Blog Archive
Isolated shouldn’t mean alone
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Alana Moller – Star of Hope Station, Queensland. My name is Alana. I live at Star of Hope Station, an hour and a half west of Clermont, with my husband Scott and our three girls. The Star of Hope herd. Our eldest daughter is now at boarding school, however […]
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Schooling kids living on the road
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tina Sendall As a family travelling Australia and working along the way, our kids have been enrolled with Distance Education through Hay SOTA in NSW as well as Alice Springs SOTA in the NT. A key factor to this type of schooling is the need for a Home Tutor, and […]
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Gap year govie
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Mikayla Schwarz, Governess – Gum Creek Station, South Australia. If people asked me a few years ago in high school what I planned to do in the future, I would have never considered a gap year – let alone being in the outback. My name is Mikayla and I […]
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What! You’re going to be a teacher?
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tannas Godfrey, ‘Barrygowan’ Station, Cunnamulla QLD. We live on ‘Barrygowan’ Station in South West Queensland, the Queensland/New South Wales border runs through the middle of our property aggregation. Our closest major towns are Cunnamulla which is 150km north west in Queensland and Bourke which is 230km south west in […]
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Compassion and Education at Gum Creek Station
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lisa Macintosh, Gum Creek Station, South Australia. Its 2018 and we are very aware that no two people are the same, that everyone can have their own opinion and that we must respect and encourage such. We strive to teach forgiveness, awareness and compassion to our children and neighbours, […]
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One is a lonely number
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lynly Kerin, North Well Station, South Australia. One is the loneliest number, and never so much as it is in the Distance Education schoolroom of a property where you are also going solo in the under eighteen category of its population. Quite often the picture painted of a school room […]
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A station manager’s perspective
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Helen Campion, Owner, Anna Plains Station People ask me what it’s like to live on and manage a remote Kimberley cattle station… After having spent the last 12 years at Anna Plains Station, I can honestly say that this job is probably not what you think it is. In […]
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Missing Anna
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Greta Stonier, 2017 Crew Member. After finishing school, I had no idea what I was going to do with myself… I applied for a few local Sydney Universities, an apprenticeship with the AFL head office, and to a recruitments company for cattle stations on the northern end of Australia. […]
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Gap Year (poem)
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Jackson Scott, 2017 crew member. Don’t be original, it’s all they ever say, but being a ringer, its not ideal pay. Stockmen from the top end, young and hard and mean, but half of them from boarding school, nothing but a teen. Too cool for uni and filled with […]
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My “Plain Life” – a little less cheesy!
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Karlee Barber, Station Cook. My name is Karlee Barber, I am from a small town called Bemboka. On the far south coast of NSW, nestled in the Bega Valley (yes that’s right, the home of Bega Cheese). Growing up I always had an interest in farming and the country […]
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The pretend Jillaroo
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Natasha Mahar This Broome girl needed some time out and a purpose again as there was way too much binge Netflixing happening while I wondered what to do next in my life. My dear friend Helen, aka Mrs Boss made the call… “Tarshy, get your arse down here to […]
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Proving our sustainable credentials to consumers
Host: AgForce Queensland Written by Cass Heal, AgForce Projects Co-ordinator. AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef, sheep and grain producers since 1999. Our strength continues through our membership and a strategic vision to secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agribusiness sector. AgForce has approximately thirty staff based in Brisbane and regionally around Queensland. Growing […]
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Beating the cycle
Host: AgForce Queensland Written by Amelia Shaw, AgForce Policy Officer. AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef, sheep and grain producers since 1999. Our strength continues through our membership and a strategic vision to secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agribusiness sector. AgForce has approximately thirty staff based in Brisbane and regionally around […]
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The problematic Pimelea plant
Host: AgForce Queensland Written by Marie Vitelli, AgForce Weeds Policy Officer. AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef, sheep and grain producers since 1999. Our strength continues through our membership and a strategic vision to secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agribusiness sector. AgForce has approximately thirty staff based in Brisbane and […]
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A slice of life
Host: AgForce Queensland Written by Sharon Purcell, AgForce Southern Inland Queensland Regional manager. AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef, sheep and grain producers since 1999. Our strength continues through our membership and a strategic vision to secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agribusiness sector. AgForce has approximately thirty staff based in Brisbane […]
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Helping landholders fight the scourge of wild dogs
Host: AgForce Queensland Written by Brett Carlsson, Senior Wild Dog Coordinator. AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef, sheep and grain producers since 1999. Our strength continues through our membership and a strategic vision to secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agribusiness sector. AgForce has approximately thirty staff based in Brisbane and regionally […]
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My first muster
Written by Emma Moss Before I share the story about my first muster I want to explain a few things and will continue to do so throughout my story. Many explanations/words will be obvious for most people, but I didn’t know much before I started, and I still have a long way to go. All […]
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The battle of the washing machine
Written by Emma Moss Living in very close proximity to people in an isolated place, you learn a lot about yourself and the people you’re living with. Some people are good at reading situations, they know just the right time to back off, go for a walk or quit the jokes. Others sometimes butt heads. […]
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Rodeo time
Written by Emma Moss Rodeos are a major part of the social life for those living on a station. Up in the Kimberley, rodeos and camp drafts are often held over the same weekend – as people travel so far to these events, it makes sense to save a trip and hold two events at […]
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Should I go up north?
Written by Emma Moss “Where are you from?” I have never noticed until someone pointed it out to me. If people stand around in a group and introduce themselves, the way they say where they’re from is often said in a muttering tone like a side thought. It’s a bit like the town they’re from […]
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Meeting Joe
Written by Emma Moss It was a quieter day we were having. We’d finished a few big musters, the yards were empty and the head stockwoman and I went to check some fences. There was a bit of a drama in the last muster. The guy riding the motorbike that day didn’t go to the […]
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Katherine & Darwin Show Results 2018
Congratulations to the team from the Katherine Rural Campus for their outstanding results at the Katherine and Darwin 2018 shows! Photos and results below. As the deliverer of more than 160 qualifications, The Charles Darwin University (CDU) is the largest training provider in the Northern Territory. CDU delivers courses across eight campuses and centres and […]
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How I chose to call Katherine home
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Russell Young I grew up on rural remote properties in North West Queensland. I completed my schooling through Mt Isa School Of The Air. After the completion of grade 10 I left school and started working for the McDonald family. A large privately owned family cattle […]
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From red dust to the blue sea
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines Hello again from the NT! So far, we have mostly done Central Station blogs on the Katherine Rural Campus and our team, the Agriculture and Rural Operations team, since we do horses and cows! (and machinery). So we thought for something different this year we […]
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Welcome to the KRC crew Ann Pedersen
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines In 2018 CDU welcomed new staff member Ann Pedersen to the position of VET lecturer/workplace assessor beef cattle and horse production. Ann is joining the workplace assessment team going out to stations and delivering and assessing Certificate II, III and IV in Agriculture and […]
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Efficient stock handling solutions
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines Here at the Katherine Rural Campus and in the Agriculture and Rural Operations Team we strive to be at the forefront of industry best practice and this means regular training in areas that increase animal welfare and business productivity. In 2017 and again in […]
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Coming full circle
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Danielle Brown Let’s start with a bit about me! My name is Danielle Brown and I live in Alice Springs, N.T. I was born and raised in Darwin and grew up on a small rural property in Noonamah located on the outskirts of Darwin. My sister and I […]
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The NT Crew vs BEEF 2018
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Madeline Harley I should start with introducing myself, my names Maddi and I live in Katherine, Northern Territory. I work with for a feedlot company in Katherine that provide feed for the live export boats. I was born a station girl, my parents running large cattle […]
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Living our dreams
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager I met my partner Ryan, in March 2016, he was on route to his ‘dry season’ job based in Kununurra driving a cattle truck for a family owned business all over the Northern Territory and eastern Western Australia. I was quite content to continue my single, […]
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Poddy love is the best love.
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager When I moved back to work for the folks at the end of 2013 I found myself as a proud owner of my first poddy calf pretty quick. I figured it wouldn’t be the last poddy I got, so I decided to name them in alphabetical […]
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Santa’s in the channel country
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager I am 5th generation Britton in this area and to me, seeing Santa Gertrudis cows out in the paddock is just second nature. The breed itself originates from a Shorthorn cross with Red Brahman, so I guess it’s a good combination on paper too. But just […]
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Just ducking to the shops.
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager Most people think ducking to the shops would involve jumping in the car to drive 5 minutes down the road to get a bottle of milk and loaf of bread. My ducking to the shops involves at least two weeks planning to book appointments for; the […]
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Do you need to be green to be seen?
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager We took on Mudgeacca and its organic certification with optimism. It was unknown territory to us all, but Mudgeacca itself has been organic since 2001, so we let it teach us a few things so to speak. Without all the paperwork that comes with it, we soon […]
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First Round Fun
Host: Mudgeacca Station Written by Claire Britton, Station Manager We generally do two ‘rounds’ of mustering a year at Mudgeacca with our breeders. The first round always falls around Easter, just when the summer heat has had the edge knocked off of it – this makes it a bit more pleasant for both the cattle […]
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The Inaugural Colt Starting Competition in Coonamble!
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly All small communities wouldn’t run without volunteers on local event committees and I’m just so proud to be part of the Coonamble Challenge & Campdraft committee – an event that began in 2015 and has grown in size and reputation in just four short years. Have a read of one of my […]
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CSI: Coonamble
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Sometimes I feel like I’m part of the “CSI” team – investigating livestock illness and death and putting all the little pieces together – history, clinical signs, lab testing, and an examination of the paddock – to get a diagnosis and fix the problem. A while back I got called out by […]
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The Power of a Cup of Tea
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Smoko: a rest from work for a smoke; a tea break. Everyone knows that smoko is the best meal of the day (closely followed by beer time, might I add). This is very important to me in my job as a veterinarian for several reasons. Not only do I love cake, I […]
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Meals on Wheels
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Our district has been in a severe drought for a long period – many farmers have been hand feeding cattle and sheep for months, and in some unfortunate cases years. I spoke to one lady this morning in the hairdressers that has been hand feeding stock for five of the last seven […]
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Finding beauty amongst the drought
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lindy Hick Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 “Photography is a love affair with life.” Buzz Uzzle. My name is Lindy Hick, […]
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Community Supporting Public Education
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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Home tutor challenges
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Jacinta Wilson. Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Scenario: It’s ten o’clock in the morning. The baby is grizzling – It’s time […]
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Tulloona Education Hub: Brought to you by a bunch of really awesome women!
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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A Bush Christmas Exhibition
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 It’s on again as we venture into the 22ndyear of this amazing exhibition of creatives principally from rural […]
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The Variety Bash Hits Tulloona!
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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A REAL School
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 I have a little story to tell. I am the Govie at a tourist park in a remote […]
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What Does a Farmer Look Like?
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Kim Storey Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Back in 2016, I was in a conversation with some people on twitter about […]
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Small school success
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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Why save Moora Residential College?
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tracey Errington Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Moora Residential College was initially opened in 1974 to enable isolated students from throughout […]
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Caretakers
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Barbara Camp We often describe station work as seasonal. Up here in the Kimberley we only have two – the wet and the dry. Bet you can’t guess the major weather difference between them. When working cattle the majority of the hard yakka is done in the more temperate dry season. […]
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The New Model
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Barbara Camp “She’s proper rooted this time, Barb. There’s no coming back” “But what do you mean? She’s always rooted! It’s her constant state of running! she’s been rooted for as long as you’ve had her! She’s had more lives than the cat! Surely we can fix her! We can always […]
