WILD SUPPORT
SOMETIMES it is the simple things that really count.
There were tears, there was laughter and there were feelings of joy and grand fulfilment when eight Australian Defence Force veterans travelled into the black heart of Queensland’s drought country this month to help a family get their life back on track.
The veterans travelled to Goolma Station 60km west of Winton where they spent seven days helping owners Shane and Jodi Axford restore some normality to their lives.
The couple are in their sixth year of drought and are struggling to keep their flock of merino sheep alive.
Yesterday Shane Axford could not praise the work done by the veterans enough.
“They were just unbelievable people. A lot of them are hurting, we know that, but they came here and did an outstanding job. They were just so generous,” he said.
The program was organised by veterans centre The Oasis Townsville.
Shane says it is so good it deserves a national roll out.
“It’s win- win. Oasis want to do more of this. This would be so good for the rural community,” he said.
Floss Foster, one of three directors from The Oasis Townsville, is a veteran who said it was about community involvement.
“For us and our veterans it provides a sense of belonging,” Ms Foster said. THE LNP is out raising money for Herbert candidate Phillip Thompson. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was in town on Tuesday for a $ 500 a plate lunch. Twelve people attended. Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan was in town for another knees up on Thursday. Mr Canavan ( pictured) once again made his case for major water storage infrastructure programs in Northern Australia. If he wants to iron- clad water security in North Queensland he could sideline the costly and marginally effective Hells Gates proposal and focus on the 14m Stage 2 development of the Burdekin Dam. A super dam like that could shore up mining, agriculture and domestic water supplies forever. THE Queensland Government wants to hand one of the nation’s wilderness treasures over to private enterprise.
We are talking about the 32km Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island. Poor old Margaret Thorsborne, who campaigned for this trail and the island’s protection for decades of her life, is still warm in her grave and already the State Government is jumping up and down on top of it, mocking everything she fought for ( she died on October 16, aged 91). There are any number of national parks in Queensland that could be opened up to private enterprise, but the Government picks the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook ( along with the Great Sandy National Park and the Whitsunday Islands National Park).
Instead of stuffing up a perfectly good wilderness hiking trail with glamping and Coca- Cola machines, why can’t the Government instead find someone to rebuild the tourism lodge on the northern end of the island?
The trail has to be preserved for people who want to get out into the wilderness and who don’t want lodges, cabins, guides, souvenir stalls, “I walked Hinchinbrook” T- shirts, prepared meals, cold drinks and all the other rubbish that goes with it. Hands off the Thorsborne Trail. GEORGE Gatis from Thrifty Car Rental helped out with Operation Goolma. He provided three 4WD vehicles to The Oasis directors for free so that they could get the veterans and their gear to Winton. And he threw in fuel cards as well. Doesn’t get any better than that. This was a major saving for the cash- strapped organisation.