But hopefully it has changed the pattern of a rainless winter and spring as farmers across much of the state are facing many problems of a cattle market that continues to fall, exhausted paddock feed and escalating prices for stock fodder.

An older hand tells me that we all must be careful that we don’t keep feeding livestock until the owner is in the queue at Centrelink.

THE shortage of useful rural workers has never been more obvious than it is at present with committed wool handlers being really scarce as long days and busy work places are a turn off to many youngsters.

A producer says that if not for keen young women and willing male pensioners his shearing would have ground to a halt.

PLEASE note the new date for Blink Bonnie Stud’s annual sale is now Friday, October 20 with a 1pm auction.

The lineup of Roseville Park hogget rams should present really well as they always do and polls by top Yarrawonga and RP sires will certainly attract interest.

Peter and Kay Moore will also offer 300 May/June 2017 drop wether lambs and these would be ideal money makers for a producer who has some paddock feed up his sleeve.

For up-to-the-minute breeders, this year’s young rams will have their ASBV details on their individual pens.

Full details from the Bathurst Elders team.

FOSTERFIELD Finewools will offer 33 young rams on-property at Dunkeld on Sunday, October 22 at noon. 

Heading the lineup are three two-year-old rams (two polls) that will be big, solid sheep and give bidders a look at fully mature Fosterfield rams.

Following the modern industry trend, this sale offers 22 poll rams and 11 horn merinos.

Details from Scott Seaman on 6337 3843 or Brian on 6332 2442.

ANY residents tell me of their concerns at the traffic snarls that regularly happen in our Bathurst CBD and the arterial streets and roads that lead into the city centre.

We read of a suggestion that a traffic bypass tunnel may be of value in the future and this led to an interesting proposal to give thought to pedestrian tunnels in our CBD.

When Bathurst’s population was about 30,000, this suggestion would have been laughable but our choked streets may well be major problems when our population passes 50,000 in a few short years.

Our newly elected councillors have many traffic control solutions to ponder.

THERE must be many red faces following the appearance of a full-grown kangaroo in close proximity to racing cars at the height of last Sunday’s race.

ABC rural radio discussed the drastic action that some Bourke producers are contemplating as many thousands of kangaroos destroy their only bit of crops and pasture as drought conditions occur.

Talk of very expensive cluster fencing illustrates the extent of the problem and many producers are urging the state government to declare the kangaroo a pest animal so that real action can be taken.

SHE was a shy country girl at her first dinner party.

Because of a bout of hay fever, she stowed two Kleenex down the front of her best dress.

After much sneezing she searched for her second tissue and many dinner guests noticed.

She blushed and said: “I’m sure I had two when I arrived.”

***

TEN-year-old grandson asked George: “What’s the world’s biggest ocean?”

George muttered: “Oh, that’s a real poser, isn’t it.”

A while later the boy asked: “How far from Dublin to Zaire, pop?” and was told “a hell of a long way”.

Later on the lad continued: “Why is the sky blue, pop?”

George was puzzled but he said: “Don’t be discouraged lad, it’s the only way you’ll ever learn - keep asking questions.”