Here in NSW we are facing an unprecedented level ofBushfire danger. ATotal Fire Banhas been instituted for the entire state, aState of Emergencyhas been declared and some parts of the state have a danger rating of‘catastrophic’– a rating that has never needed to be used before!
Living on a fairly remote farm that backs onto a huge state forest, our family has been very concerned. So much so that we have instituted our ownemergency fire planshould worst come to worst.
There are plenty of official sites that can guide you through how to come up with your own emergency plans, and I heartily encourage every reader to visit the sites relevant to their state as well as download the relevant apps. What I’m going to share here is some of theevacuationprecautions I and my family have taken, in the hopes it may provide you with someideas of your own. In particular – ouremergency bags.
We have several emergency bags packed. The whole idea of these is that they are pre-made and ready to go, saving valuable minutes if you need to get out fast. Our emergency bags are packed with such items that can stay in them forever –notitems that we will have to remove a few days later because we need them. Hopefully these bags will hang on hooks for the rest of their lives unused, but better safe than sorry.
Clothing for the day
Despite the heat,long clothingisessential. Should you end up in an area with sparks flying through the air, you don’t want those sparks touching your bare skin. So long sleeved tops and long pants are the order of the day and they should be natural fibres like cotton, not synthetics that have the potential to melt onto your skin.
Leather bootsare also the most preferable footwear to have. In our case my wife and I own heavy duty leather boots but our children don’t, so we would put them in their most suitable footwear and carry them if required.
We have a bag packed specifically with clothing to change into at a moment’s notice. Again, every minute you can save counts.
EvacClothing Bag
Chances are you might not be able to return to your home for a couple of days until the fire has passed. So you will need a few changes of clothes, but taking into account you should notover packas space in your vehicle will be at a premium.
For each member of our family we packed the following:
*2 T-shirts
*1 Jumper
*1 pair of Long Pants
*1 pair of Shorts
*2 pairs of Socks
*2 pairs of Underwear
*1 pair of Pyjamas
EquipmentBag
There will be specificequipmentthat you may need when fleeing from a bushfire. All this should be kept together and easy to access if needed.
In ours we have:
*One torch with fresh battery
*One small fire blanket
*One first aid kit
*One tube of burn cream
*One pack of face masks
*One pair of fire resistant gloves
*One battery powered radio
Pet Bag
If you have pets you naturally are going to want to take them with you. In our case because we have two pet goats this would entail hooking up the trailer. But for most people your pets may consist of a dog and cat (which we also have). So when packing make sure you have enough pet food for a couple of days and leads for every animal – you don’t want to escape the fire just for your cat to run away or your dog to go hungry. A dish to put water in is also advisable.
Food & Water
Chances are wherever you evacuate to will have food and water available. But again that motto – better safe than sorry. Have a bag packed full of food that does not need to be refrigerated and can keep you all going for a day or two. Pre-packaged food likemueslibarsand biscuitswill serve you well, as well as bags of nuts. Also tinned food such as ham, salmon, tuna and so on. Take as much water as you can reasonably fit. Because we would be taking autewe can afford to take a 25 litre container in the back.
MiscItems
These are items that you don’t need to survive but will be incredibly hard to replace should you lose your home. This includes forms such as birth certificates and passports, as well as more personal items such as jewellery and family photos. What you pack in this bag is up to you, but one of the bags you may need to give the most thought too. Also, because these are items that youcan’tstore in anevackit permanently, make sure you know the location of these items in your house so they can be collected up quickly.
So these are just a few different suggestions for what to take if you need to evacuate and a possible way to have them prepared. Again, I encourage everyone to check out the official sites in order to get even more guidance and information about the best way to go about this, but hopefully this blog willgive you a good starting point on advisable things to pack.
Got any other tips on what to pack in case of Bushfire? Pop it in the comments section below.
On our farm here in NSW, like many other farms in the region, we have a problem with Blackberry Bushes.
For anyone from the city who isn’t acquainted with them, Blackberry Bushes aren’t cute little shrubs that give you some delightful fruit. No, they are a noxious weed that grows out of control. There is virtually no limit to the size they grow, and they are covered in thorns ready to ensnare human and animal alike with even the slightest contact.
And that is just ONE patch!
We’ve got some whoppers of Blackberry Bushes on our land, some almost bigger than our house! They have been very hard to get rid of for two reasons:
A: We don’t like to use poisons on our property
B: Even if we did use poisons, most of the bushes are located in the middle of our shallow creek, meaning that any use of herbicides could result in them entering the water, causing major damage to other plants and the ecosystem in general.
So what were we to do?
Well, we kinda lucked out. Mick, who I buy nearly all my second-hand pots from in order to propagate plants for our Organic Plants & Produce business, runs a family business of his own. He and his wife Billie run Dry Creek Farm, and they specialize in bringing out herds of goats in order to decimate Blackberry Patches, leaving nothing but stems and fertilizer in their wake. After being impressed with the job they did on our farm, I couldn’t help but ask them for an interview and they kindly obliged:
Sustainable – and cute!
What first gave you the idea to use goats to clear huge blackberry patches?
Huge Blackberry patches on our own place and a strong desire not to spray. We have done a permaculture course and heard of people using goats for weed control. We were getting a fair bit of pressure from the weed inspectors to do something about our Blackberry so we decided we’d have to give it a go.
What made you decide that using goats to clear blackberry was a viable business?
Mostly the fact that it worked so well on our place. We knew other people were also looking to an alternative to spraying. Also, we had the goats and were running out of feed for them!
How much blackberry can a mob of your goats clear in a day?
We usually say a single car garage per day but we’ve recently experimented with using larger mobs and knocking them over a bit faster. We have found that it depends on the goats and what they’re used to eating, we’ve recently bought some goats and found they weren’t as keen on blackberry as our initial mob. Nothing a bit of competition and on the job training won’t fix. (after the goats moved from your place to join with the others they have started churning through the patches like there’s no tomorrow)
How is using goats to clear blackberry more sustainable and ecologically friendly than using traditional methods?
Spraying is very detrimental in the long run, it kills soil life and does not allow the weed to add fertility to the soil. The production and transportation of agricultural chemicals is a huge contributer to greenhouse gases and creates a cycle of chemical dependence on farms. Goats help to increase fertility by turning weeds into manure which makes it easier to break down. Treating weeds in this way also allows the plant to continue filling it’s niche in the ecosystem. For example, blackberry helps prevent erosion and having the goats treat a patch still leaves the canes and the roots to fulfill this function.
I understand something rather odd (and amusing) happened when your goats were at our place. Can you describe what happened?
We’ve well and truly learnt that not everything goes to plan when working with animals. We decided to swing via your place for an unscheduled check on the goats because we happened to be in the area. Lucky we did. When we arrived we noticed there were nine feral and stinky billygoats showing an interest in our girls. One was in the paddock with our goats and another had his horns completely tangled in the mobile fencing and was being humped from behind by another of the billies! It was not his lucky day. Mike had to get amongst it and wrestle him free of the fence then we had to draft them out of the paddock and chase them away to discourage them returning. It was all a bit dramatic but didn’t cause too much drama in the end and gives us something to have a laugh about. We were quite surprised as we had the goats working on our place for twelve months with feral goats always around and we have also done other jobs and seen billies about but never had this situation!
I’d like to thank both Michael and Billie for both their time doing this interview and the wonderful job their goats did getting rid of our blackberries. You can find the website for Dry Creek Farm HERE.
BeforeAfter
Got any questions for Mick and Billie? Pop it in the comments section below and I’m sure they will be happy to answer it.
Despite some successes, this week has not been a good week for Vegans in Australia.
One of the more militant factions of the Vegan community, in order to celebrate the anniversary of a documentary highlighting animal cruelty issues (Dominion), took actions many would consider extreme across numerous parts of the country. They did this in the hope it would make people aware of their cause and win people over to their way of thinking.
From a PR perspective it didn’t work. It really didn’t work.
Instead of people applauding the steps they took, there has been countrywide condemnation of their actions. The anger from the community expressed both in real life and on various social media platforms has been both palpable and prolific.
So why? Do people really hate animals that much?
In short, despite some successes with their personal goals, the execution left a lot to be desired. In some cases it actually highlighted how, this group which is so concerned about animal welfare, have little knowledge about the realities of dealing with actual animals rather than the ideal of them. Let’s take a look:
*The Melbourne Blockade
The Action
Without any prior conferring with any of the relevant departments or authorities, on Monday morning a group of 60+ Vegan Activist’s blockaded the intersection of Flinders and Swantson street in the CBD, many chaining themselves to vans.
The Purpose
In the numerous soundbites provided by the Activists to the media, the most common phrase was ‘We want everyone to go vegan’. They also wanted to stop ‘so called farmers’ as they stated it, exploiting livestock and instead growing grains.
The Result
Thousands of people were inconvenienced by the blockade. 16 tram routes were all but halted. 5 major trauma centre’s in the CBD had to reroute their ambulances. A large group of the activists were arrested.
The Public Reaction
Thousands of Melbournians were pissed off about being made late. Many Australians were horrified about the effect this had on the trauma centre’s as it could have resulted in a possible fatality. There was no mass conversion to Veganism and no ‘so called farmers’ released their herds of livestock into the wild.
*Abattoir Protests
The Action
Several abattoirs were targeted by Activists where they chained themselves to killing floors and refused to leave, stopping production.
The Purpose
To stop animals being killed for human consumption.
The Result
One abattoir actually negotiated the release of 3 lambs in return for the Activists leaving. Activists at other sites were arrested and removed by police. Production at all affected sites was shut down for several hours before resuming.
The Reaction
Actually quite light. Despite extensive media coverage, people seemed to be more interested in the other stories regarding the Vegan Activists that day. Positive reactions from the wider Vegan Community for saving the lives of 3 lambs.
*Invasion of Farms
Dairy farmer who had their farm invaded
The Action
Vegan Militants targeted and invaded numerous private farms around the country. One of the most notable incidents was where activists cut the wire to a dairy farmer’s gate, went onto private property and herded a small amount of cattle onto the road. They then blockaded the gate so that the farmer could not return his cattle to their paddock.
The Purpose
The freeing of livestock so that they could not be used to produce milk.
The Result
The cattle got scared at out at being out on a narrow bitumen road with lots of people, instead of in their huge paddock with plenty of food and water. They freaked out further at not being able to re-enter their home. One cow tried to break through the boundary fence in an effort to get back into her paddock and got tangled in the wire, even ending up upside down at one point. No livestock ended up ‘frolicking free’.
The Reaction
The public once again did not like it. Empathy was felt for the livestock that had been traumatized by the Activists actions. Empathy was felt for the farmer who had to deal with the horrible situation.
*The Closing of the Gippy Goat Café
Photo shared by Vegan Militants and the subsequent reaction (reaction post shared over 30K now)
The Action
Months of harassment of a Café that specialized in goat produce and also had a goat petting zoo. Actions included trespass, theft of livestock, online and phone harassment and threats against the café owners, their staff and their families. Also many reports of customers tyres being let down.
The Purpose
To close down a café that dealt in goat milk, goat meat and keeping goats in a pen for people to interact with.
The Result
The café after months of harassment did indeed close. A very public statement was made, citing all the harassment made against them, the legal powers of the country not protecting them or prosecuting the offenders, and apologies to the 8 staff they had to let go because of the closure.
The Reaction
Videos released by the Activists showing them kidnapping a goat. Instead of being ‘wowed’ by their noble actions, the public were appalled to hear the activists saying things like “Are we taking it to a vet?” “No we might get in trouble”, especially when the farm they were stealing the goat from had a vet on staff. People were appalled to see the goat stuffed into the back of a small van, when animal safety regulations say that such animals should be transported safely in appropriate trailers. Photos taken and released by the Activists showing 4 young women laughing that they received no conviction angered people at the lack of respect for the law and the lack of empathy for those they hurt, and was subsequently shared thousands of times on social media with taglines shaming them.
There were lots of other actions taken on that day by the Vegan Activists. There was a small march in Sydney, the Melbourne Aquariums main gate was shut down and so on. So if the intention had been to simply gain media, this militant subset of the Vegan community certainly succeeded. Add that to the rescuing of 3 lambs from a slaughterhouse, halting slaughterhouse production for several hours and the closing down of a Goat-themed café and you could say they had a decent amount of success with their goals.
So why do many think it was a failure?
One of a number of articles from news outlets
It’s quite simple, the actions were perceived countrywide as illegal, extreme and subsequently got the general public offside. The public at large has condemned their actions and it seems this Militant Vegan Subgroup have actively pushed people away from supporting their cause. Instead of highlighting the cruelty to animals they made themselves look like terrorists. Their actions showed a flagrant disrespect for the law, a disrespect for private property and a high level of bullying and intimidation tactics. People felt for the café owners and their employees that suffered for months to the point of receiving violent threats against both themselves and their families. People felt for the cow that nearly killed itself trying to return to its paddock and the goat that got stuffed in the back of a van. People didn’t like the way they were told to ‘Go Vegan’ rather than being convinced to go Vegan. People didn’t like the attacks on famer’s as a whole, lumping anyone with livestock in with that very tiny subset that actually do abuse their animals. People didn’t like how the Militant Activists didn’t seem to care what effects their actions had on others, only their own agenda. And that agenda was perceived as consisting of forcing society at large to conform to the Militants personal ideological beliefs via acts of criminality. It was perceived as using stand-over and fear tactics to make people adopt your ideology.
So to sum up – no sir, people didn’t like it.
And now here we are two days later, with condemnation of the Militant Vegans actions almost universal across the country. People’s social media feeds are full of pictures and platitudes calling for support for struggling Aussie Farmers and/or ‘Vegan Bashing’ memes. There has been no ‘mass conversion to Veganism’ but rather a strengthening of Anti-Veganism sentiment.
Example of popular meme doing the social media rounds
And in fact considering the above it would be remiss to not mention one other group which have suffered because of all this action. Your average, everyday Vegan. The Vegans who had nothing to do with and did not support the Militant Activists. Just like Muslims should not be targeted for the action of a few Islamic Extremists, Vegans in general should not be shamed and harassed for the actions of a few. I’ve had a Vegan friend for near 20 years and never once has she tried to convert me to Veganism and likewise I’ve never tried to turn her into a carnivore. We’ve respected each others lifestyle choices and it may behoove society at large to do the same.
What they SHOULD have done
If there is any advice to give the Militant Vegans that took the actions they did on Monday it would be this. CHANGE YOUR TACTICS! People don’t react well to bullying. People don’t react well to being shamed. People don’t react well to being told you ‘must’ do this instead of you ‘should’ do this. People don’t like the innocents being lumped in with the guilty (in this case farmers).
Next time, actually target specifically those few farms and companies that do have atrocious animal treatment records and work on bringing their actions to light. Don’t force closures of cafes and release animals into danger at places where the animals are treated properly. Farmers everywhere are struggling with drought and small business owners are struggling to stay afloat – by attacking these groups you come across as indiscriminate bullies and terrorists. Following on from this, it would be extremely foolish to follow through with the most current threat, which is to publish the personal names and addresses of every farmer in Australia. Would you enjoy 80 meat eaters invading your residence where you and your children live, demanding you conform to their way of thinking?
Next time, instead of holding up traffic for hours in the middle of a city, hold a BBQ in the middle of the city. Cook up some Vegan food and offer samples to everyone passing by to show them how good it is. And while there instead of telling them they ‘have’ to go Vegan, maybe try to persuade them to try having one Vegan day a week to test the lifestyle out.
Next time, leave animals the hell alone! On all the footage shown it was mainly young women from major cities who obviously didn’t know how to handle animals properly. You are doing more harm than good to these creatures. In fact it may do a lot of these young urban people good to go spend a month on a farm to actually see firsthand how the vast majority of farmer’s treat their livestock, rather than sitting in a café a hundred miles away from the nearest farm talking about how terrible the livestock have it with no personal experience. As Henry Rollins, a near-vegetarian, once said ‘Knowledge without Mileage equals Bullshit”.
Look at this weeks reactions to your actions with some genuine introspection. Don’t fall into the trap of saying ‘Well anyone that condemns us is a animal hater and an idiot”. If the vast majority of the public is condemning your actions, and even many moderate Vegans are not in support, really try to look at why. Can it truly be that everyone in society except those that agree with you are completely wrong?
Next time try conversation instead of confrontation. On a personal note, I’m a hobby farmer and confirmed meat eater, however years ago I was convinced of the merits of vegetarianism by a vegetarian friend who simply had me over for dinner, then afterwards had a discussion with me about how much more food can be produced per acre by using the land for crops rather than grazing livestock. While it didn’t convince me to become a vegetarian, it gave me a newfound respect for the lifestyle choice and made me much more open and un-judgmental of people having different dietary lifestyles to my own. So if any ‘militant vegan’ reads this blog, I heartily encourage you to pop links in the comments section below talking about the merits of the Vegan lifestyle. I’ll happily read them and read them with an open mind, whereas if all you do is post pictures of dead animals or tell me how horrible a person I am for eating meat and having a different point of view to yours, I’ll probably dismiss anything you say out of hand. Convince me rather than condemn me.
But in the end, to any Militant Vegan reading this, please realize that this weeks actions this week did not work to win the public to your side. A hefty proportion of country is demonstrably pissed off with you. It is doubtful you made a single convert but not doubtful that did create a lot of Vegan-Haters. And a friendly reminder that the ends do not justify the means. Simply because you think your cause is just, it doesn’t give you the right to do whatever the hell you like with no regard for the consequences of your actions. Learn this, take it on board, and maybe next time you have your country wide protests, you may find them far more well received and who knows, actually maybe make a difference to the national psyche regarding animal product usage and consumption.
Got anything (respectful) to add? Pop it in the comments section below!
Here in Australia they are classed as an Invasive Animal Species and official pest. Responsible for financial losses totaling $225 million per year, they cause land degradation and compete with native species for both food and rock shelter.
We’ve had a big pack of feral goats that turn up periodically on our farm from the forest it backs onto. Except for the odd bit of damage to a boundary fence, it hasn’t been not too much of a nuisance in the past as we currently have no herds of grazing animals.
But now they have discovered our two pet does – twin-sisters Milly and Molly.
Because the Billy’s in particular have such an interest in our two nannies, and indeed twice we have had to go find our goats (who are free range) because they have taken off with the pack, we decided to do something about it.
Not owning a gun, capture was the next best option. And, especially during a drought, it’s surprisingly easy! Here is how:
Billy Goats are like 18 year old boys
Caught via his own passions
*Its truer than you think. They smell bad, they’re constantly hungry and they are constantly horny (pun partially intended). So if you think like a teenage boy then you can lure them in.
*My does are both on heat and have been putting their scent out on the wind. So we have had all the local feral Billy’s showing up, making it easy to capture one. First I left the back gate to the does pen open (which I do most days as they free range and come back themselves of an evening).
*Then I made sure there was a salt-lick in their yard and their water trough was full. During drought goats, like most creatures, are in constant search of water sources.
*I made sure there was some fresh Lucerne in their yard.
*Now think like a teenage boy and think what the scents on the wind are telling the Billy Goat. They are saying ‘Hey! You know what? I know this place we can go! There is tons to eat! There is tons to drink! And there are twin-sisters that are hot to trot big time!’
Look, they even do tabletop dancing!
*So with the promise of free food, free drink and a couple of hotties who are gagging for it, like the 18 year old human male, the Billy Goat cannot resist. They turn up and quite quickly make their way into the pen. I’ve caught two 100+kg Billy Goats with this technique this month alone!
Capture is easy – containment is hard.
The trouble containing feral goats is that they will throw themselves at the fences, charging full pelt with horns down, trying to escape. I have enough fencing skill that I’ve put up a few around the farm, but they are certainly not of a professional standard. The one I built around my goat pen is strong enough to contain our does and proved strong enough to withstand the punishment of a Feral Billy until it gives up and accept its lot in life. However we encountered a problem…
… a competing Billy Goat.
According to my mother-in-law (I was at work at the time) a white Billy turned up and had a big fight through the fence with the one I had captured. With two 100+kg Billy’s throwing themselves full force head first at the same part of the fence, it wasn’t long until it gave and the Billy escaped.
Not the fence it once was
However that afternoon he was quickly replaced. A 3rdBilly (a black one this time) turned up and I was able to catch him using the aforementioned technique. However as I had only had time to do a slapdash repair on the fence, it was not strong enough and with enough full-force attacks he was able to batter over the damaged fence and escape.
So, hopefully I can get the fence repaired properly before my does go out of heat and try and capture some more. All I have to do…
…is think like an 18 year old boy.
Got any goat-trapping tips yourself? Pop them in the comments section below!
In today’s rant I’m going to offer an opinion that will fly in the face of what most people are saying on social media.
The Pamela Anderson/Scott Morrison thing has been blown WAY out of proportion.
For those that don’t know, Pamela Anderson has been vocal about supporting Julian Assange and saying that the Australian Government should take action to save him from political persecution by the US. So that’s fine, no problemo. Personally I don’t really give a stuff when overseas celebrities have something to say about our politics, but then I’ve commented on social media about stuff Trump does so it’s not like I’m any better.
When asked about Anderson’s comments on commercial radio, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said:
Quote:
“I’ve had plenty of mates have asked me if they can be my special envoy to sort the issue out… um, with Pamela Anderson”
Now not the most PC thing to say I admit. In fact it was dismissive and pretty stupid. But lets look at it in context shall we?
Pamela Anderson has made and sometimes still makes a living from being a sex symbol. In the past she appeared naked plenty of times in magazines. Did a video Playboy special (back in the VHS days) where she was not only naked but had a prolonged simulated sex-scene with some muscular bloke – so we are talking softcore pornography here. Did a few movies where she either wore tight black leather or nothing at all and plenty of sex scenes there too. She even did the voice of ‘Striperalla‘, a cartoon which was mainly based on huge breast jokes.
Nothing wrong with any of this. Nothing. If that’s how you make your living and you are happy doing it and it hurts no one then more power to ya. I know I had Pam’s poster up on my wall when I was 18.
These days, at age 51, she tries to portray herself as an activist and, when it suits her agenda, pretend the last 30 years didn’t exist. But she spent decades purposely portraying and marketing herself as a sex symbol, it’s how she made her fortune. And she was more than happy to do so and be known for it when it meant the millions and movie roles kept rolling in. And she is still happy to, again – when it suits her agenda, use her sex-symbol status as can be seen in the (heavily airbrushed) posters she did for PETA just last year where she is posing in a tiny bikini.
She obviously still cares deeply about her sex-symbol status as is evidenced by all the plastic surgery she has had done on her face alone in the past few years. Though to be honest whenever I see a picture of her I can’t help but think of what comedian Bill Burr had to say ‘There is nothing wrong with looking your age! Wouldn’t you rather look like a 53 year old human instead of a 35 year old leather sofa?’ And I hate to say it Pam but perhaps it would have been better just to do what most of us do and simply let nature take its course rather than try in vain to fight it with so many chemicals and surgeries. Just a thought.
So considering what Pam has done and still does for a living, is someone saying their mates asked to be a special envoy to talk to you really so bad?
Pamela went on after the PM’s comment, long and loud and on every possible media outlet imaginable, calling the comments smuttyand lewd.
Really? Really Pamela? I’ve watched you simulate ******* a guy senseless. You were happy for a sex tape of you and your hubby to be spread all over the net when it got you back in the spotlight. Some might say those things are smutty and lewd. All this guy said his mates would love to talk to you. Stupid but hardly the worst you’ve ever heard I’m sure.
Pamela has stated that yes, she used to do highly sexualized roles but doesn’t give people the right to make sexual comments. That’s fair enough and I agree with her. Fully. But really, this was a stupid but very mild thing to say. It was a comment in the context of addressing the statements of a celebrity who still actively promotes herself as a sex symbol. If it had been a male sex-symbol he may have said his female friends were lining up to be a special envoy. And if it was someone of either sex who was a librarian or a scientist or political analyst he may not have made such a flippant joke at all, or at least one that related to that persons chosen field as he did here. But then who know’s, maybe he would have said something worse. I certainly aint a fan of the man by any means.
In fact there is one main reason the Prime Minister should not have said what he said:
You are the Prime Minister of our country Mr Morrison and should hold yourself to a higher standard of discourse! You represent us on the world stage. Don’t stoop to the level of a crowd pleaser, even if it is in a less formal context like commercial radio. You should have ignored it or said she was entitled to her opinion, not make a comment that makes you look dismissive of women and like a sexist dickhead!
And Pam?
Get off your hypocritical high horse would ya! You are completely entitled to your point of view and to state it to whomever you choose. But don’t pose in bikini’s for PETA to further one agenda and then pretend that it was incredibly offensive for a man to say his mates would love to meet you in order to further another. Decide if you want the world to see you as a sex-symbol or want to leave that world behind. You can’t have it both ways. You just cant.
I think I’ll be actively turning off my TV or radio next time one of them comes on – I don’t want to hear anything either of them have to say.
Got a different opinion on all of this (I’m sure there are many that do). Feel free to write it in the comments section below.
Well that cheeky Monitor is at it again! This time up a different tree near our chook pens and, since the chookiesare inaccessible, he was after a Magpies nest of eggs.
In the short upcoming video, you will see how the Magpies defense differs from that of the Cockatoo. While both squawk as loudly as they can, the Magpie goes for a different attack and constantly swoops the Monitor at speed, trying to hit it with its pointy beak. Of course this is a dangerous game; whereas the Cockatoo attacked the tail, the Magpie attacks the head and you can hear the audible snapping of the Monitors jaw as it tries to bite the Magpie on each one of its strafing runs.
So watch and enjoy the second video of ‘Battle of the Natives’: Magpie vs Goanna:
Sadly the Magpie was not as successful as the Cockatoo. Later on in the afternoon my kids found two regurgitated eggs at the base of the tree – after all that fighting the Monitor couldn’t even keep the eggs down.
Living on a farm can be fun in a scary kind of way sometimes. Not all our native creatures are always friendly, and sometimes they really don’t get along with each other, seeing each other as rivals or, more often, dinner.
Two years ago on my old farm I witnessed a Redback Spider killing a Blind Snake(I was later informed by several leading Australian reptile experts it was in fact a Lerista Skinkthat the spider was chowing down on). That was quite the sight to see!
Yesterday on our new farm I saw two other native Australian creatures in conflict that I never expected to be enemies. These were in fact a Sulphur-CrestedCockatoo and a LaceMonitor.
The Monitor, a solid 2 meters in length, had been sniffing around our duck and chook pens looking for some eggy snacks, but when I approached quickly scaled a nearby tree, where he camped for a while.
But his belly must still have been rumbling because soon he caught the scent of the nest of eggs the Cockatoo had several branches above and decided to slowly sneak his way up for a snack.
This short video shows the Cockatoo taking issue with this. Whilst not silly enough to attack the Monitor head on, the Cockatoo did its best to ward this raider off. It did this by shrieking loudly, flaring its wings and crest and attempting to bite the Monitors tail with his beak. He eventually does a quick fly-by and gives it his best shot.
So enjoy this ‘Battle of the Natives’ in this video: Cockatoo vs Goanna.
Usually fan interviews on this blog consist of people who are fans of Transformers and/or yours truly. However today we are interviewing someone who I am a fan of. As the big sis of long time blog reader Maddy, this is a person whom I have had the honor of meeting once or twice, as well as conversing with online when I’ve had a few too many and want to vent about the current political issues plaguing this country. She is The Greens Councillor for Moreland, North-East Ward, Natalie Abboud.
Given it can sometimes mean a life where you are working hard for a populace where the fashion is to openly distrust and dislike politicians, what lead you personally to enter a life of politics?
I get a $28k taxable allowance at Moreland (the Moyoralty is more but it’s full time) so it’s certainly a job you do for love or challenges. I’ve always been engaged in politics and ran in a couple of elections I couldn’t win so when I was tapped on the shoulder for council I was up for it. I also work hard and answer calls in an effort to break the stigma. People don’t always need to agree but we all want to be heard. I had some great conversations about Australia Day.
For those of us that are ignorant of what politicians actually do, what are some of your primary responsibilities? How does a usual day at work play out for the Councillor for Moreland?
Monday’s and Wednesday’s are blocked out for emails and meetings but I often do stuff most other days too.
I’m the Cr responsible for Youth, status of women, and Social Diversity, multiculturalism and Reconciliation. I sit on the Oxygen Committee, audit and risk committee, chair the Human rights committee and I’m the council rep for the Disability working group and the reconciliation working group.
This means I attend up to 4 night meetings a week and occasionally(once a week) I go to other conferences and events.
As a Member for The Greens, what do you believe are the three main issues (among the many) that need immediate and significant action in our country today?
-Renewables (why do the Gubs keep resisting them?)
-Transport (why can’t we have trains like Japan?)
-Addressing the Climate emergency
Where do you see The Greens in ten years time?
Holding balance of power in Vic which will lead to more action in State Parliament. Not sure about Aus. I’d like to see two more in the Federal lower house and maybe a few more senators.
As a young man I didn’t care much about voting, I just liked the requisite sausage sizzle. My first election I voted for The Democrats as I had a crush on Natasha Stott Despoja. My second I voted for The Shooters Party as I thought it would be funny if they won and would give me material for my stand-up comedy routines. My third I voted for The Sex Party because a big fat bearded guy in a bright yellow T-shirt gave me a flyer while I was waiting in line to vote. Now that I am (somewhat) more mature, as well as a parent, I vote for The Greens because I care about the state of the planet my kids will grow up on, as well as many of The Greens policies aligning with my personal moral compass. Do you find young people are more ‘switched on’ to voting and politics now than in decades past? Or does one need to get a few years under their belt in order to understand the depth of the issues and the importance of ones vote?
Young people are more engaged than ever. Young people understand the risks we face. Politics is very conservative in Aus which has alerted people. (This could be wishful thinking but the Greens have many young active members so I exist in a bubble)
I’ve never understood those that treat Political Parties like football teams, as in they will ‘barrack’ (vote) for that Party no matter what they do or what their current policies are. What methods does one take to sway voters of that mindset?
Vote compass is effective. Get people to talk about policy not personality. Having a crush won’t get the results you want from your government 😉
Show people where government is active, any action is about getting votes. Ie the schools money and Scott (Hillsong) Morrison or trying to throw Barnaby Joyce at the drought. In Vic it’s all about marginal seats. Moreland council has been asking for a really dangerous intersection to be fixed for years, now that Pascoe Vale has gone marginal we were just promised $11m to fix it. Meanwhile in Frank McGuire’s electorate of Broady (next door) the Windows of the schools are literally rotted shut and the carpets are rotted or threadbare.
There is a growing movement in rural areas by farmers for the government to take action on climate change. Yet a large amount of country people remain voters for The Nationals, even though as part of the Coalition they have taken no real action on this issue and have within their ranks a significant number of climate-change deniers. Do you think this may signify a possible shift in rural voting habits for the future and what can The Greens do to bolster their presence in these regions?
I sure hope so. We are running a guy called Serge Simic who is a farmer for the seat of Ripon. He came here escaping the breakup of the Former Yugoslavia as a child with his family. Water will be the real issue. The cockies are already involved in “hay battles” South Aus is unhappy that NSW is getting their hay, grain is being freighted from WA. That kind of thing is completely unsustainable.
Sad thing is, Serge is getting trolled by hunters who don’t wanna be locked out of the national parks so we have a way to go.
On our farm we subsist on rainwater (not easy in a drought) and if we want our rubbish taken away we have to drive it ourselves to the tip. This contributes towards our mindset of conserving water as much as possible as well as trying to create minimal waste. How do you encourage people in a large city to be ‘waste conscious?’
We are heavily focused on getting food waste out of landfill at the moment. The container deposit scheme was voted down again by the old parties which is disappointing.
No matter, it took gun control ten failed bills to parliament by the Greens before a massacre at Port Arthur finally got it over the line.
Now for a few personal questions if I may:
*Living in the second most populated city in Australia, what do you in your own life to ‘stay green’?
Try not to use a lot of plastic, compost everything we can, grow veggies, ride my bike when I don’t have the kids, shower in a bucket and use the water for plants, we are about to have solar installed on our new house and I don’t do stuff like get acrylic fingernails or consume a bunch of unnecessary crap. I still regularly feel like I can do more though.
Your sister has been raising some lovely chookies over the last few years. Where you live do you have a yard big enough to have any animals? Or perhaps a couple of fruit trees and a veggie patch?
We have had chook but they got eaten by foxes, bit by snakes and other fatal things. My FIL has 4 so we get eggs from him. We live on 1500sq m so we are very lucky. We have a big veggie garden and this year we will grow tomatoes, peas, Lebo cucumber, pumpkin, beans, lettuce, beetroot, sorrel, corn and I’m trying Okra for the first time. We have heaps of herbs and rocket. We also have apple, olive, orange, tangelo, lemons, peach, nectarine, plums, apricot, avocado and a passion fruit vine and a walnut. (Most of those trees are established and bear fruit but some are still young). I want to add cherry and almond.
And of course I have to ask, with three strapping young lads of your own, who are their favorite Transformers?
A few years ago we had a golden age for Australian collectors of… er… collectibles.
Ebay was growing exponentially, the Aussie Dollar was worth more than the US one, and not only were all the physical stores stocking a plethora of toys, but fledgling Aussie Toy Importers were opening businesses on the net, making it even easier to get those rare collectible toys from places such as Japan and America.
Sadly it’s all now changed.
In the last couple of years many of the Aussie online toy importers have shut down or are under investigation. The introduction of GST on all overseas purchases under a thousand dollars has made importing many toys too expensive – especially since you have to pay an extra 10% on the postage as well. Any overseas companies such as the US branch of Amazon who don’t comply with the new GST laws are simply refusing to ship to Australia from this point on. And now the biggest toy stores to find in this land – Toys’R’Us – are shutting their doors forever.
So whether it be in real life or online, avenue after avenue that was once available to your Aussie toy collector are disappearing. The Golden Age is Over.
To see how this is affecting your average collectibles buff, we talk to three toy collectors and find out their take on the current situation – Dallas, Darryland Jason.
Question 1: What effect do you believe the application of GST by the Australian Government to all overseas purchases will have on your collecting?
Dallas
A lot of what I buy overseas is not readily available here. There are one or two importers who sometimes stock it but otherwise I will continue to buy from overseas. the only difference may be that I buy less stuff, but it will probably just mean I spend 10% more than I used to.
The secondary effect of this being places like Amazon.com no longer being available to me. I will be surprised if the exclusive items or super deals I used to occasionally find on there will be available through the Amazon Australia site.
To be ‘real’ my international purchasing really slowed down when the dollar dropped from 1.05US to 0.75 US. that’s a 30% price increase, another 10% hurts but it’s not the end of the world for something that I possibly can’t find anywhere else.
Darryl
Aside from having to pay a little more, I doubt it will deter me much. I find myself having to import later waves of a line due to distribution rarely making it up my way so if I want a figure, I just have to lump it.
Jason
The only impact that the application of GST is going to have will be to increase the cost for obtaining any of the Transformers that I am currently collecting. Most of my spending on current collecting is purchased through Australian retailers so I am already paying GST and that cost is factored into my collecting. It is the items that do not receive an Australian release that are going to cost more.
Given that sites such as Amazon.com are no longer allowing sales to Australia for such items, it is going to cost a lot more to source these harder to find items from other overseas stores or pay significant amounts on postage to freight forwarding companies as well as the GST on top.
I understand that the point of the GST is to charge end users a flat tax across the board and that the purpose of applying it to low value goods is to create equality in trade between Australian retailers and overseas retailers, however the issue is that the Government has created for itself is a situation where they have reduced the possible supply/variety of goods into the country whilst relying wholly upon foreign entities to voluntarily remit GST. The compliance costs will be astounding and it will be interesting to see if any actual profit is generated for the economy from this or if there is simply more funds moving offshore.
Question 2: What effect (if any) has the behaviour and subsequent closure of Australian-based online collecting stores such as PC Collectibles, TFI Downunder and MaynStream Merch had on the availability of collectible figures on a local level for you?
Dallas
I have a lot of money tied up with PC. They used to be great, I have received a lot of excellently priced product from them, until they fell off the wagon, it must be nearly 2 years ago now. I hope to get my money back, but that’s up to the judge I guess. I never shopped at the other two stores. I never minded waiting for my stuff a bit longer as I often pre-order in batches and I nearly always collect faster than I open toys so I never ‘suffered’ the indignity of not having anything new to open because PC was taking longer than everyone else.
Lately I have been making lot of purchases at TLTC and TBI. Both are reliable and both have excellent prices on different product. I’ve actually been buying a lot of stuff from these two stores that I used to import, long before the GST was introduced. I guess it’s a sign of a good competitive business that has moved with the times.
Darryl
I was fortunate in that while I had issues with PC, I didn’t lose any money to them (nor did I get the stuff I ordered). That being said, it left a bad taste in my mouth and I’m reluctant to deal with any Australian based online retailers unless they are a well established business.
Jason
I was a huge fan of PC when I stumbled across the online store in mid-2015. There was a solid 1 ½ years where I was a very happy customer and I moved a lot of my purchases from overseas retailers to PC. However, it all started to unravel in 2017 and it has left myself, and a lot of others, out of pocket.
PC’s demise and the way in which PC conducted itself no doubt put a dampening on my collecting enthusiasm. All of a sudden, I went from using my spare time to research what Transformers I was wanting to buy to using my time to attempt to correspond with PC, reading forums such as Ozformers for guidance on dealing with PC/Banks and corresponding with the Banks and attempting to do chargebacks.
My hobby went from something enjoyable to something more akin to my job. However, there have also been some other stores pop up recently (or that have just come to my attention) such as Toybot Importz and The Little Toy Company and I am willing to give them a chance. Neither have disappointed me so far and I hope that neither will. Both have shown exceptional communication and competitive pricing. Whilst the range (and pricing, but we now know why PC’s pricing was so good) may not be the same as PC, I am able to source most of the Transformers that I want from these two online stores.
Question 3: What effect will the closure of various brick’n’mortar toy stores (such as TRU) have on your collecting? Especially since so many online avenues have been closed off?
Dallas
The closure of TRU is a bit sad. I have purchased a lot of exclusive items from them over the years and I’ve often made use of their 20% off sales or price matching policy. It’s likely that I’ll have to resort to more expensive avenues to find those special items that they would have otherwise stocked. Even TRU US supplied me with the recent Titans return Grotusque and Arcee. I would like to think Hasbro Australia will find another avenue for this product but only time will tell and I imagine if prices through alternate channels are too high I may end up skipping a lot of stuff.
Darryl
Probably won’t affect me much. My nearest TRU is over an hour away so I didn’t get there very often, in fact, with my local K-Mart as the only close source for TF’s (Target, Big W are also an hour away) I’ve accepted that I’m going to have to go online more to get the figures I want. As much as I want to support local stores (even if they aren’t owned locally) they haven’t been very supportive of me. So sadly, it looks like any money I will be spending on my collection will be heading off-shore.
Jason
I don’t think that so many online avenues have been closed. There are now quite a few Australian online retailers and a lot of the overseas retailers still appear to be selling to Australia.
I was never really one for buying Transformers for my collection from brick’n’mortar stores. The convenience of online shopping and having the items delivered straight to me is to irresistible to pass up. Not to mention, I often found the prices online (even from Australian online retailers) were far more competitive than in store prices.
Whilst it will not impact upon my collecting, it may impact a little on my younger son. He is really getting into Transformers at the moment and we enjoy going to stores like TRU together and picking ones out for his collection. Whilst we have a great time doing this, it seems as though stores such as Big W now have such a large selection of toys that they have effectively replaced the need for speciality toy stores such as TRU.
Many thanks to these three fine lads for sharing their thoughts with us. How have all the recent changes effected you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Rumor’s continue to fly thick and fast regarding both the robot and human cast of the upcoming Bumblebee Movie, a prequel to the successful last 5 live-action Transformer movies. However unsubstantiated reports suggest a new entry that no one saw coming.
Inside sources from Hollywood have reported that apparently Australian Singer/Actress/Model Sophie Monk has been slated to play the classic Decepticon character Octopunch.
“When casting for Octopunch, a character covered with gripping tentacles, we decided we wanted someone who was adept at really clutching at anything. Thus the first place we looked was at any celebrity who had appeared as a contestant on reality television. No one shows the skills of grasping at straws as strongly as a celebrity determined to stay in the public eye better than those people” says one unnamed source.
“We had many celebrities in mind for the role, but once we saw the 2017 version of The Bachellorette Australia staring Sophie Monk, we knew our search was at an end”
For those that do not know, Sophie Monk played the Bachelorette on Australia’s version of the well-known reality TV show, ‘pashing on’ with multiple men before she made her decision on the ‘man she truly loved’. To the surprise of few, this ‘true love’ was short lived and ended as soon as the hype about the show did, briefly getting Monk’s name back on peoples lips.
Eternal and never ending love…. for a few months.
Sophie Monk has a long history of Reality Television. She has appeared as a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice Australia and even on Popstarsall the way back in 2000. She has posed for many men’s magazines, including FHM, Maxim and Playboy.
When asked if being associated with such a clingy character could be detrimental to an icons reputation, one studio executive said ‘Possibly, but we believe Octopunch will get over it’.
‘I’m being played by WHO?!’
Apparently Monk however was not the first choice for this role. Another Australian singer, Nikki Webster was also considered for the role.
“Webster would have been perfect for the role” stated one Hollywood insider “She shows a level of grasping desperately at chances to revive her all-but-deceased celebrity status that puts Sophie to shame”.
Nikki Webster captured Australia’s heart when she sang at the 2000 Olympics and went on to have some moderate success as a singer. However when she got older she, like Monk, started posing for men’s magazines. Instead of engendering lust in the readers, it caused a distinct uneasiness as the public still primarily saw her as that cute child who sang for the nation.
“Na” says Mick from the local RSL “Ya felt like a bloody pedo staring at the tits of that kid from the Olympics. It was creepy as!”
At least she wasn’t on a wrecking ball.
In 2001 Websters song ‘Strawberry Kisses’ did extremely well in the charts. In 2017 she re-released the song via a breakfast television show almost unnoticed, except for mild derision in some music circles for the poor attempt to add a rap element into the song.
“We thought Webster would be great to play Octopunch when she re-released that song of hers” says the unnamed source “But at least people beyond Gen X know who Monk actually is. Besides, Monk seems like she can take a joke, we were afraid that if someone said the wrong thing Webster would start ringing radio stations and abusing people”.
So is there any truth to the rumors that Sophie Monk will play Octopunch in this upcoming multi-million dollar movie? Only time will tell, but fans seem to believe given her ability to fake being in love, Monk will be perfect to play a Pretender on the big screen.
Neither Sophie Monk nor Nikki Webster have been approached for comment.
*Editors Note: Like pretty much all Pop-Goss stories online, the above article is completely fictional (the difference being we admit it!). It is written for satirical purposes only with no malice intended. Bigangrytrev.com wishes both Ms Monk and Ms Webster continuing success in their respective careers.
