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Welcome

I am not sure whether this is going to print this week, if not it will put it up on the blog. So welcome to the last or second last edition of the Square Leg Files for 2010. I have really enjoyed bringing you all the Marnoo news in 2010 and I have had some great feedback in that time. In this game you have to be very careful what you print as some are more sensitive than others. Some you can give all barrels, others you wouldn’t even mention in despatches as they may get upset.

How long can we keep going……

It’s probably getting harder to write this column on a weekly basis, I think it’s getting harder to find news stories because I am removed from the area most of the time and do hear stories from time to time, but there is not to many sent down the line. So I am not sure how long we can keep going with this column. I will give it some thought over the Christmas/New Year period.

Harvest grinds to a halt again

Farmers are frustrated with the weather they are been dealt this harvest season, the stop start nature has prolonged the harvest and it’s now unclear where the finish line is. It is also frustrating to see prices for feed grains fall as dramatically as they did last week, this really eats into farmers profits. I suppose in years gone by local farmers would have been all but finished harvest by now so the situation is better than that alternative.

Cricketers back in town

No I’m not talking about the MCC, I’m talking about the Aussies, what a win and it’s exciting for us that will be attending the Melbourne test. I know of a few “cock sparrows” that are going, Andrew “Clown” Newall, Andrew “Upstart” Nisbet, Dwain “Daryl” Duxson, Ben “Glendemar” Duxson and David “Towser” Newall will be present and depending on the harvest Stewart “Smacka” MacPherson, Armand “Lids” Duxson and Reuben “Rostron” Chessman may turn up. What a crew.

All the best for 2011

Here’s wishing you all the best for Christmas and the new year from all of us here at The Square Leg Files office. It’s exciting times ahead for small farming communities like the Marnoo area as we could see a sustained Agriculture boom and some seasons to back that up. You may call me bias but I encourage local business to use technology and communication tools for business efficiencies. You really do have to enter the modern world otherwise you will miss advantages that some are getting. You only have to look at internet shopping these day, recently I bought 500 self designed business cards for $12.50 which included postage and they are great quality. The last lot of business cards I bought cost $190 for 1000. This is just a small snapshot of what you can do on the net. Of course our sponsor Product Tender also allow both local farmers and suppliers to participate in a very new and innovative system. www.thefarmtrader.com.au/product-tenders

Swimming trend

Joining the Cameron’s are the Douglas’s, they are also putting in an inground pool. I spoke to the former MCC left arm quick last week and he said that he is looking forward to getting a level of fitness back to emulate the days when he used to terrorise batsmen with his left arm bullets.

Righto that all

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Hello Hello

Welcome to another edition of the SLF. I was away at the Adelaide test last week and didn’t have time to send the report in, so apologies for that. Hopefully we can make up for it this week.

Adelaide a test

I spent a couple of days at the Adelaide test last weekend, the two days of cricket I saw yielded 3 pommy wickets and about 600 runs. Not a great return I thought. But the Adelaide Oval is now a world class venue with the new grandstand and it’s just a matter of time before they see AFL footy there. One complaint I did have was they had bugger all bars and you had to walk down 2 levels to get a beer. Many others were protesting as well.

Adelaide alive

I have been to Adelaide on many occasions and my visit there last week reconfirmed that Adelaide is a great place and I could easily live there. It’s such an easy place to get around and the traffic is 10 time better than that of Melbourne. I also reckon the local brew “West End” had actually improved, which was a pleasant surprise.

MCC in the mix

The Marnoo Cricket Team is starting to put together some good performances that sees it’s self in the finals mix. Like most cricket associations they have had more Saturdays off than on due to the wet weather. It’s good to see the improvement in the young fellas who are taking more responsibility. It was also good to see “Smacka” MacPherson get a heft score the other week.

Drummed again

I had a laugh the other day when Angela Drum posted on her facebook page that she was on long service leave and looking forward to some weeks off. I posted that I bet that should would be hoodwinked by husband John to spend a fair bit of here leave working for slave wages in his Minyip Butcher shop. I called through on the way home from Adelaide the other day and sure enough here she was working away. I had a good laugh.

Harvest woes

The excess rain has put a bit of a dampener on the harvest locally. I see where leading farmer Brian “Farmer” Healy got the header bogged a couple of time whilst harvesting his canola out Marnoo East way. It looks like croppers will be busy harvesting over the Christmas period which will be a bit of a change compared to seasons past.

Swimming in it

I have been following the Cameron pool drama on facebook and I hope for their sake they will be swimming by Christmas. First they bought in the wrong sized pool and following that the wet weather hindered the installation. Will keep watching with interest.

From the sponsors

The Farm Trader is still cutting some great deals on Product Tender and it is great to see a couple of local farmers taking it up. Remember if you are thinking of buying anything for the farm then think Product Tender. To list something just login or join then go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDERS > LIST SOMETHING FOR TENDER

That’s all folks

Proudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Hello again

I haven’t got much for you this week as nothing has come across the desk this week. So this edition of the SLF will be a little thin, thinner than the late Marnoo legend Barry “Bones” Lang…..

Rain again

Brian “Farmer” Healy would be pulling his hair out with all the rain that’s around and he wouldn’t be the only one doing that, most natives I have spoken to are very frustrated individuals. But we sort of missed out somewhat in the Marnoo area as I have heard of falls of 100mm + around Donald and St Arnaud.

Struggle city

The Aussies are battling in the 1^st test against the Poms but I have no doubt they will bounce back. If I was a selector I would drop Johnson for Ryan Harris and swap North for Kawaja for the back to back Adelaide test. I am actually heading across for the Adelaide test later this week and I am tipping a Ponting century.

Herbies texting party hotline

I was thrilled to receive the text from Man about town Armand “Herbie” Duxson last week inviting me to beers and bbq at the MCG after training. Couldn’t make it though but it was great to get the call up…….

She don’t fit

Had a laugh last week when the lovely Donna “Mrs Tuppy” Cameron posted on facebook that they sent the wrong size pool. Apparently the new pool that arrived was too big for the hole that was dug and Mrs Tuppy rightly told them to take it back and bring the right sized one back….and they did. I am looking for an invite to the pool christening party.!!!

Order your fertiliser now

I have been hearing that fertiliser prices will go up, so no better time to start thinking about ordering some and no better platform than Product Tender. Go to www.thefarmtrader.com.au join or login and go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDER > LIST SOMETHING FOR TENDER. Remember to give as much detail as possible.

Told you it’d be short

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Hello again

Welcome to another edition of the SLF. It really has been a quiet news week so we will see how we go.

Farmer first

Leading Marnoo farmer Brian “Farmer” Healy has been the first known person to take in a sample for testing. Not sure of the result but as soon as it’s half ready here will be into it that’s for sure….

Direct head the go

We don’t call him a leading farmer for nothing and this year “Farmer” is trying out the unconventional method of direct heading the canola. Apparently you spray it with some stuff that hardens the pod so it doesn’t shatter and away you go. I’m told the cost works out about the same as windrowing.

Cricketers down

The MCC went down to Charlton over the weekend in a hard fought battle. There were no real star for the “Noo” but a few of the youngsters are showing promise.

Rain on the way – again

The forecast is for rain again this week with one local cocky talking 30mm. It’s just what local farmers gearing up for harvest didn’t want to hear. My forecasters are saying rain starting on Wednesday and raining right through to Friday and it looks like thunderstorms will be bedded inside the rain front. So in some cases you may get more than the 30mm forecasted.

Text party

Armand “Herbie” Duxson has started a new trend, you see he sends out a text that there is a bit of a booze up and bbq to his contacts and they all turn up at a particular location. Apparently they met at the “Royal” on Sunday night and there were plenty turn up. I just hope next time they include me in the text, you never know when I’m around….

A word from the sponsor

Where else could you get something for free from something that is already free. Well that’s what www.thefarmtrader.com.au is offering, if you list something on Product Tender you get a free classified listing valued at $55. List 2 things on Product Tender you get 2 classifieds, get the drift….Go to the website, join or log in then go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDERS > LIST SOMETHING FOR TENDER.

Check this out

Paula Duxson has got into the website game and has released www.snuggyruggy.com.au It’s a website that sells processed lamb skins that came from their Glendemar property. She tells me they are the softest things you will ever touch and would make a great Christmas present for anyone. They are not only infant rugs they look great on the couch or as a chair or floor rug. She has asked that you pass on the link to your friends via email or “like” it on the facebook.

That’s all for this week

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Hello again

Welcome again to another edition of the SLF, another weekend another rain event. I think the norm was about 30mm locally. It’s nervous times for our local farmers with harvest just on the doorstep, let’s hope for a break from the rain so they can have a crack.

SOS

I was back in the district last week and it was good to catch up with everyone, I was asked by one suspecting local if I could put out an SOS for Greg Newall who hasn’t been seen for ages. I’m told that he heads off in a South East direction mid afternoon Friday and comes home Monday lunchtime (sorta like the way Herbie Duxson used to operate). He was spotted with the new attraction at the Avoca races having a romantic picnic lunch on the lawn. More info needed please….

Fast bowler joins MCC

Not since John “Noisy” Nisbet has Marnoo had a faster bowler than the one they picked up the other day. I was actually as cricket training last Thursday night and let me tell you he is genuinely quick. It will be a great boost for the MCC. I’m not sure of his name but will reveal info more next week.

The call came in

I am a great advocate of modern technology and it was evident last Thursday night when MCC secretary sent out a text to all MCC players, supporters, sponsors and members that there were beers and bbq after training. Well they came from miles around to join in on the start of the season festivities. The courtesy bus left about 1am…….

Lush and green

The most famous bit of dirt in Marnoo, the MCG is looking as green and lush. It’s great to see, as probably over the last 15 years the old ground would have been very brown by now. You will have to hit it hard to get a boundary along the ground or alternatively you could take the aerial route over the top. That’s what gun bat Derek “The Mayor” Cameron advocates.

Not on deaf ears

My major sponsor www.thefarmtrader.com.au has had a couple of wins locally with a few listings on Product Tender over the last week, I see a listing for a Toro mower, some lupins and two separate diesel orders. My hope is that we are creating some business through this little column. It’s simple to use once you have done it once. Just join or login and then go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDERS > LIST SOMETHING FOR TENDER. Remember when you think of buying something, think Product Tender……

That’s all for this week

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Welcome again

Hello, hello and welcome to another edition of the SLF. I missed last week as I was in Melbourne attending the Cup carnival and I have to admit it wasn’t until Tuesday morning that I remembered that I had to write the SLF for the week. Of course Tuesday morning is to late, hence no SLF last week.

Turning crops

Even through the weather has been on the cool side it is noticeable that the crops are turning and it won’t be long before the canola is cut.

Those were the days

I remember harvest back in the 70’s and 80’s with lots of trucks on the road and the long lines at the Silo’s. Of course, back then we all had small (wheelbarrows) trucks and now most have got the big semi trailers, so there seem to be less trucks on the road at harvest. But this year with all the grain around there will be plenty of trucks on the road as farmers scamper to try and beat any pending rain fronts that are forecast over the harvest.

Who’s that….?

SLF favourite and Hall of Fame member John “Jack” Cameron’s eyesight aint what it used to be and this was evident in the “corner shop” last week when he was squinting at the TV try to get a profile of the bloke he thought he knew. “Is that Terry O’Sullivan” he asked a fellow patron. “no that’s Charlie Sheen” he replied. Can’t think what sort of role Terry would play on two and a half men!!!!!

The Melbourne Cup

The cup carnival is just an amazing event and I haven’t missed a Melbourne Cup in 18 years and the transformation in that time has been amazing. I am actually a VRC membership and use my ticket only once every year, it’s worth it though, we have a great day even if we just stand in a bar and down beers. I didn’t even watch a race live this year.

Who was out and about at the cup???

I didn’t come across many Marnooians at the cup as I know most of you aren’t racing fans as such, I heard that Stewart “Smacka” MacPherson and Brian “Farmer” Healy made it to the Derby and I caught up with Gary “Larry” Cameron on Cup eve and at the Cup. I saw local shearer Shane “Pidge” Pidgeon and everyone’s favourite butcher John “Jumpin” Drum and his adorable wife Angela. I nearly forgot ex local Sandy “The know all” McGregor, I bunked at his Hawthorn mansion for a couple of nights.

Melbourne Cup day diary

This is a recount of my Melbourne Cup Day

6:00am - Rise and shower, hair, teeth etc

7:00am – Jump in the car pick up my wife & son (who was staying at our daughters) and take her to my sisters place for the day.

9:30am – Back to the Hawthron mansion of Sandy “the know all” McGregor’s, don the suit, grab a form guide from the paper, ready to go.

10:00am – The know all organises a car to drop us out to the track, head off and grab a stubby for the trip, snaked through the back streets of Ascot Vale, seemed a quick trip and avoided all the cues.

10:40am – Arrive at the track with the 1^st race run and won

10:50am – Nestle into our position at an outside bar under the old grand stand just near the rails bookmakers. Beers are flowing.

12:00pm – Sneak off to line my stomach with some food, a big roast roll which went down well as all I had for the morning was beer.

2:00pm – Jumpin John Drum took my bet (he finds the best odds), $50 each way on Linton at around 60/1, more beer. This was the only horse I backed

3:00pm – More beers with people dropping in as we were in an accessible spot where many people walk past. Cup about to be run

3:15pm – Cup run and won and nobody had Americain (some had it in the multiples), my horse Linton was well back so I did my dough.

4:00pm – More beers

5:30pm – Car arrives and heads to the Bamboo House where we have dinner, not in bad shape considering the amount of beer we drank. Red wine on the menu and the food is superb. The chop and the duck, a stand out.

9:00pm – Left the Bamboo House and headed to a small sleazy bar around the corner for a few more beers

10:30pm – Head to JJ’s Bar in the casino, it’s the usual spot after the cup for our crew, “the know all” runs a company tab at the bar so we all start hooking into the cabaroscas (don’t know how to spell it) at $18 per glass (glad it wasn’t my tab)

12am – Still partying away at JJ’s, good band has the joint rocking, in very good touch by now.

2:00am – Look at the phone, 2am, time for this little black duck to head to bed. Grab a taxi

2:30am – Bed, asleep before I hit the pillow. Had a great day catching up with lots of people. If you haven’t been to a cup make sure you go……..

Product Tender

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That’s enough from me

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Welcome to another edition

Welcome to another edition of the SLF. I hope you all had a wonderful week. Not much news crossed my desk last week so this week might be a bit short of funny stories, but lets see how we go…..

A full life

I returned to the district Monday week ago for the funeral of Dot Drum, the service was in the “vast” Catholic Church in Horsham and then the burial was atop the Banyena “hill” (cemetery). It then all moved to the Banyena Hall, I would have to describe it as a very full day for someone who lived a very full life. Well done to all involved.

Season looking good

It really is a pleasure to drive anywhere in the Eastern part of this vast land these day, most are celebrating a wonderful season with rain gauges overflowing with above average annual falls. I returned later this weekend, in fact I am writing this column from my makeshift desk in the Kanya hills and I can tell you I haven’t seen a season like this for at least 15 years. One can only hope that nothing gets in the way of the harvest and farmers can fill their pockets with the $$$$ they deserve.

Steak at the lake

The Marnoo Blues Supporters Group celebrated the filling of Lake Batyo Catyo with a bbq and get together for the local community. Apparently about 50 people attended and from what I hear everyone had a great day. I think once the weather warms up some more this will be a very popular venue for the Donald, Marnoo and St Arnaud communities. I remember as a youth heading out there on occasions but I never over frequented the place, but I do know of people that used to live out there on weekends and for those people the memories will be rekindled this summer.

Flood of 74

I was talking to a friend of mine who has a sheep, grain and rice property on the Billabong Creek just East of Moulamein in NSW. As you may or may not know the Billabong Creek is in flood after up to 10 inches Friday week ago in the catchment area. Apparently the flood is that vast that it has affected over 150,000 acres of crop at the time of writing. My friend is getting everything to high ground as he is expecting a flood to emulate both the 1956 and 1974 floods. I have also heard that the flood is moving at about half the pace they predicted due to all the heavy crop and pasture the water has to get through. Someone said it is only moving at about 6km a day.

Farm Talk

A word from the sponsor – www.thefarmtrader.com.au has moved into the social media space through its Farm Talk mini blog. It’s sorta like twitter in that people only have 200 characters in which to write their post. If you log in you will get all the latest news and a wide range of comments from many farming people. However most people operate under an alias name so often you might not know exactly who is writing the post There is even a couple of locals who contribute regularly, one such local operates under the “dumb farmer” name. All you need to do to contribute is join the site and away you go.

MCC

Not sure what happened in the cricket over the weekend but I am looking forward to the season getting under way. I must touch base with Gary “Larry” Cameron to get a rundown on how the season is taking shape. One can only hope that the Noo picks up a couple of recruits to bolster the stocks this season. All the best to the lads, let’s hope this season they can reach the finals…

Saddling up for another season

I was talking to Ross “Mallee” Loats the other day and the veteran is pulling on the pads for another season. Fair dinkum he was in his 50’s back when I was pulling on the creams for the Marnoo team. In fact I can remember a lot of funny trips to Bendigo country week. One such story that I still laugh about was when fellow cricketer Dwain “Daryl” Duxson used to turn on Old Mallee’s electric blanket during the night. If you can image how hot it is in Bendigo in February and I remember Loats waking up in a sweat abusing Duxson on many occasions. When Duxson retired from country week the baton was passed to another former Marnoo player, the naughty Hayden “Howard” McLennan continued the tradition in great style.

That all folks

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Hello again

I missed last week and I apologise for that, I write this column on a Monday morning and usually Monday mornings are reasonably hectic and some times I don’t get around to it. But that is no excuse, as I should manage my time better. But anyway I have missed deadlines in the past and will in the future and I probably should write this on a Sunday but some Sunday’s, as many of my readers would agree, is “frothy” day and the last thing you want to do is sit down at the computer and write whoopsy. Anyway I haven’t heard much from the district lately, so we will see how we go……

La Nina kicking in

After a dry period for a number of weeks it is good to see the rain return and the rain that fell in the Marnoo district is like gold for farmers. Many times in the last 15 years we have missed the filling rain but this year the season is back on track. I have just been told that at Henty (just South of Wagga Wagga) they had 8 inches for the week.

Ram sale break through the $1.2m barrier

As predicted this seasons Marnoo rams sale reached record heights with a $1.2 million dollar gross for the seven studs that sold rams during the week. An amazing effort and really the week is as big as ever even though there are fewer studs around now. I think the move to all on-property sales will pay handsome dividends in the years to come. Apart from the studs directly involved and perhaps the Navy Blues Supporters Group it’s a pity that other businesses around town couldn’t benefit from the week. Thinking caps on….

Hectic harvest ahead

I was listening to a header contractor on the radio and he says it takes nearly three times as long to harvest a well above average crop than it does a below average one. Going by how the crops look this year and if nothing goes wrong, boy is there going to be some grain around and boy is it going to take time, on those numbers the contactor revealed. But if you rely on contractors then this year is the year to have your own header, truck and chaser bin as the crops in other areas are just as good or if not better.

A word from the sponsor

I have heard that some brands of canola seed (for the new sowing season) is getting scarce and I have also heard of some people that are ordering their fertiliser now because they think the price might go up. Only speculation but that is what I have heard. With that in mind there is no better time than to give Product Tender a go, remember it’s free and you remain anonymous. Don’t forget to get some quotes on fuel for harvest time and make sure those tanks are full. There would be nothing worse than waiting for fuel over harvest. To get involved in Product Tender just JOIN NOW > MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDERS > LIST SOMETHING TO TENDER. After that all you do is click on view to keep and eye on your tender every 2^nd day. Any problems or further info call Dwain on 0427 011900 www.thefarmtrader.com.au Remember sometime it’s the money you save is the money you make….perhaps not as applicable this year……

Cheers for now

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Hello Hello

Welcome to another edition of the SLF. This week we are gearing up for Marnoo’s biggest event, the annual Ram Sales and for the first time since it all started there will be no sale down at the MCG. It’s testament to all the studs which have now “graduated” to on-property sales. Tuesday is Belbourie, Oakbank and Banavie, Wednesday Shonic and Glendemar and Thursday is Wallaloo Park. All the best and it will be interesting to see gross takings for the week.

Corporate Cup

I am convinced that Wallaloo’s corporate cup has established itself as the premier event on the “Royal’s” calendar, forget the tournament, legacy day etc, the corporate cup is an absolute winner. 18 teams went around which in itself was a huge effort considering the grand final was on. The course was in the best condition I have ever seen it and is a real credit to the curators. The lunch, ladies take a bow, was sensational as per usual and the crowd was entertained from go to woe. Well done to all and I am now looking forward to next years event. Can’t wait.

And the winner is….

I am very proud to announce that SLF’s major sponsor and financier thefarmtrader.com.au is this years winner of the much sought after corporate cup. The team which consisted of Rod “Rocket” Reading, Stewart “Smacka” MacPherson, Trevor “Srixon” Tagget and Dwain “Daryl” Duxson took the honours with an exceptional 12 under the card. Well done to all.

Can they count…

12 under is an exceptional score and it was suggested by John “Noisy” Nisbet that The Farm Trader team had a little trouble counting, but as counter and scribe I can assure Marnoo’s fastest ever bowler that everything was above board.

Here we go Howard

It was past the stroke of midnight when former native Hayden “Howard” McLennan suggest that I had to write in this little column “out of 2 you would give it 1” 10 times. Out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1, out of 2 you would give it 1. There we go Howard and apologies to the rest of the viewing audience who had to read this. I guess you had to be there.

Who won the belt?

Nobody cares about who won the golf, all you readers want to know it who won the belt for the evening. Well this year I am going to give to the team from Adelaide led by our very own Gary “Larry” Cameron. I just want to point out that Larry was the responsible one out of this crew after the let them out of the city of churches. Very very responsible bloke is our Larry

Herbie steps down

Money manager “Herbie” Duxson has stepped down from his post of organising the Thursday night do’s at the Royal. He wants to now concentrate on the pending cricket season. Well done to Herbie as it was once again a job well done.

Celebrating 50 years

The “Royal” is celebrating its 50^th year and they are planning a big lunch on the 17^th of October. So if you have had anything to do with the WGC over the last 50 years come along to the “White House”. You will need to let Lyle “Chopper” Johnson know for catering purposes, ring him on 03 53592284 (BH) and 03 53592324 (AH)…Chop, chop

Battling against time

Grain Guru Bruce “Boofhead” Hendy is battling against time to clear all the grain stocks from his Mt Bolangum Grain Storage Centre in time for harvest. Harvest is probably a little way off yet as we think the season will draw out and start a little bit later this season….but you should all know the rule about starting harvest….

Harvest will start when…

We all know rule number one in the Marnoo district when it comes to the harvest start date. “Harvest will officially start 10 days after Brian “Farmer” Healy and John “Wally World” Carter first pull the header into a crop”. HOWZAT

Saving $$$$ on fuel

The Farm Trader not only had a win in the golf last week it also had a win for a couple of clients who bought fuel through the newly designed Product Tender system. One client at Moulamein saved 8 cent over 30,000 litres of diesel he bought and another local client said he saved at least 8 cents on his diesel and 7 cents on his unleaded. So give it a go as they have fuel distributors hungry to get you the best deal. All you do is join the site, then go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDER > LIST DOMETHING TO TENDER. It’s free, you have nothing to lose and also you remain anonymous. www.thefarmtrader.com.au Also the boss has noticed that not many Marnoo people have joined up for The Farm Trader, all you do is go to join now and fill out the form, takes about 1 minute. So get into it….

Talk soon

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Welcome

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Square Leg Files. Another week just flies on by and boy are we in a little drying period. I can’t see it but this week we will need some rain to keep things “perfect”, might have to wait a bit longer though. Not much news this week, so short it will be, here we go……

Corporate Cup

The Grand Final replay has consequences on other events this Saturday, non more so than our very own Corporate Cup. What do authorities do? Do they change it to or leave it on the Saturday? I’m guessing the powers that be will have some kind of plan.

International visitor

I’m told that the Corporate Cup this year will feature an international visitor. Apparently our very own Gary “Larry” Cameron will be back in the country from his trip to “somewhere in Asia”. We look forward to that.

Field Day success

Another successful Marnoo field days were held but surprisingly numbers were probably back a little. I’m guessing that farmers were very busy at the moment catching up on jobs they missed out on doing during the wet. Its called making hay whilst the sun shines.

Big night at the corner shop

All local and visiting sheep shaggers got to the establishment on Thursday night after the Field Days for a couple of hours of “happy hour”. The sheep shaggers should be happy as all merino ram sales this year have been up and the Marnoo sales spread over 3 days should go well. It’s only a week away now.

Cricket

The whinge I had about the newly formed Donald Cricket Club, well plenty of people agree with me. I’m interested to see what the Bombay (Buloke) Times had to say!!!!

A man before his time

I am an Apple Mac guy and I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who owns one of those slow, virus riddled PC’s. I have been an Apple bloke for about 2 years now but I have it on good authority from Balquidder Rd, resident Murray “Muzza” McGregor that the late Ken “Fawlty” Newall was an Apple Mac guy all those years ago. A man ahead of his time I reckon……

A word from the sponsor

Product Tender helps you save $$$$ on your farm inputs, it’s free and easy to use. All you need to do is join the site and go to MY PROFILE > PRODUCT TENDERS > LIST SOMETHING TO TENDER. Go to http://www.thefarmtrader.com.au/product_tenders

That’s all folks

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Hello Hello

Welcome to another edition of the Square Leg Files. It was great to be back in the district last week if it was only for a couple of days. The season is poised to take off and with the forecast of 10 fine days it should. Maybe after that we will be looking for rain again…..

Callawadda angler

Entrepreneurial young Callawadda resident William Phillips is hitting the big time. He has released a book called fishing for kids and he is getting some good publicity appearing on the today show. If you want to watch it go to my (Square Leg) facebook page and watch it there. Good luck with it all William, we hope you are a huge success and become one of many famous Callawaddaians. Also can someone let me know where you get the book? Is it in “all good book stores”!!!!

Julia not on Jack’s xmas car list

Hall of Famer John “Jack” Cameron was given the Prime Minister a spray when I caught up with him at “Blue Cans” on Friday night. Fair Dinkum if any news journo had of been present they would have filled at least 3 pages with quotes alone. It would be safe to say that Julia won’t be receiving a Christmas card from the Cameron family. Funny man is our Jack

Action aplenty

Trucking magnate turned grain guru Bruce “Boofhead” Hendy is officially busy. I went past Mt Bolangum Grain headquarters the other day and I’ll tell you there was more action there than what you would see in Bourke St. There were trucks, tractors, utes, augers, field bins and people everywhere. I suspect that the big fella with big feet is gearing up for this year’s massive harvest.

Parrots down

My team up this way, the Yarrawonga Parrots went down in the Ovens & Murray Grand Final on the weekend. They had their chances but missed in the end by 10 points to Albury Tigers. As I walked down to get the papers early on Monday morning I spotted about 50 of them gathered around a “twiggy” out in front of the local watering hole Pistols Tavern.

Twiggy vs stick burn

You know it’s funny where you go they have a different terminology for something the same. Up this way they call them stick burns, where as around Marnoo they are known as twiggy’s. Mind you Marnoo and twiggy’s go together as there have been some very famous ones held in the Marnoo district over the year, especially in the 80’s.

Corporate Cup soon

My favourite golfing day on the calendar is imminent, the Corporate Cup will be held on the 2^nd of October this year and boy am I looking forward to it. Our sponsor The Farm Trader will have a team and unfortunately this year the Yarrawonga boys can’t come. I have left it in the capable hands of Stewart “Smacka” MacPherson to gather a team together. See you then

A word from the Sponsor

If you are gearing up for harvest then make sure you use Product Tender to buy your fuel. We have signed up many fuel suppliers and the price difference can save you lot’s of $$$$. Go to http://www.thefarmtrader.com.au/product_tenders

See you in the soup

roudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Welcome
Hello again and welcome to another week of the SLF. It was a big week last week for all I’m guessing as people tackle the wash-up (no pun intended) from the floods/rain. It was so exciting to see all the water around and even more exciting is that we are finally odds on to get a great spring.

Jack’s back (although he never was gone)
When you need a strong voice our very own John “Jack” Cameron comes to the rescue and that’s exactly what he did. Last week the ABC rural reporter lady from Horsham was looking for someone to talk to about the flooding and rain. But to her dismay a couple of people turned her down for an interview. One was machinery import guru Nigel “Winebar” Slee, he said he didn’t want to be interviewed (don’t know why) but “I have someone that would”. So down they drive to Jacks farm to conduct the interview on the famous back porch. It all went swimmingly as Jack quoted “we might lose a couple of crops but the benefits far outweigh the negatives”. Well done Jack

Look what I caught
Now this story was relayed to me by one of my spies and he didn’t really know if it was true or not, but it’s that good that we are going to run with it anyway. I’m told that the second best district agronomist Hugh “High Yield” Russell got a little caught in some flood water and his ute went completely under. So he hailed down a farmer and got the tractor to try and fish the vehicle out. High Yield then duck dived down to where the ute was, hitched the tow rope onto the ball pull and the farmer proceed to pull the vehicle out. Once the vehicle was been pulled out of the flood water High Yield realised that the vehicle that was being pulled out wasn’t exactly his, so there must have been two utes in raging torrent. I probably shouldn’t say this but I keep thinking about how you could liken it to a black baby being born to two white parents….

Where’s Larry
I have not heard from our very own Gary “Larry” Cameron since he left for “somewhere in Asia”, although I have been talking to people that have been in touch with him and according to them all is well. I’m just hoping he will be back in time for the cricket season…..

If you can’t win then merge
Speaking of cricket something disturbing happened last week as ANA/Boolite and Rich Avon/Services combined to form the newly named Donald Cricket Club. Now I remember a decade or so ago when Rich Avon and Services combined, which was the combination of two strong clubs in there own right, to form a powerhouse. Now they have gone and done it again, which makes it hard for little town clubs like Marnoo.

A word from the Sponsor
A good season and getting some money in the bank usually means a new ute or car for farming families. Make sure when you are looking to buy a new vehicle you use Product Tender to get the best price. http://www.thefarmtrader.com.au/product_tenders

Proudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Welcome

Well what a week it has been with the lead up to the big dump and then the actual rain itself that delivered up to 75mm in the district. I saw many a photo on facebook and water where I have never seen it before. One such photo posted by Bern Johnson had half the MCG under water. I have never seen that. See picture above

Hey Jack the Muddy’s running

Some have said they have never seen water rise so quickly as they did on Saturday. Derek “The Mayor” Cameron and his lovely wife “Donna “Mrs Tuppy” Cameron were out and about on Saturday morning and did make a call to the SLF office to report that the Muddy was running more than a banker.

Filling Batyo

The dump over the weekend should ensure that Lake Batyo Catyo fills if it isn’t full already. Last Friday it was at 62% full. Well what a summer the natives have to look forward to out there, it will give the area a new lease of life.

Parrots lose in wet

My team up this way the Yarrawonga Parrots lost in what was about the wettest game I have seen. There were only 5 goals scored for the day with Albury Tigers kicking 3 and the parrots managed 2. Next week they face (in the prelim) the team they beat by more than 100 points in the qualifying final.

Farm Talk

Our sponsor www.thefarmtrader.com.au and the mini blog called “Farm Talk” ran hot on Saturday as many people reported in their rainfall figures that fell on their respective properties. We even had a New Zealander giving us a rundown on the Earthquake that was in his area close to Christchurch. Farm Talk is a mini blog like Twitter where people can add or read small but interesting posts. All you have to do is sign up to The Farm Trader and start talking. Go to http://www.thefarmtrader.com.au/farm-talk

Until next week

Proudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Welcome

Hello and welcome to another week of the SLF. Has been a quiet week and I don’t have much time to write it so here we go……

The mother of all rains…

It might be a case of foot in mouth as I write this little piece on Monday morning but the talk around town is that we are going to get a couple of inches of rain this coming weekend. Anyway that’s what the computer is saying and you have to believe the computer don’t you!!!! Watch this space…..

Lake Filling

Everbodies favourite lake, Lake Batyo Catyo is about half full according to my spy. My spy tells me that plenty of water is still rushing in and with this weekend rain prediction it should be full for this summers activities. I can see it being an extremely popular venue this summer as people rekindle their love affair with this district landmark. So get those bikinis, budgy’s and boats out ready for a big summer of activity.

Product Tender is catching on

The new buying service PRODUCT TENDER is starting to take off as people get a greater understanding of how it works. Currently we have a dozen live listings for suppliers to tender on. Product Tender has been built for the farmer and it’s a way to get competitive quotes on farm inputs. It has also been overwhelmingly accepted by the suppliers, they see it as an opportunity to gain more sales. And yes we are supporters of local business and we have invited the local suppliers to take part. Remember that at the end of the day the choice is yours as to which quote you choose…. It’s free to use, just join up to the site and click on My profile, Product Tenders, submit a tender…..go to www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Larry not reporting in

Marnoo’s own Gary “Larry” Cameron hasn’t reported in to the SLF as yet so we assume that he is having a good time. Will let you know when I hear something.

Mayor also in Asia

The Cameron’s have invaded Asia and Derek “The Mayor” Cameron and his lovely wife Donna “Mrs Tuppy” are also over that way. I have seen photos of The Mayor sucking beers by the pool in 30+ degree temps. Lucky Jack is there to run the show……

That’s all for this week

“The Muddy’s running”. Water flowing under the Donald road bridge

Water running out of the Avon River and into Hollands Swamp at Gray’s Bridge

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Hello hello

Welcome to another week of the SLF. Well what a weeks it’s been as we kissed the drought goodbye and an above average season is looming. I had a good look around the district and things look great. Dams full, Rivers and creeks running, it’s certainly beats the dust….Here are a couple of pictures above....

Winners are grinners

I picked up the latest edition of the Bombay Times (Buloke Times) and what do I see?? The winning Marnoo pool team, they seemed a very happy bunch after there come-from-behind win. I’m told that Dave “The Weed” Weideman played his best game ever under a huge amount of pressure to clinch the win.

Huge effort

Call it madness, call it what you like but Aaron Hemley’s 48 hour shearing record was amazing and had to be seen to be believed. I called in and had a look about Friday lunchtime and he was going great guns, I also caught up with Marnoo gun shearer Jimmy “James” Anderson who was wondering around Central Park in half a daze. He hadn’t been to bed either and was feeling the pinch a little. So that just proves how monumental the effort was as just staying awake for that long is a huge effort in itself. Chuck in 904 sheep and you get some sort of idea of how hard it would be. Well done, I think they raised $100,000K. Also I reckon they should have done it in Melbourne, would have raised millions….

Thursday night at the Royal

I was privileged to attend “Thursday night at the Royal” last week and I can see what all the hype is about. An amazing night and the effort the “chef of the day” put’s in is huge. I bet it will be even bigger when the weather warms up and they can move out to the deck. Well done to all.

Buying a ute

If you are in the market for a ute then let “Product Tender” find the best deal. All you have to do is join, then click on My Profile>Product Tenders>Submit a Tender. http://www.thefarmtrader.com.au/product_tenders

That’s all folks!!!!

Proudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Welcome

It’s exciting isn’t it? I’m excited as I am heading back to the district on Tuesday and I can’t wait to see how the place looks with some decent rainfall behind it. Exciting time ahead.

It official

The drought is officially over. I had to call the man himself last week just to confirm it and yes it’s over. Jack “John” Cameron said it hasn’t been like this August 1996. It’s kinda like going to the Governor General for an election date.

All up

The Muddy, the Avon, Dogtrap, Anderson, Wallaloo, Wimmera, Richardson, they are all running with some running a banker. Now that’s worth celebrating.

No laughing matter

That smile on Jacks face could be wiped off as early as Saturday night if Julia gets the ticket to govern. I know first hand that Julia is second last on his non-Christmas card list. I think Paul Keating is still last……

Money in mud

Geez I remember the day when you had to park the ute on the road and walk around the paddock to get the sheep, I remember cutting hay in October and driving around full crabholes of water, I remember playing football in the mud week after week, I remember having to find alternative routes because the creek or river was up. There is money in mud…..

Come one, come all

The Thursday night is still going and I am looking forward to attending this week. I’m not sure who is cooking but I bet it will be delish as usual. I’m just wondering when it’s Farmer Healy’s turn????

Larry

I was driving along and just had a thought, “I wonder what Larry Cameron is up to somewhere in Asia”. No news is good news and I was told that Gre Gre’s very own Greg “Rocky” Baldwin was catching up with him. Rocky is backpacking through the same region.

Grog Bucket’s 50th

It was Greg “Grog Bucket” Falla’s 50^th on the weekend and a few select natives made the journey down Geelong way for the event. I’m told that SLF Hall of Fame member, trucking magnate and now grain guru, Bruce “Boofhead” Hendy was attending with his lovely new sidekick.

The Farm Trader

I am very lucky to have The Farm Trader as sponsor of this column, they pay me for each column which is worth mega bucks (not). So as they are my sponsor I have to keep flogging their products. So the first thing I ask each and every one of you to do is join the site. All you do is go to the “join now” button in the Sign in box. www.thefarmtader.com.au

I will see some of you this week….

Proudly bought to you by www.thefarmtrader.com.au

Hello again

Welcome to another edition of the SLF. I missed last week as I was away at Hamilton Sheepvention but we are back full of fight this week and there is plenty of worthy news…Here we go

Oh what a night

The Thursday night at the Royal (will have to think of a better name) went to new heights last weeks with head guest chef Lois “Chop chop” Johnson woweing the crowd with here signature dish. According to my spy it was the best creation thus far and has really lifted the bar for others to follow (Farmer Healy must be nervous). Her Chicken and 9 Veg was absolutely cooked to perfection and then the 2 deserts were devine according to my spy. Looks like things keep rolling on at the Royal….

Single no more

SLF Hall of Famer Bruce “Boofhead” Hendy had declared his hand. He has officially changed his status on Facebook from “Single” to “In a relationship”. I’m not really up with all the news on this one, so can someone email me some “more details please”

Long night in the top end

I received a text from Boofhead last Monday night as he was attending the Darwin Cup, which has now become an annual trip for him and his mates (and maybe someone else). Anyway they must be having a hoot of a time because the text read “you know you’ve had a big night when you get back to the hotel and they are serving breakfast”

Wow

The world has stopped spinning, famine kills 2 billion people in the Northern hemisphere, the last drop of oil has been barrelled, the Gold Coast has washed away, no no no we have bigger news than that, the Muddy has started to run. I have seen it with my very own eyes, the top end of the Muddy Waterholes creek is flowing. I’m not sure how far the water reached down this famous waterway but it’s a mighty fine achievement and we can at least start thinking that the drought is all but officially over. However I do need a statement from the “lord of the Muddy” John “Jack” Cameron to officially declare the drought over, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

Using Product Tender

As mentioned my Yarrawonga mate Dwain “Daryl” Duxson has released his website www.thefarmtrader.com.au and he wants the Marnoo district to be the first to start using Product Tender. PT is something new for Agriculture whereby farmers can list something they need for the farm and then have suppliers quote on that requirement. For example if you wanted to buy 50t on of fertilser, you would list if for say 20 days, then suppliers (retail and local) would start quoting and after 20 days the farmer would pick the best quote. This saves the farmer doing the ring around. At all times the farmer will remain anonymous and he/she is the only one that can see all the quotes. It’s as simple as that and it’s free. So to start simply Join > fill out the form > click on the link you receive in your email inbox > go to my profile > Product Tenders > Submit a Tender and away you go. If you want to know more or are having trouble give Dwain a call on 0427 011900

Righto must go for my walk to get the paper, ave a good week.