Imperial Sapphire, Goomburra, Charolais x Steers, 480.2/466/2,236 DOMESTIC FEEDER STEERS GF & DH Roche, Maryvale, Angus Steer, 590.2/385/2,272 D & C Kuhn, Pilton, Angus x Steers, 590.2/350/2.065 N & R Adamson, Ellangowan, Angus Steers, 566.2/414/2,342 Pilton State School , Pilton, Hereford x Steers, 566.2/340/1,925 FEEDER HEIFERS G & B Lewis, Clifton, Angus x Heifer, 536.2/345/1,850 GF & DH Roche, Maryvale, Angus x Heifers, 524.2/340/1,782 C Priebbenow, Greenmount, Angus x Heifer, 496.2/440/2,183 YEARLINGS Tingalpa Investments, M'vale, Droughtmaster Heifers, 426.2/392/1,672 WEANER HEIFERS T Kelly, Junabee, Angus Heifer, 572.2/225/1,287 R Lewis, Omanama, Angus x Heifers/540.0/272/1,471 D & C Kuhn, Pilton, Angus x Heifers, 536.2/299/1,602
Vaccine does not change DNA Folks on the Southern Downs will be able to receive the Pfizer jab later in August as vaccination centres are set up in Warwick and Stanthorpe at teh Showgrounds in both cases. However, availability of the vaccine is one thing...getting people to line up and take the shot is quite another. It’s less about the needle itself than what we fear is in it that seems to be the cause of the hesitatncy. Rational and irrational fears and anxieties have become part and parcel of the COVID pandemic as humans try to process and normalise a very different world. Separating facts from fiction can be tricky and while it is true that a number of people have had adverse reactions to all brands of the COVID vaccine, many myths remain. For instance, one myth is that COVID and/or COVID vaccines can change a person’s DNA. University of Queensland researchers--who were behind one attempt to create a vaccine, one that had to be stopped due it leading to a ‘false positive’ HIV test result*) have stepped up to refute such claims. The researchers from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute say the claims have led to “scaremongering” and people should not hesitate to be vaccinated. Professor Geoff Faulkner said his team’s research published in Cell Reports showed
there was no evidence of COVID-19 – or the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines – entering DNA. “The evidence refutes this concept being used to fuel vaccine hesitancy,” he said. Professor Faulkner conducted the research to assess now widely-spread findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggesting positive COVID-19 tests long after recovery are due to the virus being incorporated into DNA.
“From a public health point of view, we would say that there are no concerns that the virus or vaccines can be incorporated into human DNA.” Professor Faulkner is a computational and molecular biologist with expertise in genomics and transposable elements – meaning his team studies DNA changes to determine how they impact human biology. A COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine clinic is coming to Warwick later this month. Darling Downs Health will provide doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at a clinic set up at the Warwick Showgrounds from Tuesday August 24 to Friday August 27, 8.30am to 3.50pm, as well as on Saturday August 28 from 8.30am to 1pm. Darling Downs Health will provide doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at a clinic at the Stanthorpe Showgrounds from Tuesday August 10 to Friday August 13. The clinic will be open from 8.30am to 3.50pm from Tuesday to Thursday, and 8.30am to 1pm on Friday. *A false positive means that the people “We looked into their claims that the who ended up testing positive to HIV were human cells and machinery turned COVIDin fact later found not to have the disorder. 19 RNA into DNA, causing permanent False positives and indeed false negatives mutations,” Professor Faulkner said. (where a test tells you that you haven’t “We assessed the claims in cells grown in got a disease or condition but in fact you the laboratory, conducted DNA sequencing do) are quite common, but this was still and found no evidence of COVID-19 in enough for them to call a halt to the UQ DNA. trials.
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weather snapshot You can’t make it rain, but you can look after what water you have... and in terms of water tanks, local tanks don’t get much bigger than these. The Upper Condamine ‘accessible volume’ figure refers to Leslie Dam west of Warwick, while the Border Rivers numbers are derived from two dams, the Pindari Dam on the Severn River, which starts on our side of the border on the Granite Belt, and the Glenylon Dam. Leslie is heading to 60% full, which is a serious amount of water, while the Border Rivers dams are north of 85% and heading to 100% at date of reporting (6th August. This week I thought I would focus briefly on the northern hemisphere...partly because our competitors in the world agricultural market are often north of the equator, but also because what starts in the north doesn’t stay in the north when it comes to weather. This is rarely more so than when it comes to AMOC. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) seems to have been losing stability in the course of the last century, a new study by Niklas Boers, published in Nature Climate Change suggests. The AMOC is the key circulation system of the Atlantic Ocean., transporting heat from the tropics north, usually along the surface, and returning as a cool current southward at the bottom of the ocean. AMOC is one of the reasons,
for example, while the UK is a relatively warm island relative to its position on the globe. Now the AMOC matters to us south of the border, particularly in temperate climates. Cooling of North Atlantic waters due to the reduced poleward heat transport and the warming of South Atlantic sea surface ends up forcing a warming trend in the southern hemisphere mid-latitudes, according to relatively recent reserach conducted imn the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale in the US. These changes are usually come with a strengthening and poleward shift of Southern Hemisphere westerlies, a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and a weakening of the Asian monsoon. The Yale modelling suggests this could see a small (a couple of inches of rain) uptick in rainfall in Australia, for example... on average. It’s worth noting that AMOC is at its weakest for more than 1,000 years...so in human terms, a very long time, and some scientists are expressing a fear that the AMOC circulation might collapse altogether...in other words, the water would ‘stop’ or almost stop, circulating in the Atlantic...and that could have serious global implications. It’s all wrapped up in worries about climate change: changes in AMOC could result in a transition to insta-
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GIBSONS WINDOW TINTING
bility of the ‘travellator’ or stopping altogether... the inflow of substantial amounts of freshwater into the North Atlantic in response to melting of the Greenland ice sheet, greater river runoff, for example.
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Tight deadlines to fix roads JEREMY SOLLARS SENIOR JOURNALIST
The Southern Downs Regional Council has until June 2023 – no, that’s not a typo – to complete repairs to flood-damaged roads in order to claim federal and state disaster funding.
The red tape for councils around such funding – in the SDRC’s case around $5.5 million – is considerable, and councils must submit lengthy assessment reports and photographic evidence before the money will be released. But it turns out the wait in some cases will be longer than you were expecting. The SDRC late last week released a rather complex statement on the disaster funding conundrum it faces, which involves damage to roads from the “rain events” – we in the media just call it “heavy rain” – in 2020 and 2021. We read the SDRC statement several times and came to the view this was the key bit “Works on the 2020 event are required to be completed by June 2022 to be eligible for funding,” the statement said. “The 2021 restoration works have until June 2023 to be completed.” But here’s the full statement, for your reading pleasure… “Rolling out works to repair and restore the region’s roads following the two significant rain events in February 2020 and March 2021 is a balancing act that requires strategic management, particularly when works rely heavily on recovery funding,” the statement said. “Southern Downs Regional Council is currently balancing two active disaster recovery programs through the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) to cover necessary works to damaged roads.
“We thank the community for their cooperation while we work closely with QRA to rebuild the region’s roads. “Council is thankful for the patient and respectful way in which the community cooperated with changed road conditions and rules whilst emergency safety road works were in progress immediately following the floods. “Council has continued to work closely with QRA to secure recovery funding for both short term repairs and long term works. “With the 2020 event resulting in approvals covering 800kms of the unsealed road network and the 2021 event expected to be of a similar magnitude, Council will deliver all approved works during the funding programs. “The delivery of improvements to the road network will take time to complete and we ask the community for their patience while this work is carried out. “At the time of the March 2021 floods, the 2020 restoration program was approved with 30 per cent completed. “However, while the March 2021 event relieved the region of extreme water restrictions and filled the dams, it delayed the roll out of the 2020 program and triggered a new disaster activation under
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). “Further compounding the situation was the fact the March 2021 event caused more damage to some of the 2020 approved restoration works and Council was required to re-submit for additional funding under the 2021 event. “Unfortunately, due to the timing of the disaster event funding programs, and in order to ensure the maximum cost reimbursement to Council, it has not always be possible for the road network to be graded in a normal sequence. “Works on the 2020 event are required to be completed by June 2022 to be eligible for funding. The 2021 restoration works have until June 2023 to be completed From July 2021 onwards, Council will be primarily working on closing out approved 2020 flood damage, while submissions for 2021 flood damage are being submitted for approval. As these submissions are approved, the works will be scheduled for restoration within the above time lines. Council will continue to inform residents of upcoming road work schedules through regular notifications on its Facebook page, website and through the local media.” Dear reader, what do you make of that? jeremysollars70@gmail.com
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