GRONG GRONG AND NARRANDERRA Areas
It is 4.30am Friday morning and I’m awake early to get ready to head off to Tocumwal to “North Tuppal Station” to a big sheep shearing exhibition. There will be a 72 stand shearing shed operating with approximately 300 workers in the shed including roustabouts, wool pressers, etc . This will be an amazing thing to see. I have been invited to go to speak with school aged students and the organisers are estimating there could be as many as 2.000 students there today. As I was riding to Mirrool the other day a car pulled up with three people from the Berrigan area. They invited me to come across today and utilise the opportunity to speak with young people about ride4acure. I’m figuring I will meet students from area’s that I will be going to as I ride further south.
The sun has been shining since Tuesday after a week of rain for me and the horses, as I’ve travelled through the Central West and into the Riverina. It has been a significant change in the season watching this rain cause a flush of new growth with both crops and pasture. Many dams are full now for the first time in years, the table drains still brimming with water. People all over saying this is the best start to winter for more than a decade which is good to hear when things have been so tough for so many for so long.
On Tuesday I visited both Narranderra Public School (Years 5 & 6) and Grong Grong Public School, whole school presentation. I have to say Grong Grong School has a total of 10 students total! This great little school created a lovely healthy lunch and invited community members to attend and raised over $180 for ride4acure.
I had been staying with an old friend I’ve known for just on thirty years Mick Batchelor or ‘Batch’ as we know him, from Grong Grong and his family. ‘Batch’ is my brother Mick’s best mate and it’s been fantastic to catch up, not to mention being on the receiving end of some outstanding cooking. Batch makes his own bread, fantastic soups and cooks the best lamb roast! It was hard to leave yesterday!
On Wednesday my son Joe flew from Port Macquarie to Wagga Wagga to be with me for a week which is so good. I miss my family like crazy. Seeing him walk off the plane yesterday was brilliant. I had to pick up more horse feed while I was in Wagga Wagga. I have been sponsored by Mitavite for my horse feed and stocked up while I could. I was surprised to find out that Narranderra doesn’t have a produce store anymore.
On Wednesday night I was invited to be guest speaker at Narranderra Rotary Club and was made to feel most welcome. There was a group of a couple of dozen Rotarians present and we enjoyed a very delicious meal at the “Newell Motel” out on the highway to Hay and then I gave a presentation of ride4acure to the group. The club and individual members very generously gave a donation of over $460 on the night which is incredibly generous.
Yesterday morning Thursday Joe and I rode the horses into Grong Grong Public School to show the students the pack horse loaded up and to meet the horses. It was awesome to see the delight on the kids faces to meet, pat and feed the horses some treats (carrots and apples they’d bought to school especially!)
I am now in Boree Creek and will be having a “rest up” here til next Wednesday to spend some time with Joe, and spell my horses, who are so incredibly tired. I will be in Tocumwal today for the shearing expo, Grong Grong tomorrow for a Barrel Racing day, Monday will be taking horses to Boree Creek School. Next Wednesday Joe will be going back to Kempsey by plane from Wagga Wagga and after that I will be visiting Lockhart Central School for two presentations to both Primary and High School students. I will then on Thursday ride from Boree Creek to Lockhart and show the horses to the students on Thursday afternoon before on Friday riding across to Urana and begin the journey down into Victoria and crossing the Murray River via Berrigan.
Reception has been a little dodgy for me with my little computer and dongle making it tricky to get online and put entries on the blog. I am reliant on mobile phone for wireless broadband reception to keep the website up to date and am again out of range here in Boree Creek. The trick I am doing today is to write it up save it and when I’ll be in range later on today I will put it up!
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Note also the nosebags the horses eat out of on the trek were made for me about ten years ago by Suzie Argue from Silver Dollar Saddlery of Kempsey when we were travelling the Junior Rodeo Circuit when Hannah and Esther we’re just starting out campdrafting and barrel racing. 
