Farewell from Dampier Downs
Host: Dampier Downs Station
Written by Anne Marie Huey – Station Manager, Dampier Downs.
Well, this is it. Our week at Dampier Downs has come to a close. Over the last week I have tried to share with you some of the stories of when things go wrong (It’s on, There’s one in every mob), when things go right (It’s the small things, Who’s your Daddy?) and the some of the reasons we love what we do (St Trinian’s).
Mike and I are both extremely proud to be involved in the live export industry. We love our animals, whether they are pets like Dougal, working dogs like the Princesses, native animals, or our livestock, but we don’t shy away from the fact that we are in the business of producing food.
We are also very proud of the fact that the food we produce (i.e. our beef) ends up on plates in developing countries like Indonesia and, more recently, Vietnam. We believe that our business is contributing to raising the standard of living in these countries, and with that will come real and lasting improvements in animal welfare.
Of course, we still have a lot to do here – we have big plans for this place starting with more fencing and more water points. This will allow us to make ongoing improvements that will benefit the landscape (through better distribution of grazing pressure), our animals (through better control and more targeted husbandry programs) and our business. This means that we will continue to spend money in our local community, benefiting a range of local businesses and will ensure places like the Kimberley will maintain a thriving pastoral community that contributes so much to the fabric of our nation.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my stories and I can’t wait to see what adventures lie in store next week.
I will leave you with some final images that always make me smile.
Poco cooling off in the trough.
Poco and Fridge working the mob while Dougal lends his support from the other side of the fence.
Goanna
And finally, just because she’s so damn cute, meet Tassie!