LISTEN TO US: Branxton greyhound trainer Lindsay Davis cools down her greyhound Wild Turkey.BRANXTON greyhound trainer Lindsay Davishas a simple message for NSW Premier Mike Baird: “You have to listen to us.”

“We’ve been saying it will take away our livelihoods, we’ve been saying it’s less that one per cent of us doing the wrong thing – but he’s not listening,” she said.

“How can you put an argument forward if he’s not going to listen.”

Ms Davis was among the many at Maitland Greyhound Track on Thursday afternoon, which met for the second time since the state government announced it would ban greyhound racing afterfindings of “widespread cruelty” in the sport.

Devastated Hunter trainers said emotion was still high even after the passing of a week.

Abermain hobby trainer Jim York said he remained in disbelief.

“You don’t process it, you can’t process it,” he said.

“When I lost my job, the greyhounds gave me something to go on with –the sport gave me sanity.

SUPPORT: State Labor MPs Clayton Barr and Jenny Aitchison talking to trainer Charmaine Field. Pictures: Marina Neil

“They want to take all of that away from me at the stroke of a pen.”

Cessnock breeder Brian Young said he had been following the sport since he was 16 years old.

Mr Young said he had written letters to government MPs, and had been circulating a petition that was gatheringsignatures from “people you wouldn’t expect”.

“The support has been great,” he said. “But the only way we’re going to defeat the bill is for Mr Baird to allow his MPs to have a conscience vote. There’salready a few that say they won’t support it, sohow many more are there?” he said.

It was a sentiment seized on by state Labor MPs Jenny Aitchison (Maitland) and Clayton Barr (Cessnock), who were both at the track as part of a welcomingday to showcase the industry to the community.

PUSHBACK: Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association’s Bradley Sabotic with a petition opposing the ban.

It came as Mr Baird said there was no chance he would change is mind on the decision.

“He’s got to get out in the community, start listening and get offsocial media,” Ms Aitchison said, referring to Mr Baird’s habit of using Facebook to make significant announcements.

Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association Hunter representativeKevin Gordon likened the fight to the Kerrigan family’s resolve inThe Castle.

“The mood of the trainers is just utter desperation,” he said. “They are good people who just love their greyhounds.”

STUDY: GRDC’s Craig Ruchs (second from left), at a Russian wheat aphid information session with SARDI entomologists Michael Nash (left), Greg Baker and Latif Salehi.Grain growers in Victoria and SA are being encouraged to hold off spraying crops infestedwith the newly introduced Russian wheat aphid (RWA) unless aphid populations and crop damagewarrant such action.

RWA numbers have been relatively low in the majority of infested paddocks in both states to date andrecent heavy rainfall events have curtailed infestation levels and activity.

Greg Baker from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI*) says it is importantthat growers refrain from spraying crops unnecessarily.

“Population levels are substantially below the preliminary economic thresholds on most properties,” saidMr Baker, whose research into RWA is valued by the Grains Research and Development Corporation(GRDC).

“Occasionally we are seeing paddocks where that is not the case, but those are theexceptions.”

Growers have been advised to follow international advice which supports an economic threshold of 20percent of plants infested up to the start of tillering and 10% of plants infested thereafter. Thesethresholds have yet to be validated under Australian conditions.

Dr Paul Umina from cesar (a Victorian-based scientific research organisation) says that in the majority ofinfested paddocks in Victoria, aphid numbers are reportedly low and spraying is therefore unlikely to bewarranted.

Growers are being discouraged from spraying, unless deemed necessary, for a number of reasons including: sprays provide nomeaningful residual control; insecticides may reduce numbers of predators and other beneficialspotentially resulting in a spike in numbers of RWA (and other insect pests) as temperatures increase;and spraying can also foster resistance development.

Dr Umina said although RWA was not posing a high risk to crops at the moment, it was important forgrowers to remain vigilant and advise authorities of suspected infestations.

Growers and agronomists are asked to take an image of the pest and its damage and to report anysuspected new infestations by phoning the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. Samples of the aphids might be requested foridentification.

Since being detected for the first time in Australia on a property in SA’s Mid North in May, RWA has nowbeen confirmed in SA and Victoria.

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Cowra Shire Council has put its support behind the retention of the greyhound racing industry in Cowra.

Mayor Bill West saysthat he and fellow Councillors were extremely concerned with the arbitrary decision to shut down NSW Greyhound Racing and the affect this will have on Cowra people.

Premier Baird’s announcement has shattered many who not only love their sport but many others who earn a living supporting greyhound racing that plays an important role in our community.

“It seems incredible that this extreme measure has been taken because of a number of rogue operators,” cr West said.

“What it really shows is that the NSW Government has announced its inability to deal with these untenable inappropriate situations by taking the easy way out by punishing everyone.

“Greyhound racing has many followers in Cowra and the overwhelming majority are good people who look after their dogs and enjoy the social bonds that are so evident at their race meetings.

“Council has absolutely no support for any form of animal cruelty but agrees with comments about a sledgehammer being used to crack a walnut.

“Cowra Council will be exploring options to support local member Hon Katrina Hodgkinson MP in having this issue fairly resolved,” Cr West said.

NSW Premier Mike Baird last weekannounced a ban ongreyhound racing,after the state government considered an 800-page report tabled by a Special Commission into “widespread cruelty” in the industry.

“In response to widespread illegal and unconscionable activity, including the slaughtering of tens of thousands of dogs, I can today announce that NSW is putting an end to greyhound racing,” Mr Baird announced on his Facebook page.

The State Government said the decision to ban the sporthas been made with a view to protect the welfare of the animals.

According to the inquiry between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds, or at least half of all greyhounds bred to race,were killed in the past 12 years because they were deemed uncompetitive.

Katrina Hodgkinson has called for a conscious vote on the issue.

Cowra Mayor Bill West and his fellow councillors are extremely concerned with the arbitrary decision to shut down NSW Greyhound Racing.

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GRAVE WARNING: Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals senior staff specialist Dr Glen Maberly said western Sydney is a “diabetes hot spot”. Picture: WSLHDWESTERN Sydney is in the throes of a diabetes epidemic that could be prevented with a few lifestyle changes, according to local health experts.

There are 3570 amputations every year in Australiaas a result of diabetes-the second highestrate of amputation in the developed world.

Since July 2015, there have been 106 diabetes-relatedamputations performed across Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). A further 1310 people were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness.

“Diabetes is not only high in Australia but particularly high in western Sydney,”Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals senior staff specialist Dr Glen Maberly said.

Dr Maberly said western Sydney is a “hot spot”, with residents one-and-a-half timesmore likely to develop diabetes than the Sydney average.

Contributing factors in western Sydney include suburban sprawl, accessibility of fast food outlets compared to fresh food,and multiculturalism.

People of Indian, South-East Asian, Pacific Islander, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethnicity are more likely to develop diabetes earlier and at a lower body weight.

Onset of type 2 diabetes typically occurs after 40, but doctors are seeing a growing number of cases in children.

Dr Maberly saidmany people don’trealise the seriousness of developing type 2 diabetes and the ongoing health and lifestyle complicationsthat can develop from poor blood glucose management.

Diabetes-related complicationscan damage the body’s organs, leading toserious and life threatening consequences.

“Some of the complications of diabetes are cardiovascular disease, nerve and kidney damage, eyeand foot damage, skin conditions, hearing impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr Maberly said.

“We encourage everyone to speak to their doctor about the disease and get tested if they have riskfactors, including a family history of diabetes, are overweight or elderly, have high blood pressure,or smoke.”

Australians are four kilograms heavier than the average adult 20 years ago.

Despite the worrying trend, Dr Maberly said it is not impossible to change the future of western Sydney.

“Ifadults lost on average two kilograms, 30 per cent would not convert to diabetes.”

Dr Maberly said more physical activity and less food and drinks high in calories are the key to diabetes prevention.

He and other health experts are also in consultation with the NSW Government to help create more “friendly, walkable” cities.

“Smart urban design can be quite important,” he said.

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Potatoes, onions and lambnot only combine wellin a hearty meal, but have also proven a good mix at Murphy Farms, Thorpdale.

The extended Murphy family andstaff haveproduced these three commoditiesfor many years, and it isa successful recipe in terms ofproduction schedules and paddock rotations.

The Murphy Farms Partnership was established by three brothers, Doug (now deceased), Phil and Ewan, who ramped up the family farm’spotato and onion production and gradually bought more land.

Phil and Ewan are still involved but are a stepping back to let Ewan’s sons Glenn and Stuart take on more of its management.

The farm is more than 500 hectares of good quality red soiland all of it can be irrigated with water from dams and a creek. The vegetables and summer crops are irrigated from around October to March or April, depending on the season, and summer crops are either mulched or fed to sheep.

They grow onions or potatoes in a paddock for two or three years and then put ina fodder crop.

In early July, the team, which includes 17 permanent and seasonal workersmostly from the local Latrobe Valley, was finishing grading the potatoes.

Phil said as soon as they sent off the potatoes, they would move onto weighing and bagging onions.The sowing and harvesting of the two main crops similarly work well around each other.

Different varieties are grown with the main beingGolden Delight potatoes and brown onions.

“What customers require and the specifications and varieties change all the time,” Phil said.

Nephew Glenn said it was a balancing act to get most of the crops within ever-changing specification ranges to ensure the got the best value for the crops.

“We aim to get the biggest saleable yield,” he said.

To this end, they target most of their crop to bulk bags for supermarkets that are generally within 100 to 400 grams, but that does vary for each supermarket’s order. The team also tries to get very large potatoes for potato cakes, but they do nottarget that size range becausethere would be too many potatoes that fell between the supermarket and potato cake sizes.

“This year, there have been avenues to processors for those odd sized potatoes,” Glenn said.

The crop is sampled every week with potatoes weighed to determine how much more time it needs in the ground growing or how much water it requires.

A first-cross Merino ewe with a Southdown lamb. The family sells most of the lambs in Thorpdale with the remainder sold direct to an abattoir.

Any potatoes or onions that are too small are fed to the sheep and provide a buffer to the Gippsland winter feed gap.The family runs 3000-3500Border Leicester-Merino ewes and join them to Southdowns or Poll Dorsets from January.

All the ewes are pregnancy scanned, with the dry ewes put in the paddock with the ram again for two more cycles and the in-lamb ewes divided between those carrying single or multiple foetuses, and the multiples put on better feed and in smaller, more sheltered paddocks.

The empties are given a second chance and scanned again. If they are still not in-lamb, they are sold.

Bag ’em up: Glenn Murphy with a bulk bag of grade one potatoes, which satisfy supermarket specifications.

Phil said foxes were a big problem in the area, so the team shoots and baits them and has alpacas. He said the survival rate had improved over the years and the lambing percentage was now about 150 per cent.

Another family member passionate about agriculture is Phil’s wifeVal, who has run agritourism tours in Gippsland for about 25 years.

She started when the state-wide group Women on Farms came to visit the farm and she provided a potato-themed lunch in the garden. Since then, it has grown to organising bus tours of up to one week in Gippsland, which include visiting farms and tourist attractions.

Val organises itineraries andis the tour guide for groups including seniors groups, Probus clubs and some school groups. Manytravel from Melbourne and interstate and Val is hoping to attract more international tourists. The groups still visit Val’s garden where she has working dog demonstrations and offers potato ice cream.

“It’s a learn-a-little-laugh-a-lot day’s outing, with lots of jokes and poems relating to life on the land” she said.

As soon as the team sends off the potatoes, they will move onto weighing and bagging onions.

The team at Murphy Farms had finished grading commercial potatoes for the year and was busy grading seed stock for next year’s crop.

Tour organiser and guide, Val Murphy said, “Everywhere we eat, stay and visit helps Gippsland; and I organise these tours to help the area I grew up in, live in and love.”

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State age reportCowra Netball is celebrating another successful year at the State Age carnival.

A massive congratulations to all our rep teams that attended State Age during the first week of school holidays.

As an association Cowra Netball are all so very proud of each and every one of you.

We received some really wonderful positive comments about our players from other teams andumpires from all across NSW.

Well done girls.

To all the coaches, managers, parents another massive thank you for all your commitment throughout the season.

Another huge thank you to our committee for all the hard work and organisation behind the scenes to make it all happen and run so smoothly.

A special thank you toour representative convenor Kristen Ryan.

Kristen was not only representative convenor but also assistant coach to the under 15s side andstand in umpires convenor.

Also thank you to Mandy Charnock for her huge job as representativetreasurer, mentor andserial prankster.

A big well done to the Cowra Netball Under 15s on their final year at State Age.

Wehope you had a fantastic andmemorable weekend.

Thanks also goes to coaches Paula Saxby andKristen Ryan for taking on this team to get them to State.

Alsothank you to Cristie Felton as manager.

Cristie was able to keepit all together and everyone on track.

We know this isnot an easy feat with 9-15 year old girls and twocoaches that are prankster queens (although they did have a little outside assistance thanks to Mandy andAng).

The Under 14s also had a great finish to their rep year coming seventh place in their division.

Thanks to coachMelissa Wolfenden and manager Angela Boswell for all their hard work and dedication.

Also to Ang for such a great result with the under 15s prank and to Melissa andthe under 14s in her room for being such great sports.

Also another congratulations to our under 13s team as they took out Division 3 at State Age.

Their success makes it twoyears running that they have won their division.

Look out Division twonext year, congratulations to Jo Buchan on achieving such a fantastic result.

The babies of our representative teams the Under 12s did a wonderful job competing in their first State Age and had some great results.

Also a big congratulations to Olivia Edwards in her first year coaching State Age.

The results Olivia achievedspeak for themselves, great achievement Liv.

Also thanks to Natalie Wilkinson as manager who kept everyone happy, organised and prank free.

Overall the Cowra Association has had another fantastic State Age and all involved should be very proud.

Final results were-12s (Div 3) 12th place,13s (Div 3) Winners,14s (Div 4) 7th place,15s (Div 4) 18th place.

Netball

We are back playing this Saturday after a twoweek break for school holidays.

In the event of rain we will make the call as to play or not at the following times. Juniors10am andSeniors12pm.

It will also be published on our Facebook page if games are called off.

So please assume games are on until such time.

Hunter Reid shoots during the Cowra Netball Association Carnival on Sunday, May 15. Hunter is playing for the under 13s against Yass.

Draw Saturday,July 16

Under 5 and9s meet on grassed courts at 11am.

Under 10-11s meet up on top courts at 10.30am ready to start playing at 11am.

UmpiresChelsea Apps andAbbie Lewis.

Under 12-14s,

1pmTeam 1 v Team 3

UmpiresJade Browne andKodee Chilstone.

2.30pmTeam 4 v Team 5

UmpiresKristen Ryan andCaitlyn Boswell.

Team 2 Bye.

Division 1,

1pm

Newell Motors v Imperial HotelForfeit by Newell Motors,LPC v Cowra Carpet Cleaning court 1

UmpiresAlana Ryan andRebecca Jones.

2.30pm

Thompson’s Livestock Transport v First National court 3

UmpiresEmma Fricker andJulia Moore.

2.30pm

Royces’ Jets v Ambiance Hair court 4

UmpiresPauline Rowston andTahlia Veney,

Woodstock Hotel v Whites Panel court 1

UmpiresGeorgina Knight andJessica McLeish.

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LESS than a month out from the annual incoming delegation from the Japanese city of Muroto, Port Lincoln is preparing to celebrate the relationship between the two citieswith two more delegationsin coming months.

The special delegations willinclude a group of six adults from Port Lincoln visiting Muroto in Octoberwhere they will attend two local festivals and tour the island ofShikoku.

Planning is also underway for 25-year celebrations in Port Lincoln with a special delegation from Muroto visiting in January to coincide with the Tunarama Festival.

It will not be the first time visitors from Muroto have been to the festival with four delegations attending in the early years of the exchange program and a group of women visiting for the 2012 festival.

To celebrate the 25-year milestone, Mr Mantle said there would be a civic reception at the Nautilus Theatre on Friday, January 27, 2017 and people who had been involved in exchanges over the years were encouraged to email [email protected]南京夜网to make sure they were on the mailing list.

There have been about 350 delegates from Port Lincoln over the years, not including others who have been involved in hosting people for inbound delegations.

A book is also planned, covering the history of the relationships between the two cities through stories and photographs.

It will be published next year so it can include the two 25-year celebrations.

Mr Mantle said they were still looking for photographs from outbound trips in1995 (business trip), April 1999, April 2000, April 2004, April 2010, and inbound trips in1991 (signing), 1991 (goodwill visit), October 1992, October 1993, August 1995, August 1997, August 1999 andAugust 2005to fill in the group’sscrapbook, and for use in the book.

Scanning assistance is available. [email protected]南京夜网

In the meantime, the annual studentdelegation from Muroto will arrive in Port Lincoln on August7.

The nine students and three adults will be hosted by local families and learn about the local culturewith visits toKoppio Museum, Glenforest, the Tacoma to‘pole a tuna’, Bishop Kindergarten, local schools, the YHA, library, Forsters’ aquarium, Tony’s Tuna, the Fresh Fish Place, Western Abalone, Kuju Arts and Craft to paint boomerangs, Mikirra Station and a day out at Coffin Bay visiting an oyster factory and the national park.

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HELPING HAND: 3rd Bathurst (All Saints’ Cathedral) Scout Group’s Paul Hennessy with Bathurst Regional Council’s Gary Rush and Dave Sherley. Photo: NADINE MORTONBATHURST’S community groups received a welcome boost on Thursday when more than $25,000 was donated to 13 local groups.

Individual donations ranged form $220 to $5000, and were provided under Bathurst Regional Council’s Section 356 annualdonation program.

Funds receivedwill go to a range of areas including cultural, sporting, historical, agricultural and community programs and events that will be held throughout the year.

Paul Hennessy from the 3rdBathurst (All Saints’ Cathedral) Scout Group was among those at Bathurst Regional Council chambers to accept a donation.

“Running the hall is very expensive so any cost we can get helps benefit the members,” he said.

Mr Hennessy said the $220 donation they received will be spent on pest control in the scout’shall.

Evans Art Council’s Wendy-lou Tisdell accepted a cheque for $2580 from mayor Gary Rush during Thursday’s morning tea.

Funds will go towards the council’s free art workshops for the community.

“In some of our new workshops we’ll be teaching tatting [lace making], silk painting, felting and DNA workshops,” Ms Tisdell said.

The recently-formed Peel Residents Association received a cheque for $500.

ResidentStephen Champion accepted the donation said it willbe well used in the association’s inaugural year of operation.

“We formed to bind the community, there are a lot of things that happen withing the community, but not everyone knows about them,” he said.

Mayor Gary Rush presented the donations and thanked the groups for making such a significant contribution to the community through a wide range of areas.

“I know of no other [location] with a sense of community like Bathurst,” he said.

Other groups to receive funding included the Macquarie Philarmonia ($2500), Sofala and District Agriculture and Horticulture Association ($350), Sofala Progress Association ($2000), Bathurst Information and Neighbourhood Centre ($800), Bathurst City RSL Band Association ($5000), Bathurst Refugee Support Group ($3000), Bathurst Seymour Centre ($2500), Miss Traill’s House and Garden ($2609), Bathurst Chamber Orchestra ($2500) and the Bathurst Filipino Australian Community ($600).

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I once wrote a magazine article about crackpot ideas of famous psychologists.

Irecounted the story of Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalystwho told the public decades ago that he had a device that accumulated orgone energy (a sexually charged energy that supposedly permeates the universe). He said that the accumulator provided great health benefits.

The device, about the size of a phone booth,was made of wood, metal, and steel wool. The boxbecame widely popular, including with celebrities. Reich invited AlbertEinstein to try to explain it.

Einstein examined it and said it was just a box.The U.S. government obtained a court order directingReichto stop selling the box; he ignored the order and went toprison.

Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst who told the public he had a device that accumulated a highly beneficial sexually-charged energy.

Later, Woody Allen included a funny version of the box as the orgasmatron in the movie Sleeper.Some people still believe in orgone energyand treatment with the box.

Recently, Elon Musk, the head ofTesla, which makes electric cars, and SpaceX , which makes reusable rocket ships,said that we all do not exist — we are part of a computersimulation run by super-intelligent creatures

Musk’s idea reminded me of an excellent book, Sophie’s World, which is about a girlwho has many adventures and then discovers, to her great disappointment,that she is only a character made up by a philosopher as a treat for his daughter.

Musk’s idea also reminded me of a story I have long wanted to write about a young man who realises that he and all humans are aliens implanted in human bodies.

They pay for the experience, as one might pay for a ride on a roller coaster. They are supposed tohaveno knowledge while a human that they are actually aliens who live forhundreds of thousands of years. After 20 years of human life something goes wrong and the young mansees the truth.

He wants his money back, but he is stuck.He tells others the way it is. Most people don’tbelievehim about everyone being a thrill-seeking alien, but some do and he becomes a messiah of sorts.

I have a slight feeling that my fictional-story idea may not be fictional. That feeling takes me out of the creative category and puts me in the crackpot camp.

It is not bad in the crackpot camp;many interesting people have operated in it. The Wright brothers, who thought humans could fly, were members. Consider alsoAussieBarry Marshall, who was so convinced that an organism called h pylori (and not stress)caused typical ulcers that he gave himself the organism to prove he was right.

Hequickly developed highly painful ulcers and later received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work.

Albert Einstein

A sceptical person could argue thatnot all religions can be the only true religion. However, one of the religions could be spot on, and it is not easy to say which that would be. The few people who still believe in Zeusmight end uphaving the last laugh.

What are your crackpot ideas?

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THE hunt for gold officially begins for Bulli’s Nicole Beck and Wollongong teammate Emma Tonegato.

Champions: After winning the world rugby sevens series, Emma Tonegato and Nicole Beck will be part of Australia’s Olympics team.

They were officially named in Australian rugby sevens squad on Thursday, reward for their roles in claiming the world series championships this year.

A prolific tryscorer, Tonegato was player of the tournament during the US leg of the world series, where they beat New Zealand in the final.

At 28, Beck has a long career of success, winning the World Cup in 2009.

Australia has drawn the USA, Fiji and Colombia in their group, with games starting on the opening day of the Olympics next month.

Meanwhile, Wollongong Wizards triathletes Ryan Bailie and Aaron Royle will race in Hamburg, Germany this weekend, after training at their camp in Vitoria in Spain.

Royle was third behind Alistair and Johnathan Brownlee in a world series race in Leeds last month.

“They are coming off a tough month long training block followed by an easier week this week,”Triathlon Australia’s performance director Bernard Savage said.

“But the timing of Hamburg is perfect for those preparing for the Olympics with a hit out just five weeks out from Rio.

“The Australian boys all look in great shape and they will be looking for different things out of this weekend’s races.

“Aaron and Ryan Bailie have been settled in their ‘home away from home’ in Vitoria for some time now in what is a ritual for them in the nomadic lifestyle of a professional triathlete.”

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