Published by the Gidgegannup Agricultural Society (Inc) November 2020 Established 1978 POSTAGE Email: Secretary: [email protected] or Show Committee: [email protected] PAID Gidgegannup Agricultural Society Committee. AUSTRALIA Gidgegannup Agricultural News Update We are still here and planning for a bigger and better Gidge Show for 2021. It was sad that the planned Halloween Costume theme didn't happen due to the pandemic restrictions so any ideas for a new theme or assistance in the planning or running of the Show for next year are very welcome. As this is the last edition of the Gidgegram the Gidgegannup Agricultural Society wish everyone a very Happy Festive Season and would like everyone to stay safe and healthy and enjoy your festive time together with your families and friends. We will look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year. Enjoy every minute you can, you don't know what is around the next corner. Merry Christmas to everyone. Become a member of the Gidgegannup Agricultural Society and take part in making the 2021 year a vibrant event. " Report any suspicious behaviour to your local Rural Watch representative GIDGEGANNUP AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP FORM (wef Feb 2019) [email protected] PLEASE UNDERLINE HERE: SINGLE or FAMILY MEMBERSHIP THEN COMPLETE AS NECESSARY Applicant’s Name:………………………………………………………... Children attending Primary and Secondary schools are included in Spouse/Partner Name: ………………………………………………..… Family Membership. Postal Address:………………………………………………………...…. Child 1 - Name & Date of Birth:………………………………………… ……………………………………………………..............................……. Child 2 – Name & Date of Birth: ……………………………………… EMAIL:………………………………………………….....………………. Child 3 – Name & Date of Birth: ……………………………………… (If necessary, attach additional Family Members separately.) Please forward your completed form and subscription to: Membership fees: Family : $30.00 Single: $15.00 Gloria Metcalf - Treasurer, Gidgegannup Agricultural Society Inc., PO Box 22, Gidgegannup WA, 6083 Applications for Membership will be considered Email: [email protected] at the next Committee Meeting of the Society For EFT payment on line: BSB: 633108 ACCT: 120250147 Reference: Your Name. Although every effort to remain totally impartial, the Editor and the individual members of the Gidgegannup Agricultural Society (The Publisher) cannot be made responsible for comments and opinions voiced in letters received. 2 November 2020 Gidgegram February 2020: Deadline Thursday 21st January 2021 - Distribution 27th January 2021 Email: [email protected] OR hand it in to Gidge Newsagency to put in box for collection. PO Box 22, Gidgegannup CLASSIFIEDS STRAW Huge 8ft x 4ft Bales Need an experienced equivalent to 35 small bales. hardworking reliable gardener? Garden Mulch, water saving and weed suppression Also some suitable for animal bedding, Horse etc. Call Jim 9574 7166 $70 pick up - Delivery extra. Phone 9572 9066 or Mobile 0417 991 302 Report any suspicious behaviour to your local Rural Watch representative [email protected] Organic Olive Oil Sales Functions / weddings / picnic hampers Gidgegannup Garden & Property Maintenance NEW MENU RURAL & DOMESTIC Modern Australian A-la-Carte General Garden Clean-ups Gold Plate Chef Weeding and Whipper-snippering Reticulation Repair / Chainsawing Bookings Pruning & Hedge Trimming BYO Propagation of Native Plants 9574 6424 Gutter and Water Tank Cleaning Lot 122 Mayo Road Opening Hours Ross Rudeforth (near Noble Falls) Assoc. Dip. Ag. Sat 9am - 9pm Mobile: 0419 190 984 Gidgegannup Email: [email protected]/Fax: 9574 6263 Sun 9am - 4pm Report any suspicious behaviour to your local Rural Watch representative [email protected] www.cherithgrove.com.au Grow with Gidgegannup! Support local businesses and community groups November 2020 3 Stock Handling If they don't feel happy about coming up or down a ramp, they can make Around the Paddock life very difficult, perhaps dangerous—To you and themselves. Smaller stock—SHEEP etc by The Farmer These animals still need to be treated with a great deal of respect, much the same stockyards, race and crush as for cattle. A big ewe, wether or ram can inflict as much damage to you as cattle can do, and they can also produce raw power without warning. The bigger stock—CATTLE I know from experience just how fast these animals can move, and if hit, Are your stock yards suitable and safe for handling this size of animal? the results can be devastating. Well made (either home or commercially made) yards are very Loading ramps can be either: important. (a) A fixed structure—in this case set to a truck or ute height. (b) The platform can be hinged so it can be set to the height of the Transportable panels are fine, as long as they are held firmly in place, vehicle to be used. either by jumbo sized star pickets or wooden posts (not skinny (c) Portable ramps, are usually made to standard truck height. If a posts—tomato stakes). portable ramp is used be sure to stabilise it to the vehicle. If you are unsure about handling stock in yards for marking or If a raceway and head bale are incorporated into the configuration, it transport, play it safe, and get proper advice. must be made totally immovable. Best to be SAFE-- not SORRY --or WORSE. Cattle can have a huge amount of unknown power, sometimes Always take care and be wary of the unexpected. Misadventure can cause unleashed , whilst being held in enclosures. I can attest to this first hand. broken arms or missing teeth. They can be as quite as lambs in open spaces, but become very agitated and unpredictable when in small enclosures, such as stock yards. As this is the last Gidgegram for the year, I hope these articles have been Don't be making stock yards from sub-standard materials. of some benefit to you. So I hope the coming summer months are not to horrendous, and you I've seen all sorts of home made malfunctions over the years, the worst and your property will remain safe in the coming season. being bush-wood posts and rails tied together with baling twine and If the God's are willing and all is aligned, I will be hopefully, wire. Races and ramps have to be of the best quality, and be strong contributing again in 2021. enough to take the weight of the animals, when loading or unloading on All the best for Christmas and the New Year period. or off a truck, trailer or ute. 4 November 2020 Gidge Gossips The last Gidgegram of the year and many people will be quite the Orange route through Gidgegannup and in the 1990s a glad to welcome 2021 and hope that it will be very different to town meeting had decided the site for the Primary School 2020. Having said that we have not fared too badly compared and the route the Orange Route would take through with a lot of places in the World and for that, we must be Gidgegannup. The North had been selected. Subsequently grateful. the Orange Route had been gazetted and further comment ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( was sought from the community. In 1994 the Old Coach There almost seems a feeling of winding up the year and an Road subdivision was completed and Cr. Burgess negotiated expectancy that next year will return to “normal”. The with Main Roads the usage of the 11 acres of land ceded to Spring weather has been lovely and seldom has there been them. He had negotiated that the Pony Club could lease this such growth in our paddocks, which brings its own dangers as a cross country course, which they have done for 25 years with the risk of fire. The cows are out in force and eating and then a further lease of 4 years in 2017. There has always away. The numbers have remained steady due to Kasanova's been the knowledge that this land was leased not given and endeavours. He is now quite a large Bull and hopefully no Main Roads would eventually need it.” longer prone to skipping over fences and off in to the far blue ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( yonder – just as placid though. I learnt with surprise that we Great to see that the Bakery have now installed an outdoor are now the sole remaining lowline stud in Western Australia area with seating for customers to enjoy the amazing goodies and these cute little black cows are now much sought after. for sale. ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( Our maiden mare with the quirky personality finally had her The paddocks have been busy with hay being cut and it foal three weeks late and produced a lovely colt and we now appears to be a good harvest and not too much rain to spoil it. know that she was born to be a mum. Loves the foal so much ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( and accepted it immediately and is so proud of him. It almost So to wish you a happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year appears to be peaceful here at the moment – lull before the ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( storm perhaps!!! 2,003 pigs ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( It's a small town and not much happens most days, so the Along with the paddocks the garden is going crazy with plants town newspaper prints pretty much every little story. But the (and weeds) popping up all over the place. The bees are editor just can't believe it one day when the new farmer down loving it and there is a steady hum going on. We have had the road says that his truck ran into a ditch and killed 2,003 just on 700mm of rain this year and one very light frost, which pigs. probably explains a lot of the growth. He sends his reporter out to the farm to check it out. ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( The reporter pulls up and finds the farmer working on the Shearers seem to be busy this year, probably with the border fence, so he strolls over and says, “I understand you had a closure, fortunately we are now down to about forty sheep.