rural SOUTHERN DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT MONTHLY RURAL ROUND-UP JULY 2017
’FULL CIRCLE FARMIING’
Young Goomburra family part of a growing movement practicing ’holistic agriculture’... STORY INSIDE, PAGES 3-4
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YOUR RURAL POWER UP YOUR FENCING ROUND-UP WELCOME to the fifth edition of the Southern Free Times new rural magazine, ‘Rural Links’. Rural Links is our monthly, full-gloss publication inserted into the ‘SFT’ around the middle of the month and catering to the needs of our region’s farming sector, as well as being of general interest to the community. The Free Times team - Jeremy Sollars, Natasha Sheahan, Bryan Pask and Lisa Crouch - has been working hard to bring you the July edition of Rural Links and we thank all of the advertisers who supported our first four editions, and this one, for their valued contributions. We hope to continue to further build Rural Links in the months to come - for advertising inquiries please call the Free Times team on 4661 9800, and for editorial inquiries - including story tips of the rural kind - call editor Jeremy Sollars on 0427 090 818.
THIS month’s ‘Product of the Month’ at Olsens Produce is energisers - everything you need to keep stock and pets in and pests out ... come down and see the range of solar, mains, battery and unigisers. We stock high quality brands such as Speedrite, Gallagher and Patriot. Speedrite S150 (SOLAR): The perfect energiser if you’re a small block holder or a dairy farmer wanting to strip graze. Powers up to three acres / 1.2 ha (2 km) of fence with 0.15 J maximum output energy (0.2 J stored energy). This particular energiser requires minimal sunlight. When fully charged selected portable energisers can operate for up to 21 days without sunlight. Patriot Solar Guard 50 (SOLAR): Ideal for strip grazing, containing pets or keeping small nuisance pests out. Powers up to 1km of fencing. Gallagher S17 (SOLAR): The S17, with 0.17 Joules of stored energy, is a self-
Gallagher M50 Energiser (MAINS): The M50 is a reliable electric fence energiser, with 0.5 Joules of stored energy. Suitable for fencing domestic animals and pets on properties up to five acres. Speedrite AN90 Energiser (BATTERY): The AN90 Battery Energiser is a powerful and versatile strip grazing unit. It powers up to 2 km of fence 0.12 J maximum output energy (0.16 J stored energy). Simple set up On/ Off switch with fast and slow options and optional tread-in stand flashing LED. Gallagher B10 Energiser (BATTERY): Battery energiser with 0.1 Joules stored energy. For multiwire portable fences up to 1km.
sufficient energiser which uses solar power to charge an internal battery. It can be used in permanent electric fencing, where there is no access to mains power, and also for portable, short-term animal control. Suitable for fencing horses and cattle on small farms or paddocks up to two acres. Speedrite 1000 Unigiser (UNIGISER): The 1000 Unigiser can be used in mains, battery or solar power applications, providing convenient and versatile livestock control. Powers up to 15 acres / 6 ha (10 km) of fence at 1 J maximum output energy (1.4 J stored energy).
SHED DEMAND KEEPS TEAM ON THE MOVE BY JEREMY SOLLARS
Meet a few of the Ranbuild and We R Signs team - Jordan Eastwell, Lee Carrie and Shane Harmond. - Glenn finds himself chained to his office desk these days and while it’s unavoidable he admits he misses the one-on-one contact with farmers on-property.
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THE countryside around our region has plenty to commend itself and the team at Ranbuild in Warwick get to see plenty of it in their travels. Owned by Glenn and Nerida Eastwell, Ranbuild service the shed requirements of the region’s producers - along with domestic and commercial customers - with the design and construction of farm, grain and machinery sheds representing around 50 per cent of their overall business. Glenn told Rural Links this month a couple of their larger recent projects had been out Goondiwindi way, including a 30-metre by 18-metre machinery shed on a local property and an aircraft hangar for private owners at the Goondiwindi Airport, with a 24-metre opening and “clear span”. With business booming - including the other segment of his business, We R Signs
“I used to think people who worked in offices had it easy - all aircon and donuts,” he laughs. “When you’re out building a shed that’s all you’re doing - you can look at what you’ve done at the end of a day, but in the office there’s 15 or 20 things happening at once." One major non-rural project Ranbuild is currently working on is a major extension of the Warwick Gymnastics Club shed on Easey Street. “We're making it longer and wider - it was great to be awarded the contract and to be working with the volunteers and the kids,” Glenn said. Glenn said his only real hassle right now is finding employees with the right blend of experience and ‘get up and go’ to enable Ranbuild to take on more jobs. Think you’ve got what it takes? Give Glenn Eastwell a call on 4661 2255.
NATURE’S BEST FROM DREAM FARM BY JEREMY SOLLARS ‘LIVING the dream’ is a phrase a lot of us bandy about with tongue planted firmly in cheek, but for the Breen family of Goomburra’s Echo Valley Farm it’s a pretty accurate description of their farming way of life. Not that it hasn’t come without its fair share of trial and error, bumps along the road, super-early AM starts and old-fashioned hard yakka but the Breens are striving to pursue their passion for produce - and for a new brand of what they call “ethical, sustainable, regenerative and holistic farming”. Randal and Juanita Breen and their children Eli, 12, and Bridey, 8, are part of a small but growing breed of farmers in our region who’ve chosen to reject the conventional ‘get big or get out’ philosophy which has dominated Australian agricultural thinking in recent times. They’ve gone exactly the opposite way and so far it’s proving to be a good fit. The Breens farm 300 acres in the gorgeous Goomburra Valley north of Warwick and produce high-quality, chemical-free eggs and pasture-fed beef and pork primarily for the Brisbane market, using what they describe as a “stacked and integrated” system born out of Randal and Juanita’s unshakeable belief in “natural sequence farming”, in harmony with the elements. To put it in simple terms - each aspect of their farming operation follows a cycle aimed at maximising the natural qualities of the Goomburra Valley’s rich black soils and eliminating the need for chemicals. HOW THE FARM WORKS Flocks of laying hens - the Breens run around 3000, with pastured eggs making up the lion’s share of their business - are moved from paddock to paddock in tractor-drawn housing on Echo Valley Farm’s cultivation country after the small crops have come off. The birds fertilise the soil as they go, preparing it for another round of zero-till cropping - with crop stubble worked back into the soil - which in turn becomes feed for the Breens’ herd of sleek Brangus cattle, which are again followed by the poultry, and so the cycle repeats itself. Cereal and forage crops are also cut for hay and taken through to grain when the conditions are right. In the property’s higher timber - which represents about half of the 300 acres - the
Juanita and Randal Breen and their children Bridey and Eli with some of their Brangus herd on Echo Valley Farm.
Most of the Breens’ poultry flocks are made up of Australorp-cross layers.
The Breens’ poultry are fed a chemical-free grain ration.
Breens’ pigs free-roam, likewise regenerating that country with their foraging and natural digging activity. The Breens also have an income stream from sales of their stud Brangus sires. The Breens are close to being 100 per cent on-farm, with Randal, a carpenter by trade, gradually winding back his tradie days as farm production ramps up, while Juanita - who has a background in community development and social welfare - is full-time on the property which works in well with her parenting responsibilities. Juanita makes delivery runs to Brisbane on Tuesdays and Fridays, with the Breens turning over between 850 and 1050 dozen trays of eggs in a typical week, supplying cafes and restaurants and selling direct to consumers in Brisbane’s burgeoning food market scene, where the focus is on the origins of food and the production methods behind it. Juanita stays with Randal’s mum and dad
in Brisbane of a Friday night in order to hit the West End markets on Saturday with eggs and Echo Valley Farm’s beef and pork products. HOW IT ALL STARTED Randal and Juanita met through friends while studying at university and have spent the last few years working hard to pursue their dream of moving from hobby farming to full-time commercial production. Juanita’s parents run a commercial nursery on the Sunshine Coast and Randal spent a lot of his childhood on his mum’s family property, with both of them having held a lifelong interest in watching and making things grow. Echo Valley Farm was established almost three years ago to the day when the Breens made the move from their previous smaller farm at Coleyville in the Scenic Rim, where they began to develop their pastured egg business and establish their Brangus herd. CONTINUED PAGE 4
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The move came about partly in response to plans to establish a quarry just a few hundred metres from the family’s home and planning department hassles with the Scenic Rim Regional Council, in contrast to what the Breens describe as an “incredibly accommodating” attitude to their business plans from our own Southern Downs Regional Council. “We’re classed by the council as ‘animal husbandry’ rather than an ‘intensive animal industry’ Randal told Rural Links. “Obviously we needed a plan change from conventional farming to poultry production and the necessary environmental authority from the Department of Agriculture. “I guess the irony of it is our environmental plan had to show that we’re not causing any damage to the land.” Randal says their more conventionalstyle farming neighbours had been “very supportive”, despite a few eyebrows being raised when the family “rocked up with our caravans three years ago”, and some of them even wrote to the council in support of their development application. The couple told Rural Links the plan was always to turn their “side hobby” into a fulltime income and lifestyle but it was a threeday course Randal undertook a few years back - when the Breens were still at Coleyville - with US holistic farming guru and author Joel Salatin, that really fired him up to go farming full-time for a living. “He was giving a course at Gatton on integrated farming and it was the first time I really thought ‘this is something we can do’,” Randal recalls. “I was commuting to work in Brisbane and Juanita was working in employment services in Ipswich and we decided that we wanted to really give it a crack and also have a lifestyle which enabled Juanita to be at home with the kids. “What we wanted to do was integrate the poultry with the cattle and we also saw the potential of the egg production - the demand is there in the bigger cities and our growth in the last three years has been phenomenal. “I make my own moveable housing for the poultry but there are pre-fabricated ones available which people getting into the industry are using. “It’s sometimes sold I think as an easy income generator which is a little bit misleading - there’s a lot of hard slog involved and you really have to love what you’re doing. “But there hasn’t been a week in the last three years where we haven’t sold 100 per cent of our produce.” The Breens’ poultry flock size has grown from their first 250 birds at Coleyville to
A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT ECHO VALLEY FARM Laying hens are sourced from the Bonds hatchery at Withcott - where they are raised to point-of-lay pullets - and are primarily Australorp crosses, with some ‘Bond’ (ISA) Browns. Randal Breen says while the Browns have higher egg-production levels the larger Australorps have “better resilience” to the extremes of the weather. ■ The birds are run in flocks of around 500 to the hectare, producing some 350 kilos of manure per hectare - 500 hens will produce around seven tonnes of manure annually. ■ Echo Valley Farm’s pasture-raised pigs are fed supplements of chemical-free grains and sauerkraut. ■ While the Breens’ key market is Brisbane consumers they also sell their produce at the farm gate and run regular farm tours. ■ Their ‘four principles’ are - ‘Good for the animal, good for the land, good for the farmer and good for you’. To learn more visit www.echovalley.com.au ■
Bridey Breen with some of nature's bounty.
POULTRY FARMING A SNAPSHOT OF OUR REGION Queensland’s poultry production is valued at $588 million annually and is supplied by around 90 farms, with 90 per cent of these located in the State’s South East and South West. ■ Queensland United Egg Producers report that Queensland’s egg industry is growing by around seven per cent annually with new export markets opening up, such as South Korea where fears remain over Avian Flu. ■ They also estimate between three and four million - that’s right, million - eggs are moved into the Queensland market alone every day, with free range eggs making up around 40 per cent of the market share. ■ The Warwick area is home to two major broiler (meat chicken) growing farms supplying processors such as Inghams and Steggles, as well as locally-operated Williams Eggs. ■ The Darwalla Group is currently developing a chicken hatchery near Allora and the Southern Downs Regional Council is considering applications for two new pastured-egg poultry farms in the Warwick area. ■ Inglewood Farms on Tobacco Road at Inglewood is one of Australia’s leading producers of organic chicken meat, with around 20 product lines supplied to major grocery chains across Australia, processed in-house. ■
around 3000 layers at Goomburra. On the cattle side they’re processing a beast of bullock age and weight every six to eight weeks but aim to increase this to one or two each month and bringing them down to yearling steer level to increase the turnaround time and match urban market expectations for a smaller body. One of the big challenges from day one for the Breens was to regenerate the soil on the property - respecting the role played by microbes and soil bacteria - feeding their “underground friends” - after decades of traditional cultivation and wage a chemicalfree war on weeds. Predators are also an ongoing management issue with free-range poultry - the Breens lost 21 layers to wedge-tailed eagles in one particularly distressing week early on - and electrified netting is employed to deter foxes, as are the family’s faithful Maremma guardian dogs, progeny of which are also available for sale. “I think what we’re proving is that the option is there to farm and be successful on a small scale,” Randal said. “You don’t necessarily need 10,000 acres and a million birds.”
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COAL MINING BATTLE HEATS UP BY JEREMY SOLLARS A mining exploration permit by Chinese company Kaili Resources for the Goomburra and Maryvale areas could be renewed by the State Government after it expired in February of this year. Kaili has applied to the government to renew its Exploration Permit for Coal (EPC) 1506, which covers a huge swathe of country from east of Allora to the Great Dividing Range and south to the Cunningham Highway. The company has previously drilled dozens of coal bore holes within the EPC boundaries but has not made public any details about the findings of its exploration to date. A secondary portion of the EPC covers areas including Willowvale, Massie and Bony Mountain just north-east of Warwick but Kaili documents available online do not indicate any coal bore hole drilling in that area to date. A spokeswoman for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines confirmed to Rural Links this month that it had received Kaili’s application. “The department has received an application to renew Exploration Permit for Coal (EPC) 1506 which is under consideration,” the spokeswoman said. “An EPC is not a lease and does not constitute any right to mine.” Mark Derriman, a consultant to Kaili to whom Rural Links was referred for company comment this month said “an application for extension has been made but I am unaware of the current status”. Gina Perkins of the community group Guardians of Goomburra told Rural Links the group was waiting on the outcome of the
Lock the gate? You bet. A delightful aerial view of the New Acland mine. (File image) department’s decision on the Kaili permit. “Both residents and producers are continuing to work together to protect the Valley,” Gina said. “The community is against mining prime agricultural land close to a national park. “We hope the Minister for Mines makes the right decision to protect the Valley from further coal exploration.” The news comes as famers opposed to the planned expansion of the New Hope Coal New Acland mine north of Oakey on the Darling Downs prepare for the next round in their battle to stop the project. In late May the Oakey Coal Action Alliance was jubilant after the Land Court of Queensland rejected outright New Hope’s Stage Three plan for its mine near the town of Acland, which some have dubbed ‘the tiny
stockMan watER tRouGHs
town that wouldn’t die a mining death’. But the final say rests with Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham, who has been blasted by the Alliance for allowing a judicial review of the June Land Court decision by Judge Paul Smith, who warned New Hope to “take a deep corporate breath” before pursuing the review. The judicial review was still being heard when Rural Links went to print this month, but the Minister has not yet indicated a timeframe for his final decision. In his findings Judge Smith was damning about New Hope’s past and potential future impacts on property values and ‘intergenerational equity’ for Acland’s farming families, along with what he termed the company’s flawed hydrological modelling. Meanwhile New Hope has been heavily promoting the ‘Friends of New Acland’ group which local producers say is simply a cheap front for the coal giant. In a Facebook post after New Hope lodged its appeal of Judge Smith’s decision the Oakey Coal Action Alliance said that to win such an appeal “they must basically prove that Judge Smith didn’t know his job”. “Good Luck! His Honour has never been overturned on questions of procedure before, and we are damn sure he won’t be this time,” the post read. “They have ignored His Honour’s advice to take a 'deep corporate breath’ before pursuing this application and the landholders from their farms and instead have set up a puppet group, Friends of New Acland, run from their offices, to sling mud at the objectors and be paid for it. “Desperate is as desperate does.”
Federal Budget focused on our region
DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP
6FT ROUND TROUgh wiTh exTeRNal FlOaT chambeR
• Fully funding the NDIS to support those with a disability. • An additional $8.4 billion to fund the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail. • Better access to telecommunications through the Mobile Black Spot Program and NBN roll out. • Committed almost $500 million in total to the Building Better Regions Fund to support more projects in rural, regional and remote areas. • Cutting red tape for small business and will extend the $20,000 instant asset write-off for a further year. • Trialling drug tests to target welfare- fuelled drug use and help those affected kick addiction.
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THE SECRET LIFE OF TRUFFLES LOWER temperatures across the Granite Belt region recently have heralded the start of the ‘black truffle season’ with the mysterious underground delicacy being commercially harvested near Stanthorpe last month and destined for local cafes and restaurants. The Granite Belt’s cold climate and regular morning frosts are ideal growing conditions for truffles and mean that Stanthorpe is the only area in Queensland suitable for commercial growing operations of the fungus, which are on the increase. Owner of the Stanthorpe based ‘Truffle Discovery Centre’ Matt Hibberd told Rural Links truffles were traditionally located underground with the use of pigs but now ‘truffle detection dogs’ were being trained on a regular basis to assist farmers during the season, which extends from June to August. During the first hunt last month a find of nearly a kilogram of fresh truffles was discovered by one farmer near Stanthorpe who did not wish to be named for security reasons. “The location of these farms is a closelyguarded secret due to biosecurity and theft reasons as truffles now fetch up to $3 per gram,” Matt said. “The average size of a truffle located this year has been around 70 grams, putting its value into the hundreds of dollars.” The increasing use of detection dogs has meant Matt’s primary business Lawdogs at The Summit has shifted some of the focus of its dog training to truffle detection and working closely with local truffle farms assisting with the harvest. “Three dogs have now graduated and work either permanently on-farm or on a contract
Australian truffles are a valuable export product and can fetch around $3 per gram.
WHAT ARE TRUFFLES? Matt Hibberd with truffle detection dog ‘Conan’, a rescue dog who learned to find truffles in less than half an hour. Pictures: JEREMY SOLLARS basis and we demonstrate their abilities each week for tourists at the Lawdogs Australia public shows every Wednesday and Saturday,” Matt said. “More dogs will begin training later this year to supply the increasing demand for truffles in European and Asian markets.”
TRUFFLES are ‘a mushroom that has decided to grow underground’. They are a fungi but unlike the mushrooms that grow above ground and spread their spores on the wind to propagate, they have evolved to keep the spores inside a protective skin and depend on animals to dig them up and spread them around. Black truffles work well in egg dishes such as scrambled eggs and omelettes, and shaved or grated over pasta dishes. To learn more about truffles visit the Australian Truffle Growers Association website at trufflegrowers.com.au
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EATING LOCAL Local produce will feature heavily at the 2017 Jumpers and Jazz Festival’s ‘Winter Dinner’ at the Warwick Town Hall on Saturday 22 July. The delights on offer will include Ballandean venison, Inglewood Farms chicken croquettes, Mt Stirling olives, Mallow Organic lamb shanks, Warwick pork belly and Granite Belt strawberries. The menu has been design by ‘Chef Drew’ at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism at Stanthorpe and will also feature
the college’s own wine labels, local beers and apple juice. Check out the ‘J&J’ Festival program at www.jumpersandjazz. com TRACKING BACK The Bureau of Meteorology says its Marburg radar was due to come back online “in mid-July”. The radar has been out of action for weeks after a mechanical failure, with a BOM spokeswoman telling Rural Links it has been offline “while awaiting the delivery of customised parts required to complete repairs to the radar”. “Parts are coming from the US which has contributed to the length of the outage and we now estimate to be able to return the radar to service in mid-July,” she said. “In the meantime, radar coverage in south-east Queensland is currently provided by nearby Brisbane (Mt Stapylton) and Gympie radars, to the north.” BIG BUY-IN Geoff and Rebecca Willett’s Maydan Feedlot at Bony Mountain near Warwick was last month purchased by Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd. Hancock’s 2GR branded fullblood Wagyu cattle from New South Wales are already grainfinished at Maydan, which has
an 8000 SCU (Standard Cattle Unit) capacity. POWER PRICE SURGE The Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) has reiterated its concerns with an energy system that is failing Queensland farmers. QFF president Stuart Armitage said QFF industry members and Ergon Energy were currently working to address tariff issues for intensive agriculture in a ‘tariff trial’ to ensure suitability, particularly for irrigation post 2020 when the current transitional tariffs will be removed. “In this tariff trial, half of the applicants for Tariff 24 were prevented from switching to this new ‘irrigation tariff’ because they would have been up to 25 per cent worse off,” Mr Armitage said this month. “One of the key functions of the audits conducted as part of the ESP was to review farmers’ tariffs and tariff options. A number of these audits identified that some farmers were significantly better off returning or switching to transitional tariffs, which will be unavailable in two years. “A luxury farmers do not have is deciding when they pump water, as they factor in crop requirements, climatic conditions, water licencing and irrigation
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channel conditions. “QFF is advocating for a range of solutions to address unsustainable and unjustifiable electricity prices in Queensland. Research is also needed determine how electricity prices are holding regional communities back by stifling growth and employment. “Electricity prices must be set at an efficient level.” EXPORT OPENING The Indian Government’s watering down of an outright ban on slaughtering cattle could still affect quantities of meat sent for export, an industry analyst says. The ban, seen as appeasing conservative Hindu-nationalist groups, was met by a huge backlash from the country’s $14 billion meat trade. Last month the Indian Government promised to ease the ban after a court challenge. Meat industry analyst Simon Quilty told the ABC he expected less livestock to be slaughtered in India as the ban eased, leaving an opportunity for Australian beef exporters to fill the gap left by the world’s second largest meat exporter. He said Vietnam and Indonesia were likely to be the key markets impacted by a fall in Indian meat exports.
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SPOTLIGHT ON SALEYARDS Tenders for the potential lease of the Warwick Saleyards to a private operator are due to close tomorrow, Friday 14 July. The Southern Downs Regional Council last month called for Expressions of Interest for the external management of the Warwick Saleyards, a move which has been widely criticised by local producers who believe the facility should remain council-operated. There is also widespread concern over suggestions from the council’s Saleyards Advisory Committee that the existing saleyards are too small and should be demolished and rebuilt on private land nearby. Check for updates in the Southern Free Times online at www.freetimes.com.au
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ROB MACKENZIE
Your local Independent candidate for the Southern Downs
18 Betta Place Warwick 4370 Ken O’Dea:
0427 754 591 Vote for the man not the party!
46 67 1471 Fax: 4661 5726 Mobile: 0418 717 851
12357315-LB27-17
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12342409-PB10-17
Specialising in all types of General
Insurance
Wreckers
• New Non-Genuine Parts
•Home•Motor•Business•Farm •Earthmoving•Transport
12348618-DJ16-17
STANTHORPE
James & Mandy Marsh
• Secondhand Parts
P• (07) 4681 2744
• New & Secondhand Tyres
3/35 Maryland St., STANTHORPE Q 4380
12-16 Sullivan Dr. Stanthorpe Q 4380
• Ironman 4x4 Agent
Phone: 07 4681 3387 | Mobile: 0447 598 161
• Sparex Tractor Parts
www.cavinsure.com.au | Email: josh@cavinsure.com.au
M• 0439 834 547
E• stanthorpewreckers@bigpond.com
12345072-LN16-17
Free Call
1800 551 309 Visit Us At
107 Palmerin Street, Warwick
harlemgroup.com.au
4661 1117
“Your dedicated finance specialists”
ATTENTION FIREWOOD CUTTERS! 12354205-HM24-17
Get serious about making money with this Mean Machine Log Splitter!
• Split up to 4 one metre blocks at once • Designed to split Ironbark • Over 40 tonne a day output
ALLORA & DISTRICT TYRES Pty. Ltd. 47 Herbert St, Allora PH 4666 3455 M 0417 594 152
Call Peter Today! 0404 844 843
M&M TIMBER
ACN 613 125 509 ACL 489544
12342548-CG11-17
Specialising in local brands!
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Find Us on
Home Loans Business Loans Car Loans & More
& BUILDING SUPPLIES
OPEN MONDAY - FRIDAY 7AM TILL 4PM SATURDAY 8AM TILL 11.30AM 271 Sugarloaf Rd Stanthorpe 07 4681 3343
12351687-RC20-17
Hardwood, Decking, Framing, Sheeting, Fibro, MDF VJ, Insulation, Mouldings, Doors, Bolts, Nails, Screws, Hinges, Handles and much more!
Lot 1 Sullivan Drive, STANTHORPE 07 4681 6666, fax 07 4681 6600 AskTabCoLuOt TH S email: sales@netprocanopies.com FRO& WREINADK B www.netprocanopies.com 12353720-PB24-17
Thursday, 13 July, 2017 RURAL LINKS 11