The Country Caller

Could Ukrainian refugees help solve Ag worker crisis?

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

A TOOWOOMBA councillor has urged federal agriculture minister Murray Watt to consider welcoming Ukrainian refugees to help address Australia and the Darling Downs’ crippling shortage of farm workers.

Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff raised the idea with the Minister during the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) General Assembly in Canberra last week.

Vonhoff said that prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine had one of the biggest agricultural economies in the world and the skills a lot of their displaced people have are a perfect fit for the Darling Downs.

“I said to the Senator, we have severe labour shortages in agriculture – it’s across all spheres, from picking lettuce to harvesting cotton crops or working in feedlots,” Vonhoff said.

“At the same time we’re experiencing that problem, over in Europe we’ve got the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

“Imagine someone who, before the war, was driving harvesters for Ukraine’s immense wheat crops.

“Yes, it is a bit of lateral thinking and I understand that there’s nuance, but there needs to be a conversation had.”

Toowoomba councillors Rebecca Vonhoff, Paul Antonio, Carol Taylor and Melissa Taylor with Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko at ALGA in Canberra

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The Darling Downs is far from the only region struggling to find workers, with Granite Belt farms, tourism and hospitality businesses on the hunt for seasonal and permanent staff.

Granite Belt Wine and Tourism president Martin Cooper, who also owns winery Ridgemill Estate, said staffing was the biggest issue facing the local industry right now.

“We basically run a permanent ad for cleaning staff which is tricky,” he said.

“We’ve focused very much on residents of Stanthorpe where we can, so all of our picking this year was with a group of retirees who did a great job.

“We had a couple of grey nomads, second year they’ve come back and they’ve pegged all our nets up for us, so it’s a different approach and you have to be very proactive.”

Pickers celebrate the end of the season at Ridgemill Estate back in April

Peter O’Reilly from the Queensland College of Wine Tourism said prior to covid there were more than 4000 backpacker beds in the Stanthorpe area alone – a huge workforce which remains unfilled.

“They’re not holidays backpackers, they’re working backpackers,” he said.

“They’re earning money while they’re here and they’re working primarily in horticulture, vegetables, berries and also the wine industry.

“Harvesting grapes has been an issue, the vast majority of our crop is hand-picked – that’s been a real problem.

“We’ve also had a real problem in the hospitality and tourism sense in finding labour as well. This is something that’s been a country-wide phenomenon but we’ve noticed it here, without doubt.”

Martin Cooper said while the region’s tourism businesses had never been busier, keeping up with that demand is a huge challenge.

“No one’s complaining, we’re just all buggered,” he said.

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North of Toowoomba, workforce shortages are also slamming the brakes on productivity for Crows Nest restaurants and cafes, who’ve experienced a similar tourism boom to Stanthorpe through the pandemic.

Jesse Cole-Smith runs The Curly Carrot restaurant and said finding good chefs at the moment was near-impossible.

“We’re very lucky in a sense, we have a lot of local kids that we shape and mould and we help grow, but having that older, more common-sense people in your kitchen is really important for us to grow,” Cole-Smith said.

“For us to hit that 150-200 people-a-night mark, we need help in the kitchen and there’s just no chefs anywhere.

“There’s no chefs in Crows Nest, there’s no chefs in Toowoomba, or Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunny Coast.

“I know different businesses that just recently opened, they were advertising for chefs 6-8 months before they opened because they knew the struggle of finding people that want to work in the industry anymore.”

Jesse Cole-Smith at The Curly Carrot in Crows Nest

Rebecca Vonhoff told the Caller she was hoping her conversation with the federal government would make them think about increasing one-off intakes of refugees, not just because it’s a good thing to do, but because it could help solve issues here in Australia.

“I think we need to think more widely and differently about trying to come up with solutions and not be scared to say something that is a bit different to hear,” Vonhoff said.

Senator Murray Watt said massive workforce shortages aren’t a new problem and unfortunately were “left to fester by the Morrison Government.”

“There’s no single solution to meeting workforce needs, but it begins with training Australians for careers in the industry,” Watt said.

“We committed to invest more in training locals for industries with workforce shortages, after years of cuts from the Morrison Government.

“We recognise that agriculture has had a long-standing need for overseas workers and that’s why we’ll be working with the industry to improve the PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) scheme to make sure farm businesses can access Pacific workers, particularly to fill seasonal jobs.

“I am open to hearing from all groups, including industry, farm groups, employers and unions, about solutions that will help to address our workforce challenges, and also look forward to coming up with more ideas at the Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit later this year.”

Macintyre Valley cotton crops Maigan huge yields

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By HARRY CLARKE

YOUNG farmhand and aspiring mechanic Maigan Lenehan is receiving an amazing introduction to the cotton industry, embarking on a career on the land at a time when good rainfall and fortuitous temperatures are generating yields never seen before in some areas.

At the property Doonkami, where Lenehan has been working south of Goondiwindi, the best dry land paddock produced an all time record of 7.7 bales to the hectare while prices were above the “magic number” of $1,000 per bale during the beginning of the harvest.

Doonkami averaged 5.5 bales to the hectare, which owner Scott Baker said was courtesy of consistent rainfall and a mild summer.

“This is the best yield we’ve ever had with dry land cotton, smashing the previous high yield by 1.6 bales which is quite significant for dry land,” Baker said.

“It’s been an ideal season for it. We’ve had rain at the right time and everything aligned this year.

“It was a very mild summer, not too hot compared to previous years. I think we had only one day over 40 degrees. It sat between 33 to 38 degrees all summer, which is just ideal cotton growing conditions.”

Cotton harvesting at Hopeland. IMAGE: Hayley Wolski @get_around_droning

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Areas along the Macintyre River around Yetman and North Star had up to 400mm of rain over the summer and up to 300mm since the end of March.

The wet weather has hindered harvesting schedules but Baker said that wasn’t a bad problem to have.

“It’s been like having an irrigated crop really. The rain just kept falling at the right times. We had 170mm two days before we were about to start, so that put us back three weeks.

“It made it challenging, but I’d rather keep it that way than what we’ve had in previous years.

“The prices have been unreal as well. I haven’t seen prices like this since about 2011 which was the last time we it hit the magic number of $1,000 for a bail.”

In more recent weeks prices in the Macintyre Valley have been hovering around $800-900 per bale, which local agronomist Robert Austen from McGregor Gourlay (pictured) said was creating strong margins for farmers.

“There’s been some phenomenal yields in the dry land paddocks. I’ve heard of some growers getting up around nine bales to the hectare and a lot are averaging around six,” Austen said.

“It’s been a terrific season. It’s not often that you finish a season still full of irrigation water. The yields are great and there are good dollars in the bale as well.”

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Wet weather and consequent interruptions to harvesting has meant roughly 40 percent of cotton in the Macintyre Valley, from west of Texas to east of Mungindi, is still in the paddock.

Harvesters are expected to continue running until at least the end of July but for Maigan Lenehan, her work in the area is done.

As the 19-year-old wraps up a two month stint working for the Baker family at Doonkami, she plans to head further west to begin employment ahead of the planting season at a property near St George.

In a sign that even young people accustomed to a coastal lifestyle are prepared to take up careers in the country, Lenehan moved away from Byron Bay as soon as she finished school to work on farms, despite having limited connections out west.

Farmhand and aspiring mechanic, Maigan Lenehan from Byron Bay

“I knew that I always had a passion for the agricultural lifestyle and mechanics and I always wanted to get into the industry,” Lenehan said.

“I’ve got some family near Inverell and this Goondiwindi pretty close to that. I thought I’d come out here and have a go. What’s the worst that could happen?

“I prefer to have dirt on my hands than sand in my toes.”

Lenehan, who graduated high school last year, said she hoped to begin a mechanical engineering apprenticeship after a year working on farms.

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“I thought this was a good opportunity to learn a few things before I get into the industry,” she said.

“Hopefully I can start working with farmers once I finish my apprenticeship, come out to places like this and fix what I need to fix.

“I have a few mates from out there and that’s probably where it (my interest in farming) started. I like the rougher lifestyle – the quad bikes, the dirt bikes, the four-wheel-driving, the horses.

“I’ve been learning a lot of different things, especially here at Doonkami. You’re learning with the sheep, you’re out in the tractor, you’re learning about the picker, you’re fixing things.

“There are so many life skills that I think are so necessary, especially as a young female trying to be independent and not always relying on the men to help you get out of situations.”

Councils unite to prevent Inland Fail in Qld

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

A NEW Inland Rail Summit to be hosted in Toowoomba later this year is aiming to unite the 36 local government areas impacted by the 1700km rail line, along with a wide range of stakeholders, in a bid to maximise the potential benefits and share lessons learned from the process so far.

Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio made the announcement at the 2022 Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) General Assembly in Canberra this week and said Inland Rail was a complex project that needed the combined effort of local, state and federal governments to be successful.

“The theme of this year’s ALGA 2022 National General Assembly is, ‘Partners in Progress’, and that’s why I came to our nation’s capital to seek counsel and expertise from all local governments along the alignment in a bid to leverage as much as we can from the Inland Rail to build prosperity across regional Australia,” Antonio said.

“I see great benefit in bringing together all councils, as well as industry across the alignment, to share insights and opportunities.

“I will also be approaching the new Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King, to invite her to play a central role in the Inland Rail Summit, as I believe this summit is of national significance.”

Inland Rail construction sites around Narrabri in NSW

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Inland Rail has one project in Victoria, five in Queensland and seven in New South Wales.

While ARTC is yet to break ground in Queensland, construction is surging ahead on the Narrabri to North Star project (pictured above) and, further south, the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail is now complete and operational.

“It’s quite a sight to see, driving along the Newell Highway, all the work being done,” Narrabri Mayor Ron Campbell said.

“It’s a game changer for us as a community, there’s no two ways about it.

“The lessons are you’ve got to keep driving that local content – we drove a pretty heavy case (for ARTC) to engage with local contractors here.”

Parkes Shire Council general manager Kent Boyd told the Caller Inland Rail had worked well for area.

“It has served as a catalyst for Pacific National to develop a large terminal here and for the NSW Government to subsequently establish the state’s first Special Activation Precinct, which presents plenty of further opportunities for us to diversify our economic base, develop our existing sectors and businesses and deliver positive economic and social outcomes for our community,” he said.

“In terms of lessons learned, communication really is key, and it’s important to engage early and then regularly with both ARTC and the builder.”

The Inland Rail route at Parkes in NSW. IMAGE: ARTC

Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan said her Council welcomed the announcement of the summit and looked forward to the opportunity to gain clarity on alignments and impacts and to hear how other councils were managing the challenges and opportunities.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise CEO Ali Davenport said the summit would establish a forum for collaboration among councils looking to create new economic opportunity, while minimising impacts on local communities.

“There are 36 local government areas along the Inland Rail alignment and businesses and communities are looking for certainty so they can continue to plan and get on with delivering the jobs and economic growth this infrastructure will bring,” Davenport said.

“We are looking to bring as many local government, state and federal government agencies and economic development groups along the route together in September.

“We are shaping the event program over the next few weeks and are seeking input from councils this week at the General Assembly.”

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ARTC’s Interim Chief Executive of Inland Rail, Rebecca Pickering, assured the organisation would put its full support behind Toowoomba’s Inland Rail Summit.

“To have so many stakeholders in the room at the same time to share their views is a wonderful opportunity for us as an organisation,” Pickering said.

“Local government is the bedrock which underpins these communities, councillors are the local champions of development of regional Australia and see first-hand the opportunities and challenges Inland Rail will bring.

“We are working with local government right through the design and delivery process to ensure that Inland Rail is delivered to the highest standards and with minimum disruption to these communities.”

Fencing contractors charged over wind farm robbery

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By HARRY CLARKE

POLICE have charged six people over a brazen robbery earlier this month at the construction site of a major wind farm on Queensland’s Western Downs.

A work ute, power tools, computer equipment, rolls of copper and other paraphernalia including a coffee machine and a packet of Tim Tams were stolen under the cover of darkness from the Dulacca Wind Farm site on June 1.

It’s understood some items have since been recovered, while the Toyota Hilux ute (similar to that in the picture below provided by police) was found burnt out in the nearby town of Miles.

A ute similar to the one stolen from the Dulacca Wind Farm

A three-week investigation involving police from Dulacca, Miles, Chinchilla, the Dalby CIB and the rural crime squad has now led to five men and one women between the ages of 21 and 27 being charged with a raft of offences.

The charges include break and enter, stealing, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possessing tainted property and, as a result of police executing a search warrant, drugs charges.

The alleged offenders are local to the Miles and Chinchilla area.

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The Caller was told the alleged intruders spray painted security cameras and disconnected the CCTV system to avoid detection, breaking open locks on doors, gates and shipping containers used to store equipment.

Amid suspicions that the robbery was allegedly an inside job, the Caller can confirm the alleged crooks worked for a local fence building business which had been contracted by the company building the wind farm.

The six people charged will appear in court next month. Police said additional charges are possible as their investigations continue.

New $1.3b Toowoomba Hospital to be built by 2027

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

WORK on Toowoomba’s new $1.3 billion public hospital could start in just six months after this week’s historic state budget announcement, with $20 million next financial year to begin initial works at the Baillie Henderson Hospital site.

Darling Downs Health Board Chair Mike Horan said it was an exciting time for the Darling Downs with the project to make Toowoomba a “capital city of health.”

“Toowoomba is heading towards being one of the greatest health centres of any regional city in Australia and it’s very exciting for the future,” Horan said.

The five year project will see a new hospital built at the Baillie Henderson campus and the existing Toowoomba Hospital site converted into a major health centre for services such as day surgery, dental, specialist outpatients, education and training.

It’s a significant change from initial plans to relocate the entire hospital precinct out of Toowoomba’s CBD, potentially freeing up that land for a convention centre or stadium.

“It’s been part of our negotiations over the last 12 months and really what we’ve got is the best of two worlds,” Mike Horan said.

“We’ve got a CBD health centre in 5 or 6 years time and on the Baillie Henderson site we’ll have a world class hospital.”

Darling Downs Health Board Chair Mike Horan and Hospital Chief Executive Annette Scott

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Artist’s impression of the new Toowoomba Hospital

The new facility will offer relief for staff who’ve been battling overcrowding at the city’s existing hospital for years.

“They’ve worked under very difficult conditions, at times up to 100 per cent capacity and for our staff at the Toowoomba Hospital, this is the light at the end of the tunnel,” Horan said.

Hospital Chief Executive Annette Scott said the project will make Toowoomba a very attractive area for clinicians to work in.

“This announcement is a tonic for our staff and offers hope and opportunity for those people who are keen to potentially look at the Darling Downs as an area to move,” she said.

What the new Toowoomba Hospital will look like inside

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts told the Caller he was disappointed the state government could find $200 million for the Wellcamp quarantine facility but just $20 million for the new hospital in the coming financial year.

“$20 million is really not going to get much of the hospital work done in the next 12 months and there are people ramped up at our hospital this week, who deserve better services than that,” Watts said.

“20 million is a start – I look forward to more money being drawn down because we need this hospital as soon as possible.”

However Annette Scott said she felt comfortable with the $20 million figure for the first year of the project.

‘We have collaborated over what we felt was a reasonable figure that we would be able to utilise in the next 12 months to get that early works underway,” Scott said.

The project will create an additional 118 public hospital beds locally, which Scott assured would meet the needs of Toowoomba’s growing population.

“We also have to factor in other models of care that emerge over the next five years,” Scott said, highlighting recent advances in telehealth and the ability to provide hospital care to patients in their own home.

WATCH: The site for the new Toowoomba Hospital at the Baillie Henderson Hospital campus.

Driver charged over Bollon father’s death

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By HARRY CLARKE

THE driver of a vehicle from which Bollon father Scott Todd fell and died earlier this month has been charged by police.

Mr Todd, 38, was killed just after midnight on the morning of Saturday, June 11, when he fell from the back of the ute being driven along Dowling Street in Thargomindah.

The driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old Thargomindah man, was not physically injured.

Police confirmed this morning the driver had been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

He has been bailed to appear in the Cunnamulla Magistrates Court on July 6.

Mr Todd, a father of three, was a well known grazier in south west Queensland. He’s been remembered by friends and loved ones online as a caring mate and a passionate advocate for farmers.

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Toowoomba’s Everest to crown King of the Mountain

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

QUEENSLAND’s answer to the world’s richest race on turf, The Everest, is coming to Toowoomba’s Clifford Park this New Year’s Eve.

The Mort & Co King of the Mountain slot race will give punters the chance to share in $750,000 in prize money, in what Toowoomba Turf Club chairman Kent Woodford said was a historic announcement.

“I think it will be a game-changer for our race club, it will be a game-changer for the Toowoomba community and it’s going to be a massive event,” he said.

The King of the Mountain will have a similar format to The Everest at Sydney’s Royal Randwick and The Kosciuszko – the world’s richest race for country-trained horses – but in this case only Queensland bred and trained horses will be eligible.

“This is similar to the Everest where there are a certain amount of slots that are put up for sale,” Turf Club CEO Lizzy King said.

“There will be x amount of runners in the race – and that will be sold to individuals, there might be businesses, there might be syndicates and that sort of thing.

“And then $750,000 worth of prize money is absolutely sensational – to say that the Toowoomba Turf Club is going to be home to the richest provincial race in Queensland is something we’re very very proud of.”

King said the concept was pitched to Racing Queensland nearly three years ago and it was great to see it come to fruition.

Mort & Co’s Steve O’Brien, Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell and Maddy Sears with “Splash”

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Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said the final terms and conditions would be ironed out in the next month, with no confirmation yet on what it will cost to secure a slot in the race.

“The Mort & Co King of the Mountain will be a slot race that’s all about Queensland, all about Queenslanders, all about the Queensland breeding industry,” Parnell said.

“Queensland bred horses will be exclusively eligible for this race and they have to be trained by Queensland domicile trainers, ensuring that the King of the Mountain money stays in the sunshine state.”

Mort & Co CEO Steve O’Brien said the decision to sponsor the 1200m dash was a “no-brainer”.

“We are seriously protective and supportive of our region and regional Queensland and this race, King of the Mountain, is really bringing the region to the city.”

The Mort & Co King of the Mountain is expected to be under lights at Clifford Park as part of its New Year’s Eve race card, two weeks out from the Magic Millions, usually run on the second Saturday in January.

2022 vintage delivers top drops despite drenching

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

GRANITE Belt wine drinkers can expect quality over quantity from the 2022 vintage, after a soggy season which producers are ready to put behind them.

Near-constant wet weather wreaked havoc on the region’s wine grapes over the summer growing season to the point where some fruit unable to be harvested.

Martin Cooper owns Ridgemill Estate winery and said the wet and humid conditions made the 2022 vintage a real challenge, with a lot of powdery mildew decimating crops in some areas.

“A few wineries didn’t pick their red grapes because they just couldn’t ripen them, but those who did, the consensus seems to be pretty good,” he said.

“The wines that are being made from this year’s vintage across the board seem to be very good quality, so quantity’s down but quality’s really good.”

Martin Cooper with his wet winter vines at Ridgemill Estate

Ian Kraemer from Robert Channon Wines agreed that what was being made this year was looking good.

“The Verdehlo is looking very nice in particular and a couple of the reserve reds are looking good too,” he said.

Peter O’Reilly from the Queensland College of Wine Tourism said most people would be glad to see the 2022 vintage gone.

“It’s been a difficult year,” he said. “I think the whites looked very good early on. I think there were people who in the end lost reds just because of the difficult conditions, particularly in March.”

Picking the 2022 vintage at Robert Channon Wines back in February. IMAGE: Robert Channon Wines

The region has received an astonishing 1263mm in the last 12 months, almost five times as much rain as 2019 when just 257mm fell during the drought.

Last November was the wettest month with 220mm, but December and March weren’t far behind with 170mm and 163mm respectively.

“The ground water table is an inch above the ground level still,” Martin Cooper said.

“We haven’t had rain here now for two weeks but it’s just not drying out.

“We’ve been trying to plant another five acres for the last three years and I’ve just cancelled the order for this year because I can’t put tractors on the ground it’s just too wet.”

Peter O’Reilly also has his own vineyard and said he found it much easier to grow grapes in the drought than in the wet.

“Even though we’re incredibly sandy soil and you expect the water to soak away quickly, there’s just nowhere for it go,” he said.

“Some of the things we’ve seen in the last year – people getting machinery stuck and the machine they use to get the first one out gets stuck – the ground is just pudding!”

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Another challenge due to months of grey skies was achieving the necessary Baume – or sugar content in the grapes – desired for winemaking, but Peter O’Reilly believes there was a silver lining.

“This year was probably a great example of the importance of understanding phenological ripeness and understanding that sometimes, a Baume of 12 is what you’re going to get,” O’Reilly said.

He said it was important to be able to read the phenological signs that say, “this grape is now ripe, deal with it” and in this case, they can be used to make lower alcohol wines which are actually a market trend.

“Sometimes we need to be reminded to keep up with the market,” O’Reilly said.

“We are seeing people willing to make wines locally at a lower alcohol and that might be reds at 12 percent instead of 15.”

The local industry is planning trials harvesting fruit at different Baume to determine the lowest sugar content grapes can be picked at and still produce wine with all the characteristics winemakers want.

“Rather than letting it hang out there for another four weeks suffering birds and diseases and being sprayed again,” O’Reilly said.

“If we can pick things that are market acceptable at 12 Baume, we should be doing that because it makes really good economic sense and it may just be meeting the market as well, for that slightly lower alcohol wine.”

Chinchilla wins back long lost memorial trophy

COUNTRY CALLER FOOTBALL COVERAGE SPONSORED BY INTURA

By HARRY CLARKE

THE Dagma Gleeson Memorial Trophy will remain in Chinchilla for at least the next twelve months – and now it rightfully belongs there – after the long lost silverware was won by the Bulldogs at the weekend following a 36 year hiatus.

The trophy, named after the matriarch of one of country Queensland’s well known rugby league families, resurfaced for the first time in decades on Saturday when the Chinchilla Bulldogs hosted the Miles Devils to kick off round two of the south western competition.

Dagma Gleeson’s family had donated the trophy in her honour following her death in 1981, to be awarded to the winner of neighbouring town rivalry games between Chinchilla and Miles.

It was last won by the Devils in 1986 but, as club president Ken Brown told the Caller last week, the trophy never made it to Miles because the team “must have partied so hard that night that we forgot to bring it back home with us”.

It was dusted off and revived for the clash on Saturday to coincide with the Chinchilla club’s annual Ladies Day, and Bulldog Park was in full flight with hundreds of spectators by the time A-graders took the field.

Chinchilla Bulldogs A-grade captain Matt Eising with sponsor representative Fred Betham from Lawrence & Hanson

Chinchilla put on some quick tries but it was clear the Miles Devils, who ran out as underdogs, had turned up with the belief they could win.

Three of the Devils’ modern greats – centre Luke Kuhl, fullback Jamie Kerwick and utility forward Wayne Collie – strapped the boots back on for the local derby, and their experience helped keep the visitors composed despite early setbacks on the scoreboard.

By half time it was 14-6 to the Bulldogs and the scoreboard didn’t change until the final twenty minutes when Chinchilla found another gear.

Fullback Romada Barnes and centre Declan Bell were among the Bulldogs try scorers, while Kerwick and Kuhl combined for a nice Miles backline try in the dying minutes to bring the final score to 28-12 to Chinchilla.

HIGHLIGHTS – Maverick TV

Danny Gleeson with the Dagma Gleeson Memorial Trophy

What followed after full time was a huge Ladies Day celebration to highlight the role of the girls and women involved with the Chinchilla Bulldogs.

A-grade’s pink jerseys were auctioned off to a crowd of hundreds with proceeds being put back into the club.

The average price was close to $1,000 while the top price was more than $2,000 for the jersey worn by Bulldogs captain Matt Eising.

Bulldogs president Charlie Redgen said the success of the Dagma Gleeson Memorial Trophy and Ladies Day highlighted the growing strength of the club.

LADIES DAY JERSEY AUCTION

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“I think the club is really turning around. We had a great preseason and got good numbers back at training,” Redgen said.

“There’s a lot of good things happening at Bulldog Park and I have to mention the efforts of our vice president, Tom Brett.

“He’s had the fields looking brilliant, especially before those few frosts we’ve had. He’s here three days a week, moving and fertilising and staying on top of it.

“We’ve got a new scoreboard and a new cold room and all of the facilities are working well. We’ve got all the right people in the right places and we’re really grateful for the hard work of the women involved in the club for putting on a great Ladies Day.

“Our sponsors are great, they’ve been very loyal and we really appreciated their support.

“The main thing is the culture of the club, that’s our main focus. We want to get back to winning lots of footy and enjoying it. It was good to get the win over Miles and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”

SLIDESHOW – Bulldogs Under-18s V Taroom Wandoan Battlers

Jandowae chops to it for Timbertown Festival

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By HARRY CLARKE

THE tiny Western Downs town of Jandowae tripled in population on the main day of its biennial community celebration as thousands of locals, former locals and visitors from afar gathered for the Jandowae Timbertown Festival.

The festival celebrates Jandowae’s rich history as a timber cutting and exporting hub, bringing the community and tourists together for a grand parade, family activities, markets and an array of wood chopping and chainsawing displays.

It had been four years since the last festival as the pandemic caused the 2020 event to be cancelled.

It was a ticketed event for the first time, and spokeswoman Karel Brownhall said the 20-strong volunteer organising committee was thrilled with the support from a huge crowd.

“We had a wonderful festival and were very pleased with the attendance of around 3200,” Karel said.

“For a town with a population of just over 1000 people, it sure is exciting to see the town swell for the four days of the festival.”

The festival theme was “The many branches that make us one” and was aimed to showcase Jandowae as a great place to live, as well as its timber cutting heritage.

“There was plenty of wood chip flying fun for everyone to enjoy on the main festival day (Saturday),” Karel said.

Jandowae Timbertown Festival committee president Glen Little with Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh. IMAGES: Amelia Wood / Judy Tones

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The festival was opened with a street parade. IMAGES: Amelia Wood / Judy Tones

“The cold winds did not deter people and the general feel was that everyone was enjoying themselves with non-stop entertainment flowing all day.”

Festival favourites included the BTS Chinchilla wood chopping, the chainsaw racing, The Matty G Chainsaw Artist who created a sculpture of Ned Kelly, the free giant inflatable challenge, the David Babore Caricature Artist, fireworks, yabbie races and Route 33 performing live until midnight.

The grand parade was opened by Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh followed by a helicopter aerial lolly drop by Little Heli Services for the kids to fill their pockets and caps with lollies.

An aerial lolly drop kept the kids entertained. IMAGES: Amelia Wood / Judy Tones

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The Jandowae Timbertown Festival forms one of five major festivals in the Western Downs council area, providing an economic boost for the region and promoting country tourism.

The next major tourism event will be the Chinchilla Melon Festival in 2023.