Don Johnson 

THOUGHTS ON WATER AND DROUGHTS IN AUSTRALIA.....RUNNING MATES

Thoughts on water and droughts ;they are running mates. One can bring fodder to the starving stock but God controls the water. It doesn’t have to rain; so we should make good use of it when it does. Just think of all the water that runs away after a storm. Surely in this day and age; the brains of this Country would have solved that problem. It seems we only live for today.

We down with the trees; create a desert. Forget removing the trees, encourage the rain! All the little napan bushes and bumble trees that the animals treasured are gone. Yes the napan bush was the home of the butterfly! If you have no water,all the fodder in the world won’t save your stock.When your mulga, bottle, and kurrajong trees have been lopped in a mad effort to feed the hungry animals

{never pull mulga trees out with a chain roots and all! 13% protien, leafy food for cattle,sheep &horses}

Lop and next drought it will be there when it’s needed.Young trees I hear you say; will grow. Not when their mothers who protected them have gone and they are eaten up the moment they pop their heads up. In all the heavily timbered parts of the world, eg The Amazon, New Guinea, rain falls heavily and everything is lush, perhaps the living trees in millions call out for rain?

In the last 30 years west of Dalby around St George and Dirranbandi millions of trees are gone and now we have a better desert for our very very dry land farming? Land improvement by the local farmer who looks to the sky and wonders why it doesn't rain? When all visible signs of grass have disappeared ;and all eatable vegetation gone; time to put out the licks. They contain salt, molasses, urea; makes them hungry and they eat food they normally show little interest in .

I’ve seen poor cattle eat dry wire grass that had never been eaten before while on lick. Even calve on it. Sheep eat every dry leaf ; then dig up the grass roots under the ground whils’t on lick. Time to put the stock all into one paddock to feed them. Enables the leaves off the available trees to be left close to the lick.This gives the empty paddocks a chance to revegitate when it does rain.

The constant walking over the soil by the cloven hoof does more damage than good. It is known that the constant loosing of the soil by the cloven hoof have been the cause of the small lagoons and gullies disappearing.These held precious water; but constant loose soil filled them in. In the past the grazier seemed to be more in tune wiith nature. He was aware when a drought was on the horizon ; he had seen and learnt from experience.The stock were culled and sold; better to sell now then to get nothing for them. Usually kept a few sturdy breeders.

Sold all the old ewes and lambs.. Didn’t put the rams in with the ewes at joining time. Kept the nucleus of the breed for the future. In those days the old sheep were driven to the soap factory ; their fat boiled down used in the making of bars of kerosene soap. The grazier would more than likely go droving ; take the stock on the Stock Routes. (Why not today?) Return home when rain fell on his property.

Those days a grazing lease was used to graze stock on only. In lots of cases these days the grazier has become a grazier farmer. He still runs his stock; but a fair proportion of his land is farmed. This means the stock have less acreage to feed on. If the rain doesn’t fall when it’s needed, the crops will fail. This means a drought situation because of over stocking on the depleted area. In the meantime trees were destroyed to make room for the farming. Gone was the shade for the cattle in the heat of the day. The trees give protection in winter when those cold winds blow.

Never again will the natural grass grow on the deserted farm land. Only the dreaded hop bush and other rubbish. One must learn that crops don’t grow each year in our parched land. We welcomed the dung beatle; we didn’t have to fight the flies for our lunch in the bush! Then the beatles deserted us; they didn’t like their homes being disturbed by the plough.

Gone was the long grass where we searched for emu eggs. Gone the quondong tree; the fruit was a emu delicacy. Shame on us ; we must all seek to make this country what it should be a living paradise for humans, animals, and birdlife. Make sure we thank God for his gift of rain! Having watched as a child the floods in the rivers.The fast flowing swirling water that came with a rush; bringing much joy to the town! At first there were no weirs to slow the progress.The dead trees and stock that had fallen in , swept past in a blink of a eye.

We knew when the water would reach our town. The property owners had time to shift their stock to the high ground . The butcher had seen he had a plentiful supply of meat on hand and shops prepared. Then came the weirs and control of the rivers. The water was being sold., irrigation farms , a step forward. The water no longer swept by with such freedom. Portions of the river would become low.

In days before if dead trees or stock were left in the bed of the river; the local council would employ a teamster with draft horses to hook on and remove the object. Sediment was building up in the river. Loose soil from the constant traffic of animals walking was coming into the water ; adding mud to the river.This caused the river to lose its depth, thus flooding out more often.Yes this suited some people; it grew grass for a few weeks where it flood irrigated the land. But it also flooded the town and people were evacuated out of their ruined homes.Cost the goverment and Councils lots of money each time it flooded

Now I reckon instead of spending that money why don’t they deal with the root of the problem. The cause is obvious; the rivers need desilting. (where the river beds get dry there are good sand deposits too, useful for road building etc.) If all the extra mud was removed from a portion of the river where the river broke its banks. It would make the river deeper and therefore hold the extra water! Yes you say ; but think of the cost ? No worry every town council on the river have permament Machinery they use through the year. They close down for so many weeks over XMAS holidays. I can’t see why the machinery couldn’t be used at this tme to desilt the portion of the river near these towns.

A little bit at a time while the river is low would make a difference. Especialy in a town like Charleville where the river causes such havoc. All the money spent restoring the town; if they could desilt the portion where it breaks its banks. I’m sure they would come out on top. It only takes a really committed person to get off his butt and have a go. Of course the millions of trees that held the soil in place, need replacing to stop soil erosion, which sends our topsoil to the sea by river flood after a 5 or 7 year drought. No, God supplies the rain; it’s up to us to think wisely and make good use of his precious gift.