Hollywood comes to town
NOT our town unfortunately, but the new movie Mad Max Furiosa is getting filmed out near One Tree, just out the other side of Hay.
There has been plenty of rumours for the past 18 months, but now the tent city has started to go up and the town is starting to be booked out.
It is estimated that the influx of crew could be worth as much as $12 million to the town.
Wow. I think one of the biggest problems they would be having at the moment is that it would be too green out on our Hay plains to get the effect they want.
Good luck to all involved. I am sure they will need a few extras for the film.
If they need a short, fat man for one of their scenes, ring my agent, I will be there and I can supply plenty of deciliation on my block.
If you ever wanted to have a coffee with Chris Hemsworth, Hay is the place to be for the next few months.
But do not try and book accommodation – it would all be gone.
Designer genes
THIS will be a night run by our local Western Murray Land Improvement Group.
These are always a good night with plenty of information provided.
The main topics are: the four pillars of genetic gain, understanding breeding values, finding the best rams for you and selecting the best ewes.
This night will be presented by Dr Mark Ferguson and Henry Hickson.
Mark is a leader in the genetics field in Australia and New Zealand (I am not sure about the New Zealand connection. We use sheep for wool and meat over here in Australia).
But, I am sure the night will be very informative.
This will be held at 6.30pm on March 14 at the Jeraly Woolshed in Moulamein.
Registrations from 6pm. Some of us want more wool and more lambs, you cannot have both in all cases.
Some of us just want more wool and forget about the poor bloody shearers that have to push the wool off.
This night will help you go in a new direction to get the best of what can be achieved without making too many sacrifices.
Rick is shouting so you will get a bloody good feed as well as a beer of two.
Come in for this night as it will be well worth it.
Bookings are essential, so please ring Rick on 0428 372 357.
The last time Rick shouted was when he got bitten by his dog.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Karaoke night
THIS event will be held at Moulamein Bowling Club on March 19.
This is a fundraising event to help our little mate Meika fight Rhabdo.
This is bound to be a fun filled night for a great cause.
Bring your voice, bring your wallet and leave your inanition’s at home.
I am not real sure how this works, but I think someone can put up an amount of money to get you to sing.
You can sing or buy your way out of it.
This should be a big night so get your voice tuned in.
Rice
NOW is the time of year when we have to make one of the biggest decisions of the year.
When to drain our rice. Will it rain? Will it get hot? Will the paddock drain well? Is the rice finished?
If you drain to early and it comes out hot, you lose quality. If you drain to late and it rains, the rice stops using water and the ground will not dry out.
We have drained our first section and started on the second sown as this is a mongrel, slow draining paddock.
I was riding the bike out to check the middle bays and my blood went cold. There were bugger all ducks this year. No turbo chooks, not much to give us trouble at all except the cold start.
Until tonight. Bloody coots. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot carry a gun on the bike for emergencies like this. One took off.
There was another one running through the grass on the bank. I rode a bit faster. Missed it. Then another one took off in the next bay.
I strained my old eyes the best I could. Some of the bays are about a kilometre long so it is hard for an old blind man to see that far.
Will get the young feller to send his drone over. Just got to work out a way to mound a gun on it.
Let’s hope there are only a few out there as these things can turn good rice into bare water in no time if they turn up in numbers.
They normally leave when we drain, but not always.
Not long to go now and it will all be drained.
Old Seeds
WE are trying to grow some of the old man’s vegetable seeds that I have found in tobacco tins.
One lot we do not know what they are, they look something like onion seeds. No date on them.
The other tin has a handwritten note in there that says green leaf cabbage 1936.
I do not know how hard it is to get seeds that are over 80 years old to grow, but we are giving it a go.
These could be varieties that do not exist anymore. If anyone can work out how it can be done, I will give you a couple of seeds to try it.
I sent some to some old seed collectors club 25 or so years ago.
Never heard back from them so I do not know how they went.
These are different seeds so we will see how we go.
Pub sold
OUR local watering hole, the Tatts Hotel, has been sold.
Jacko and Lexie are taking a well-earned brake and we welcome Sandy and Joe to our little town.
I can remember back when I was a young feller, whenever the pub got sold, the town drunk would front up at the bar until he got banned again by the new owners.
We do not really have a town drunk at the moment. We have a few apprentices but no-one to fill the position.
Maybe we should advertise for one: Wanted. One town drunk. Please front up to the bar at opening every day until you are banned.
I have been thinking of a change of career. Where do I sign up?
Emergency defibrillator
IF you are in our little town and you think you may need a defibrillator at any time of the day or night, there is always one available at our retirement home.
The Edward River Gardens opposite our wharf or at 38 Turora Street.
This machine is available 24/7 if you need it.
This great asset is provided by our Moulamein Men’s Shed. Well done fellows.
River levels
THE Edward has levelled off and is around 1.9 metres and just under 1800 megalitres a day.
We will still have a good river for our footy-netball fishing competition on March 12-13.
Still plenty of small cod getting caught as well as the odd line snapper.
Yellers are rare but the odd one is getting caught.
