A big thank you is due to Councillor Jess Jennings who brought the issue to the council table and to the councillors who supported him.

No-one wants to be seen as a whinging cockie and most appreciate this support from BRC.

THE Prime Minister’s visit to farms at Trangie and Blackall may be a forerunner to some form of financial assistance towards freight costs for transporting grain and hay from deep in South Australia.

Members of the NSW government are still looking at the issue but actual assistance is still only a mirage.

FORMER Deputy  Prime Minister Tim Fischer comes up with an interesting source of fodder hay to feed starving stock in NSW and Queensland.

He notes the rail lines that link the Ord River scheme in remote Western Australia connect to the rail hubs at Horsham and Parkes and that the train loads of hay could be delivered from these hubs into areas that are in serious situations.

Mr Fischer says that freight costs would be high but the operation could certainly be done.

THE Central Tablelands lost one of its best primary producers with the recent passing of Leo Grady of “Forest Home”, Black Springs.

Leo was an excellent judge of livestock values and his opinions were highly valued.

Long-time Bathurst resident John Carah also passed away last week and he is remembered as a valued member of staff of George Fish Ltd, the former leading rural supply store in Bentinck Street, Bathurst.

John’s all-round mechanical ability was appreciated by all who knew him.

And last week’s passing also of Ian Monk of “Bundara”, Perthville, ended a lifetime of community involvement.

Ian was a Sydney paramedic in earlier days, proprietor of Rosehill Bloodstock Transport and a telephone volunteer counsellor following his move to our district some 25 years ago.

He will be sadly missed by his many friends.

A GROUP of local men listened intently to an address on the future use of fully electric cars recently and there is no doubt that these types of vehicles are becoming more popular as time rolls on.

Until recent times, we could stand on a Sydney CBD corner and watch the Falcon cabs go by but in June 2018, the Camry Hybrid taxi is the norm.

My thoughts go to electric-powered ag bikes that are so quiet that stock handling in the paddock would be low stress.

The just-released Jaguar I-pace is fully electric with two permanent-magnet electric motors.

WORK has been under way for some months on the restoration of the former Tremain’s Mill in lower Keppel Street, Bathurst and owner Stephen Birrell states: “We know there’s milling equipment out there and that many family properties, especially those larger and more remote,  ground their own grains to make flour and bread through sheer necessity.

“We are very keen to see what’s out there and what might be worthy of displaying in the proposed museum.

“Just as importantly, we want the stories of those pioneering families who used this milling equipment to keep their families fed.”

Interested parties may contact 0407 415 167, email info@tremainsmill.com or check out the website at www.tremainsmill.com.

A BRIEF drive along Martin Bird Lane off Cashens Lane at Vittoria made me wonder why this lane is obviously not maintained and is not in a safe state for motor vehicles to be driven on.

It is right on the boundary of Bathurst Regional and Cabonne councils and people obviously live along the lane.

This would appear to be a valued project for a Bathurst councillor to concentrate on as rural families are under great stress.

AFTER the breakneck pace seen in recent weeks, buyers took a breather this week in the Australian wool market.

Prices for Merino wools finer than 19 micron fell back from the record highs of last week while prices for broader Merino wools eased or were a little higher.

Prices for crossbred wools were mainly lower.

The Northern Market Indicator slid by 16 cents to 2011c/kg. The catalyst for the slide seems to have been a higher Australian dollar which was just under US1c higher.

There were 26,942 bales offered in Sydney and Melbourne. With prices sliding, the pass-in rate lifted to 3.6 per cent.

GEORGE asked to speak with the rogue who was locked up for burgling his home.

He told the law: “I don’t want to yell at him, I just want to know how he got into our house without waking my missus. I’ve been trying to do that for 40 years.”

***

A FEW things I don’t want to hear during surgery: