Author: Columnist on Centenary Today

• Macca spoke to John, an apple-grower in Batlow. He mentioned it was a tough time to be growing apples as costs had risen a lot, most trees are netted for hail and to keep the birds out.

• He also spoke to Ray who was a retired local builder, having lived in Batlow for 52 years, 2 of his apprentices are doing well in town.

• Martha rang in, heading to Goulburn for the races, taking a horse they train at Warwick Farm to a showcase meeting. She and her husband had been training for 10 years. Her husband, Paul Cave ha run a mare called Lahar in the 1999 Melbourne Cup and she finished 3rd. The race was won by Rogan Josh. The horse they were taking to Goulburn was called The Mona Lisa (beautifully named by the stallion “Under The Louvre”)…

[UPDATE:] AND THE 3 YEAR OLD FILLY WON BY 3.7 LENGTHS FROM THE ODDS ON FAVOURITE, PAYING 32.70 for the win and 11.10 for the place! Ridden by Shaun Guymer in a $50,000 Maiden Handicap. See the result here.

• Sally called in driving across the Strzelecki heading to the Inverloch farmer’s market to sell milkshakes, Macca pointed out the Milkshake was an Australian invention. She has a small milk brand called Gippsland Jersey, they were awarded Australia’s Best Milk. She grew up on a dairy farm in Lakes Entrance, her dad worked offshore to supplement income until he smashed his knee with a sledgehammer, so he bought a milk churn and over the years the family focused on value adding to the products it produced. Sadly her dad passed away but Sally started her milk company in 2016 at the peak of the dairy crisis.

See more about Gippsland Jersey:

• Jo was driving through Geelong as the sun rose. She was heading to catch a plane to Perth with her 2 kids, heading to the Australian School Triathlon (Swim-Bike-Run) and Aquathlon (Run-Swim-Run) Championships. Jo and her husband had competed over the years, (having met at an Ironman event in Busselton) and now their 11 and 13-year-old-kids were competing in Rockingham, WA.

• Karen and Phillip rang in from the Great South West Walk in the southern part of Victoria to South Australia. She waxed lyrical about how stunning the walk was. It was about 260km over 10-14 days. It includes a section along a 60km beach called Discovery Bay, with lots of sealife in the ocean.

• Paul from Cessnock in the Hunter Valley rang in. His family had been to the Golden Slipper, where Marhoona won the big race. He had trained and run horses over many years, including keeping broodmares. Macca lamented the decision to sell Rosehill and can’t imagine why this would be sold. He felt the lack of tradition in Sydney caused such decisions.

More about Rosehill here:

• Dave from Batlow was building a place called The Apple Thief (named after the fact that apples steal the best apples at the top of the trees). He had 10 different varieties which he makes cider from. It has been hard to get pickers. The Apple Thief Cider House will be a tourist experience around the cider production. Batlow Cider Fest will be on May 17, find out more here. They can get snow there, four very distinct seasons.

• Carol from Caloundra phoned in to talk about her big trip with five racehorses across the Nullabor to ride at a winter carnival in WA in the 1980s. Her mum had always ridden horses and her dad was a blacksmith focused on Clydesdales. She rode ponies at the age of 14 that were rescues. She battled racing weight and still rides some ex racehorses. She pointed out Tropical Cyclone Alfred missed Caloundra.

• Luke rang on his way back to Port Headland, from Exmouth having competed in Gamex, one of Australia’s premier fishing competitions. Fishing Marlin and Sailfish. A group of six went out on a charter boat about an hour off the coast (competition was up to 60 nautical miles from the coast). People came from all over the world, catch and release in 42 degree heats with lines in at 7:00 a.m. Some 350 fish were tagged out of 750 seen. They were tagged to get data to understand the fish movements. He said the fish that are tagged are often found moving to Mexico and back, especially the big Blue Marlin.

More on Marlin Fishing here:

Tagging a Blue Marlin in Hawaii:

• Dr Ross rang in. He had been a locum aid. It was an interesting way to practice medicine, seeing what went on in the bush. He observed that young people’s mental health was becoming more of a concern. He felt expectations were being placed into young people’s minds yet failure was common and that issue was causing a lot of mental strain, especially with affordability of housing. Macca chimed in that TV and social media portrays success and fame, which is unhealthy for many. Dr Ross talked about “Boys to the Bush” helping young people experience nature to give them a broader range of insights.

• Beverley rang from Atherton with a list of cyclones in Australia going back to 1864, she said there were about 150 before 2004.

• Mark, chair of Mt Isa Rodeo, rang to say the Rodeo was back on. The old board that ran it folded. The new board started in February and most of it has already been organised. Gate prices are half of what they were and prize money has been increased. The event will take place in the 2nd week in August (8th/9th/10th), Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Tickets will go on sale shortly. Find out more here.

• Peter from Bargo rang in to relate his story about raising children with strong mental health. His granddaughter was taken out of a private school and moved to an agricultural school, and Peter said this had made a big difference in her mental health. Macca pointed out that young girls idolising Tay Tay, a Billionaire, was not healthy in so much as Taylor Swift’s life is far removed from most ordinary young girls.

• Don wrote in to point out that in Norway and Sweden, they have back-flipped on cancelling cash and in fact the Swedish Ministry of Defence have distributed a leaflet advising all residents to keep a supply of cash at home in the event of a crisis or war. More on this here.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Disclaimer: Brisbane Suburbs Online News has no affiliation with Ian McNamara or the “Australia All Over Show.” This weekly review is an attempt to share the wonderful stories that Ian broadcasts each week and add value to what is a smorgasbord of great insights.