Night of pampering for farmers from Texas
Night of pampering to distract from drought
THE drought is affecting people all around Australia, and while we’ve heard about the financial struggles and amazing groups lending a hand, this week Rural Weekly caught up with the ladies of Texas, Queensland to find out how they’re staying resilient and lifting morale.
IN THE middle of a dry landscape painted in browns and beige, the town of Texas was a colourful oasis.
Ladies came from far and wide to gather for the Texas Ladies Night at the weekend. The event was organised to raise money for the local C&K kindergarten, as well as provide a bit of relief for those struggling with drought.
The kindergarten is a vital resource for the community which is facing a down turn because of the on-going dry conditions.
“I had the idea of doing a ladies night because I had been to some in New South Wales and they were so much fun,” Carolyne Edmonstone, event organiser, said.
“They were a release for all the ladies in the town to get together, do a bit of shopping, get pampered, have a few cocktails and a catch up.
“And not have to worry about things at home and how bad they are, how much money they need for the next lot of hay or how things are going on the farm.”
Mrs Edmondstone said their kindy relied on fundraising to stay open.
“We’re educating the future of the country and the future of the bush. And its hard because if people can’t access education, those families move away and they take their services and knowledge and expertise with them,” she said.
“I have spoken to the lovely people that own one of the supermarkets, and they said business is really suffering which is where you can really see those big differences out in the paddock.
“It’s now gone from being pretty ordinary to really very ugly for a lot of people. They’re running out of water and feed.”
Mrs Edmondstone said this drought hasn't affected her farm as bad as the last.
“Because my husband works off-farm, we had the opportunity to destock, which a lot of people don’t if their sole income is from the farm. They’re really stuck and they’re finding it incredibly hard,” she said.
“We have a property about half an hour out of Texas. We have a couple of thousand acres and we have a small flock of sheep and I have an alpaca stud.
“We did have cattle but the last drought finished us for cattle. I just couldn’t keep the feed up to them and my husband works away. And I had a newborn baby at the time. It was quite difficult.
“And I am not alone in it. There are so many mums and dads out there that have their kids and babies in the car so they can go out and do all their jobs they need to do on the farm.”
Vicki and Amanda Croft started a cafe in Texas as a second income to help keep their farm going during times of drought. Amanda Croft said the town has been noticeably quiet because there isn’t enough money to go around during this hard time.
“We have 3237 hectares. We have sheep, but we don’t have many. We destocked quite a few years back,” Amanda Croft said.
“We’re busy running other businesses because we have to. You have to have another income. There wouldn’t be many farmers out here that don’t have a wife or a husband doing work off-farm.
“We created the cafe, Texas Treats, 15 years ago because we needed an income. And basically any income from that goes straight back to keep the farm.”
Vicki Croft said they have had off-farm income since they destocked during the
drought in the 90s. She said they aren’t eligible for government assistance because the majority of their income comes from off farm.
“We have a camping ground on our property as well,” she said.
“You have to diversify and become resilient.”
The Crofts said the Texas Ladies Night was a good chance to socialise.
“You’re so busy that you often push that aside in the drought,” Vicki Croft said.
Hundreds of kangaroos lined the road to Texas, a topic of much discussion with anyone whotravelled to the event. The roos have caused a lot of problems for property owners trying to feed their livestock.
“We have a cattle property just outside of Texas,” Susan Spencer said.
“It’s been terrible. We’re having to feed them everyday. It’s costing a fortune buying hay in.
“We’ve had rain along the way but it’s just little bits and you don’t get any follow up
❝ordinary It’s now gone from being pretty to really very ugly for a lot of people.
— Carolyne Edmondstone
rain.
“The kangaroos are just eating everybody out of house and home. Even if you do get a little bit of rain, nothing gets the chance to grow because the kangaroos eat it.”
Mrs Spencer and her husband also run Texas Rural Agencies. She said she had noticed a downturn in spending in the town because of the drought.
“People don’t have the money to spend,” she said.
“Even if you don’t have a farm it trickles down, food gets more expensive.”
Mrs Spencer said the event was good for morale and gave the ladies a chance to take their mind off things.