I N S I D E � Common people; common lands � Let the good times roll � Yamma Yamma � The proposal � DCQ News

There’s a lot happening in our backyard...

the basinBULLET

O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1

desertdesertchannelschannelsG R O U P

the voice of desert channels group

Image: View from Deon’s Lookout - Lorraine Kath

Editor

C O N T E N T S E D I T O R I A LA S I S E E I T

For more on the work of Desert Channels Group, visit www.dcq.org.au, email info@dcq.org.au or call 07 4658 0600.

People are angry …

The Occupy Everywhere movement has spread around the globe. Inspired in part by the Arab Spring, and organised in the early days by Canadian-based, Adbusters campaign group, the Occupy movement has built its own momentum.

When jobless graduate, Mohamed Bouazizi burned himself to death in protest over his treatment by authorities in his native Tunisia on 17th December 2010, it galvanised the disenfranchised and oppressed to harness the power of social media to give themselves a voice. We all know the tragedies and triumphs that followed.

Eventually, the lead shown by the victims of repressive dictators and tyrants, was taken up those being suffocated by rampant capitalism. What began as unconnected displays of discontent in several countries like Canada, Chile and Israel, coalesced into Occupy Everywhere by way of the prolonged Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. It has since spread like a virus to cities across the globe.

While numbers and enthusiasm have been low in Australia, passions have run particularly high in Europe where real income is dropping and unemployment is through the roof.

The Occupy Wall Street movement doesn’t appear to have a clear agenda, but they do have a common cause: they want their leaders to know that they can no longer stomach the level of inequality that is bringing the ‘land of the free; home of the brave’ to its knees – the malaise of much of the wider world has settled itself over the US of A.

In fact, America is outstripping much of the world, including Iran, Russia, India and China, in income inequality: the rich are getting richer; the poor, poorer.

... people are angry ...

Common people; common lands ... 3

... visons of King Arthur and Robin Hood

Let the good times roll ... 5

... making the most of them

Yamma Yamma ... 6

Aerial stunner wins calendar prize

The proposal ... 8

Everyone needs a wife

DCQ News ... 9

Frogs, fungus and films ...

Black backs DCG ... 10

... support from Black Toyota

Hold that thought 10

What’s behind the occupation?

The nose bag... 11

Beats all!

H E L E N A V E R YI walk the Common. It’s the first of spring and early morning. First light is smoky and there is still a chill left over from winter. If I am early enough, we have the place to ourselves ... me and the dog. A bit later and the Doberman and his owner come, although we can take the other track if we really want to avoid each other. There’s plenty of space, the four directions of the compass, the river, open paddock, dirt roads, pads. Enough space for all of us with our different expectations. Kids on bikes, fishermen, fitness fanatics, photographers, nature lovers, nomadic campers … kangaroos, wrens, a nesting emu … road trains …

The concept of common land is ancient. The complexity of human behaviour and belief has ensured that it is not simple. The whole nature of land tenure is obviously in a continual state of chaos and evolution driven by powerful political, economic and social ramifications across generations of human kind. Land ownership has meant survival, power and authority – an awesome combination.

T H E C O M M O N …

The British-based system which we have inherited, at least fundamentally, evolved from the feudal system of Europe – a hierarchical system based on obligation – you can have the use of this patch if you fight for me; I’ll protect you from the hordes of ruffians if you feed me. The ultimate owner was the ‘Crown’. It was during this period of history that the idea of Common Land for the use of common people became defined by law. Of course, for me, visions come flooding in of King Arthur and his valiant knights, of Robin Hood and his equally valiant band of followers. This is the stuff of the stories we grew up with!

It is interesting to put that into some kind of a time frame. The feudal system evolved and decayed over a mere … maybe six or seven hundred years … roughly 700AD to 1300AD. Before that the ‘system’ was tribal. Since then, another bare seven hundred years, we have evolved into what we call ‘modern’! In the timeframe of human history, and then the history of the planet … miniscule.Image: Solitary Delight - Juanita Saa

Land ownership has meant survival, power and authority – an awesome combination.

Regular Bullet contributor, Helen Avery, shares her encounter with common lands as days get longer but the mornings are still cool …

The law on ownership and use of common land appears to have evolved from a fluid mix of expectation, folk history and obligation. Wikipedia tells me that before 1558, if an Englishman could, on common land, raise a roof over his head and maintain a fire in the hearth between sunrise and sunset, then he could call that his.

Even today, some of these ancient folklore expectations exist in people’s minds, although not all are supported by legislation. Sometimes it seems as if modern legislation has muddied rather than clarified what have been ancient natural obligations of respect and observance of ritual that ensured the protection and preservation of tracts of land for the common good.

With the decay of feudalism, the balance of obligation and responsibility came to be represented by unholy commerce, exchange of money for goods and services rather than barter. There were periods of huge social and political change – recognition of the rights of the individual, the growth of towns and manufacturing, parliament, the Enclosure Acts … the constancy of change, the only constant in the history of our world.

If we delve purely into semantics – the meaning of words – the story remains complex and fascinating. Traditional common ‘rights’ included:

• Pasturage – the right to pasture a certain number of sheep or cattle or horses

• Piscary – the right to fish• Marl – the right to obtain sand and gravel• Mast or pannage – the right to have pigs

forage in autumn for fallen nuts and fruit• Estovers – the right to gather fallen wood• Turbary – the right to cut turf• Running rigs – the right to strip garden plots

There are other wonderful old words – fee simple, wastage, lurcher, udal, alloidal, appurtenant – many not recognised by my Spell-check program!

It was this British system of land tenure that was pretty much transferred to the colonies of Australia, and saw the proclamation, on …

… this eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine, and in the fifty-third year of Her Majesty’s reign …

… by His Excellency General Sir Henry Wylie Norman, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Governor and Commander- in–Chief of the Colony of Queensland and its Dependencies … etcetera … etcetera …

basically that an area of twenty-two and a half square miles be put aside as a reserve for township purposes surrounding the newly designated township of Longreach!

In one hundred and twenty two years, the definition or expectation of ‘township purposes’ has changed significantly – sometimes it’s abuse as much as use. The research done by Elaine Britton reveals a wonderfully rich resource of stories of drovers, Chinese gardeners, sporting clubs, water reticulation, drowning and rescues, flood and drought, accidents and arguments, goats and more goats.

Probably the most important change is the contemporary vision of common land as land that is increasingly valuable in terms of nature conservation and recreation. We have been bequeathed access to a small but immensely valuable tract of country. If we can honour that land and all that is a part of it ... what a privilege.

I walk the town common and it is spring …

continuedT H E C O M M O N …

The recent ‘Making Money in Good Seasons’ field day at David Counsell’s Barcaldine property, Dunblane, was a DCG / DEEDI collaboration designed to upskill and inform landholders on how to achieve higher returns in both the short and long term.

A morning walk through Mitchell Grass paddocks on Dunblane set the scene for discussions about the growth of Mitchell Grass and other species common to these downs country. Fire regeneration and improving stock rates were also covered with David Counsell showcasing the results of his successful ground-cover management project funded by DCG.

Back in Barcaldine, after lunch, Peter Spence, DCG’s NRM Facilitator, took the opportunity to promote DCG’s next round of devolved grants to be released in early 2012. David Counsell shared more of his experiences, including tips on improving profits through stocking rates and spelling. David Phelps, Rangelands Scientist with DEEDI, concluded the day’s programme with discussions about the theory and recommendations for managing stock rates.

Throughout the day, emphasis was placed on the importance and benefit of spelling paddocks to maximize biodiversity and productivity with stock.

The ‘Making money in good seasons’ field day was funded in part through the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program.

Managing for good timesGraziers are well-versed at managing tough times - goodness knows, they get plenty of practice - but how much opportunity do they get to hone their skills in making the most of the good times?

An amazing aerial shot of a flooded Lake Yamma Yamma was the winning entry in the inaugural Channel Country Photography Competition, a collaboration between Desert Channels Group and Vast Arts.

An amazing array of photographic talent from across the Desert Channels region and wider was evident in the more than 200 entries capturing the essence of the unique and wonderful scenery in the region. They vied for a share of the $8000 worth of prizes (cash from Exoma Energy, Galilee Basin Haulage & Plant Hire, Atlas Drilling and Longreach Tree Trimming; tour packages from Qantas Founders Musuem and Kinnon & Co; a 12 month subscription to Vast Arts Inc; display at the Kinnon & Co Historic Ol’ World Gallery in Longreach).

Sally Cripps’ study of a desert crab was the Regional Winner, while Thaddeus Poole’s coolibah beside a waterhole was the Youth Winner, and Eric Peterson’s soothing sunset reflections at Lake Dunn took out the Packers’ Prize.

In addition, the twelve finalists’ photographs were printed in the Desert Channels Group 2012 calendar which is now available at the DCG office or through www.dcq.org.au. It is worth checking out the website, just to see the winning shots.

The competition judges were looking for creative and fresh perspectives on our region’s spectacular landscapes; they were not disappointed.

“We are extremely lucky in Longreach to have such qualified, experienced photography judges on hand,” said Miss Shelley Colvin, Project Officer for Vast Arts Inc. “We truly appreciate the time each of them took out of their day to judge the Channel Country Photography Competition entries.

“The aim of the competition was to encourage locals, tourists, visitors and photographers from all around Australia to visit, and while here, to try their hand at taking a photo that encapsulates the region.”

YammaYamma

Image: Lake Yamma Yamma - Clare Mulcahy

Desert Channels Queensland is funded by

The Channel Country Photographic Competition

Image: Crustacean Jewel- Sally Cripps

Image: Road to desert inland sea - Lorraine Kath

Judges biographies:

Judge One is a multi award-winning newspaper photographer who has worked widely in Australia and overseas. He has worked on the Australian Associated Press’ picture desk in Sydney, been UK desk picture editor for Reuters and deputy picture editor at London’s The Independent newspaper. His photography has won numerous major awards including the Australian Suburban Newspaper Association’s Best General Picture at both state and national level, and Country Press Association Best Sport Photograph.

Judge Two holds a bachelors degree in arts and communication and has been a photographer for 30 years. His work has been mainly as a landscape photographer, but he has a wide portfolio from portrait to industrial and other commercial photography. He has been photographing professionally for the past 10 years for a range of clients including tourism, architectural and industrial assignments. He has a passion for the Outback and its people and his photography reflects the lives of those who live and work in this part of the world.

Judge Three has authored several books on plant identification, which relied heavily on the quality of her photographs. She considers herself fortunate to have a job that allows her to continually hone her photography skills, and to repeatedly travel the Channel Country.

“I am always awe-struck by the contrasts, liveliness, depth and feeling of freedom that the area provides,” she said. “The challenge for photographers was to capture some of that feeling and atmosphere and transfer it to the viewer of a still image. It was great to see how that was achieved.”

Call Desert Channels Queensland today on 07 4658 0600 to order your copy.

Limited numbers available.

continued

Jenny Jauczius wants a wife …

The Farmer wants a Wife is a reality TV show where young men from the bush search for prospective life

partners. However, it now seems that everyone wants a wife. In a recent article for International Women’s Day, Annabel Crabb argued that even women need

wives – a spouse to keep the home fires burning so females with ambition can enter the workforce and

become successful professionals, managers or politicians.

Crabb contends that: “Wives are the reason men can work long hours as executives, succeed

in politics, edit newspapers, run their own small businesses, work in mines or other shift work, and still

manage to have families.”

Despite all the advances in women’s rights in the last 50 years there’s still a basic belief that the bulk

of child-rearing, cooking, cleaning and general family nurturing will be done by women. Husbands, partners

and boyfriends may ‘help around the house’, ‘be great with the kids’ and ‘share the cooking’ but they’re not

seen as ‘wives’.

Still, with labour saving devices and more enlightened views on the equality of the sexes, we’ve gone past the days when a wife might

look forward to being barefoot, pregnant and chained to the sink. Joan Baez, ‘60s folksinger, could truthfully lament ...

Oh, hard is the fortune of all womankind,

She’s always controlled, she’s always confined,Controlled by her parents until she’s a wife,A slave to her husband the rest of her life. Now, supposedly, we can ‘have it all’. We can be superwomen: high-powered employees who return each night to ideal homes and gardens, before cooking a nutritious, gourmet dinner and enjoying ‘quality time’ with our perfect, well-adjusted children and spouses.

Sadly, such unreal expectations are almost as confining as the anti-feminist restrictions of the past. Caring for, and communicating with, loved ones takes time, planning and real effort and is not the superficial, glossy package that style magazines and advertisers promote. Talking over the day, checking and helping with homework, preparing healthy meals, clearing the table, bedtime stories, washing clothes, cutting lunches, food shopping, relaxing together - and a myriad of other chores and routines - make home a refuge for the whole family.

We are all ‘gardeners’ and ‘pot plants’; nurturing others and then needing to be cared for ourselves. Only if every family member is a wife and has a wife - sharing household tasks and caring for one another – is success outside the home, at school or work, achievable. So, be my wife and I’ll be yours.

B E M Y W I F E

BASIN FROGS READY TO CROAK

Supplies of DCG’s latest publication, Frogs of the Lake Eyre Basin – A Field Guide by Mike Tyler, Steve G Wilson and Angus Emmott, have hit the Group’s Longreach storeroom. Frogs is a 140 page handbook that will satisfy the curious naturalist in all of us. The concise text is supported by vibrant photographs of the 44 native frog species of the Lake Eyre Basin as well as the omnipresent Cane Toad. This easy-to-use reference book is all you’ll need to whet your appetite for the diverse, unusual and surprising frog life in this, the driest part of our continent. Available from the office on 07 4658 0600 or at www.dcq.org.au - RRP $19.95, plus postage and handling $8.

PARKY DIEBACK TRIALS

Follow-up field days were held in September at Eastmere and Holmleigh to assess the progress of the Parkinsonia dieback disease in the trial plots where trees had been inoculated with the dieback fungus. Results were variable but project leader, Dr Victor Galea, says there is still time for it to work. Trees at many sites showed clear signs of stress with some already dead, while on one property, all trees were dead after one treatment. Data is still being collected and collated so stay tuned.

DCQ’S AGM

The Desert Channels Queensland Annual General Meeting will be held at Desert Channels Group, 92 Galah St, Longreach, on Monday 21 November, commencing at 1:00pm. All are welcome to attend, but only financial members of DCQ are eligible to vote.

BROADENING THE PARTNERSHIP

DCG’s long-standing relationship with the Longreach Campus of the Australian Agricultural College Corporation continues to broaden. The AACC is a major partner in our mister trials, providing the tractor and storing the misting unit. More recently, we have provided short information sessions to skill students on weed data collection. Our GIS guru, Jade Fraser, presented realistic scenerios of weed survey field work and what our project work requires. Students were shown how to collect data, as well as how it is visually displayed in maps. On another occasion, Acting CEO, David Brown, took students through why we need to be able to write reports, including how to prepare reports, report writing, critical thinking, and the purpose and value of the end product.

DC SOLUTIONS

With more than 80 active projects on the books, we’re a bit busy. As reported in the previous Bullet, these range from mapping to environmental surveys, weed assessments to bore and water quality testing, graphic design to desktop publishing, data management to reporting, filming and editing to training, and signage to event management. As well as promotional videos for DEEDI training days, our head of digital production,

Alun Hoggett, has been working in partnership with RFDS and Qld Health on a short doco about healthy choices regarding drug and alcohol use in the region. Coupled with this is a regional Hello Sunday Morning where people are challenged to give up the grog for 3 months and blog their experiences. Go to http://hellosundaymorning.com.au for more information.

PIGS NEARLY AIRBORNE

Peter Spence (NRM Facilitator) and Leigh Deutscher (NRM Project Support Officer) packed their swags, kayak and monitoring gear and have been out and about in the lower catchments to identify and assess additional sites for our Pigs Might Fly project funded through the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program. From Noccundra out past Windorah, the boys found plenty of pig sign, and graziers confirmed that the past few abundant seasons have caused numbers to explode. Pigs Might Fly will see coordinated control measures across the lower parts of the Cooper and Diamantina catchments, and help prevent damage to ecologically sensitive rivers and wetlands.

FILM-MAKER IN TRAINING

Ronell Fraser has been getting some intensive film-making and editing training as part of her role as project officer with our Recording Traditional Ecological Knowledge project. She had several days of intensive training in video editing by Michael Cuming and Silvana van Dijk from Culture Bank of Byron Bay. Ronell has also received camera-craft training from DC Solutions’ resident digital producer, Alun Hoggett. She put this to good use on a training exercise at Australian Age of Dinosaurs where she filmed Freddie Hill, an Aboriginal fossil preparator and tour guide whom AAoD is using as a role-model to get more Aboriginal youth trained in the field.

THERE’S A LOT HAPPENING IN OUR BACK YARD ...

B L AC K TOYOTA B AC K S D CG

Black Toyota, Longreach, has become the latest supporter of Desert Channels Group’s work.

Black Toyota Principal, Craig Black was pleased to be able to provide a light, Hino truck primarily to assist with a program for trialling the use of an agricultural mister for the control of Prickly Acacia, but will also be used for general field work. The ‘little white truck’, as it has been christened, has also been used for field days and carting aviation fuel for the pig control project being run by NRM Facilitator, Peter Spence.

Desert Channels Group’s Acting CEO, David Brown, praised Craig Black and his team for their support in combating one of the region’s biggest issues. “Weeds have long been the single biggest challenge facing land managers in this region,” David Brown said, “and Black Toyota’s truck will play an important role in our upcoming trials of new, more cost-effective control methods.”

The small white Hino has been prominently badged to acknowledge the support offered to Desert Channels Group by Black Toyota.

Mr Brown said with the Desert Channels region covering one-third of Queensland, the little white truck is likely to be seen anywhere from Tambo to Camooweal, Prairie to Birdsville, and points in between.

“We will also be using the Black Toyota Hino for general field work,” he said, “so this little truck with its prominent signage, will be travelling all over our 510,000 square kilometre region.”

Hold that thought!T A X I N G S T U F F

Why are protesters occupying the symbol of American and world capitalism?

With Americans out of work to the tune of 9.2%, and real income falling,

corporate America has never had it so good. Corporate profits are at record highs, having doubled since 1990, and CEO’s pay has skyrocketed 300%, now sitting at 350 times that of the average production worker. All this while the average wage earner has ‘enjoyed’ a 4% increase, and … the minimum wage has dropped - adjusted for inflation, the average hourly earnings of American workers has not increased in 50 years.

America’s top 1% own 42% of her financial wealth, with the next 4% owning a further 28%, and … taxes on these people are close to the lowest they’ve ever been.

On the global scale of income equality, America sits at 93, Iran 90, Russia 82, China 81, India 56, Australia 25 and Sweden 1.

And those banks that the American taxpayers had to bail out so they could keep lending and prevent business collapse? Well, they now get their money from the Federal Reserve for almost nothing and, as business is too risky, they lend instead to the Government for a few risk-free percentage points, enough to ring up $211 billion of ‘net interest margin’ in the first half of 2011. After paying bonuses to their executives, they only managed a ‘measly’ $58 billion in profit for the same period - near record financial sector profits while the jobs market runs dry.

Why would there be protests?

CHERRY RIPE SLICE

You will need:

Base:125g butter1 TBS drinking chocolate½ cup icing sugar1 cup plain flourFilling:395g can of sweet condensed milk½ cup chopped glace cherries1 ½ cups coconutcochineal (optional)Top:125g chocolate60g butter

Base: Melt butter with drinking chocolate in saucepan. Remove from heat, add icing sugar and flour. Mix and press into a lamington tray which has been lined with baking paper. Bake at 1600 C for 10min.Filling: Blend filling ingredients together and spread over base. Bake for approximately 20 min until set. Allow to cool. Top: Spread with combined melted chocolate and butter.

The Nose Bag

We all need a bit of sweetening up at times, and for those a bit short of sugar and spice and all things nice, here is a little treat to sweeten up anyone who is less than a little ray of sunshine.

Cheery Cherry Slice … of Heaven

D E S I G N A N D L A Y O U T B Y D C S O L U T I O N S