The Station Manager’s Touching Letter – Drought Relief Miracle

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IMG_9561Our family, who run a large sheep station near Broken Hill, NSW, have been living in drought for three-years. When we stayed with them last year, I was momentarily exposed to the reality of living in drought; red-dust land (sans greenery as far as the eye could see), dams and lakes that had long-turned completely dry (right down to cracked red-earth),  animals struggling for energy and, in fact, life, as well as a general veil of unease and depression across the land …  The resulting labour to upkeep land and animals in this condition was overwhelming. Then there was the homestead reality of bore-water showers and the scent of sulfer, ever-present throughout the home. I stayed for a weekend and was just awe-struck thinking about the fact that these are the conditions for years.

You may have heard in the news this week that a significant downpour has just changed the game in some drought-stricken regions. The touching letter below (written by sheep station manager Brendan Cullen), gives us a glimpse into this recent weather event that is nothing short of an absolute miracle for them and many other families in Australia. It is simply beautiful to read, in remembering sometimes mother nature gives back, and gives back damn good. When reading this I’d encourage you to get in the mindset of a hard-working man who has gone to bed late each night, for three years, praying for water from the sky to ease every difficulty that comes with working on our great sunburnt land.

 

 

The Managers Ode……………...Post Big Rain / Long Dry

“It’s taken three years to get here, the big wet has finally arrived. Water is running like a torrent past the Avenel homestead filling all water holes and dams in its wake, it will eventually run out through the dog fence and into the lakes and dams on Quinyambie Station.

It takes a special type of rain to make this happen, to put it plain and simple it needs to be a big sucker, with Mt Westwood taking on a deluge of 650 points and the neighboring properties having similar type rains its no wonder that the eastern catchment area has delivered the Cullen family and all share holders a huge Christmas gift , a gift that truly shouldn’t be underestimated.

Avenel has received a total of 408 points, this will also help the easement of flow down the (Honeymoon come Teilta come Avenel creek), commonly known as a first order stream.

Stream my ass!!!! bloody big creek.

It needs to be noted that not only the wild life,birds,stock and plant life benefit from such a wonderful flood its the human element that truly grasps the significance of such an event.

I know this through my own feelings of awareness and the feed back and responses from people associated with Avenel Station PTY LTD. Here is a couple of examples. Emails being sent at 3.30 am, non stop phone calls , old timers that have been in the area or still live in the area looking to see what the Teilta creek is doing. The good will of thoughts are greatly appreciated.

The stock are always in the for front of our minds through obvious reasons, they are the heart beat of the whole operation. I can tell you all now these animals will have a spring in their step just through a simple sip of fresh water, the energy that’s created by fresh water has to be seen to believed. The green grass will follow and the rest will take care of itself.

I love the saying ” the simple things in life” a drop of rain goes along way!!!

Hard to knock back the sound of the sand hill Bullfrog as your dozing off knowing that everything is getting a good nights camp.

The Manager”

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