What I Stand For

Since leaving CSIRO to supervise my daughter’s distance education, I have taken an active roll in our small superfine wool & beef cattle enterprise, introducing goats for weed control and guard dogs for protection. Before the fires burnt down our dog fences and turned our pasture to soot, our small flock produced wool attracting placings in the first ten of the national Zegna fleece competition for Italian ultra and superfine wools.


I was active in researching and costing wild dog impacts triggering something be done about wild dogs escaping public managed land. Involved in holding a National Wild Dog Summit in Wodonga in 2002, instigation of the Brindabella Wee Jasper wild dog fox cooperative management program on March 2001 stemming the rate of forced destocking and loss of wildlife by the inflow of dogs from public land. NSW now has 70 such programs following the BWJ model. The ecology and farming has benefited from taking out 1500 exotic aggressive predators dogs, foxes, pigs and cats. They could eat in excess of 250t pa wildlife kangaroo to frogs and or with a possible 60 000+ wallaby killed pa if they were available.

We hope to save the few swamp wallaby left and see the return of echidna a favourite dingo food. Wombats, wallaby and kangaroo are only found in the grazed lands given some relief from dog predation. Dogs, pigs, foxes work together to kill off wildlife then fat lambs, wool, beef calves. Over in Tumbarumba dingoes are reported to even eat grapes. They certainly eat and spread blackberry seed as do foxes. Dingo types are setting and threatening people even on horse back so are unacceptable escapes on to farms in singles or packs. Dingoes also carry diseases on farm affecting people, wildlife and livestock.


Yass RLPB is unique employing some of Australia’s most experienced professional pest animal controllers in demand for contract work to other boards when we can spare their services from our rate payers. I have worked with dog affected families across NSW & N Vic for 10y to attract funding continuity and policy change for integrated pest management. In Orange 7.6.06 I with several other RLPB personnel called a meeting of dog affected RLPBs across NSW forming a State wide Committee to progress the issue on various fronts and coordinate effort dealing with dingo escapes and domestic ferals. Authorities now have access to people that know pest animals across the state and interstate and are familiar applying integrated best practice control methods. Our staff and our family have been working with scientists for well over 25y forever looking for better opportunities to solve problems.





I believe I can empathise with large & small operations geared to plant or animal production. My personal readings and interests include wildlife and ecology, use of draught horses, rare breeds and seeds conservation, hydroponics, aquaponics, Asian vegetable and fruit production, permaculture, organic & sustainable agroforestry farming systems. I have bred, trained, acted as show and competition judge for Percheron horses holding positions of vice president, keeper of the stud book and secretary of the national breed society. Wild dogs and bushfires, poor income and family obligations have disrupted my personal pursuit of these activities to a higher degree however I support many new rural residents applying their skills and resources to reinvent Australian farming and rural living. It is an exciting time for our families of we can attract oppropriate support to advance Australian agriculture.


I believe with my research background, empathy with people, plants and animals production and health, I can make contributions on behalf of our rural communities and customers, to a significant level on rural issues including work place efficiencies, pest animals, animal health and welfare, management of biodiversity security on Travelling Stock Reserves, water catchment management. I thank you for your strong support last election and hope I have made significant headway on behalf of you, your family and community.


Pest Animals

With ratepayers support what I would like to continue the work started on suppression of pest animals. I believe with more sub division and closer settlement of Yass RLPB our concerns and methods of pest control will have to be reinvented for new circumstances. We are conducting talks with pest controllers in regard to humane pest animal traps and what services and support we can give our new ratepayers. Our established ratepayers have sent back survey forms on the efficiency of the latest coordinated fox control. We are looking at new baits and evaluating them. People suffering rabbit problems have choices of biological controls, fumigation, Pindone and or removal of harbour. There are other options being discussed and resources sort.


There has been a major change in land use in the Wee Jasper dog and fox control program area and this will bring a new wild dog interface. We are watching this situation carefully and are trying to head off any implications. A guard llama trial is in progress as another line of defence. Various other control strategies are being looked at in conjunction and cooperation with other agencies. I will continue my support and guidance there.

Travelling Stock Routes

I have a very strong respect for our travelling stock reserve system and the place of grazing as a means of securing biodiversity. TSRs uses past present and future. The debt and gratitude we have for this legacy up held by ratepayers contributions for over 100y. I will continue to campaign the retention of TSRs and better understanding of why they are some of the nations best examples of native biodiversity. I will continue to work with other members of the RLPB system, drovers and bushmen that understand the environments, perhaps better than many in the formal scientific fields. I will be working to educate and open the eyes of scientists to the Australian ecology through our bushman’s eyes and our vital multicultural land management history. A knowledge base that has cared for our forests, rivers, native species. We have to guide the new uses and applications of our TSRs in good faith with our long history. We have much to contribute to methods of active conservation with a proven track record to demonstrate our methods are valid and timeless.


Stock routes bushfire, water catchment & biodiversity.In the horrific 2003 Snowy Bushfires the fires sweeping through Canberra, her forests, water supply and countless farms, these fires were stopped on the grazed green Broken Cart Stock Route. Grazing worked, where modern fire fighting methods failed, protecting 200 000ha of biodiversity in Kosciuszko national park safe on areas grazed green by horses, cattle and wildlife. The only non polluted rivers draining the Snowy were catchments grazed recently. Grazing animals saved the sphagnum bogs from being burnt beyond recognition. Performance is a clear indicator.


Human Resources

We have formed a human resources sub Committee at Yass RLPB to assist staff with assisting ratepayers. There are many more demands on ratepayers with drought, rising costs, those new to the job of rural life. We hope this will help us work smarter and identify new needs to service ratepayers concerns.


Animal Health & Welfare

My old profession has had a rest however I try and keep abreast of needs in this area. It is getting more complex as Government is expecting more of farmers and with drawing services of vet labs and research stations. There is a looming crisis about access to large animal vets. The animal welfare lobby has some concerns which need validation and may exacerbate the shortage of veterinary services by the new legislation being put through parliament presently. Farmers generally are very adept at performing basic animal health tasks and many are more experienced than trained vets by the very nature of their through put. It is naïve to think farmers given proper support are not capable of performing humanely and professionally many basic animal husbandry tasks. In many cases their animals familiar with their handlers are more at ease than with a vet that may appear once in their life. Cattle sheep horses goats dogs etc. form strong bonds with farmers. When children or adults are sick, need surgery they want someone they know and trust, a fact over looked by the animal welfare lobby trying to sally farmers competence and professionalism.


Australian farmers are world leaders in their field including biodiversity retention and animal welfare. We are determined to retain that lead and I will continue making representations through the RLPB system on behalf of animals and their owners.


The droughts, wild dogs, bushfire, cost squeeze, public ignorance has had implications for animal health and welfare. I will be looking to support animal owners in every way possible putting my practical knowledge, professional background and contacts to the challenges.


One area as director on the future Yass RLPB is looking to improve board policies to support circuit sale stock transfer.


Other Matters

As mentioned there are social aspects to farming and I am working with NSW Farmers, State Council, Rotary and Local area Health staff to put on a mental health workshop for farmers suffering from the effects of drought, poor commodity returns, barrage of legislation, loss of rural services, lack of political voice, the trauma of wild dog attack, bushfire, and how we should try to deal with such stressors as individuals, as family, as communities. We may try and formalise an informal support network we have in place across NSW and N Vic on some common issues.


Last But not Least

There is a certain "rugger bugger" culture in the RLPB system in NSW that are there for the good times and has brought the systems relevance under question. While I cannot be considered a wowser, many directors across NSW see the RLPB system as having a far greater potential than just a junket for middle aged men wanting to shut the meeting down and head for the club. We have farming communities old and new with needs. I have no need of being a RLPB Director for a social junket or ego trip so I am there to make RLPBs seriously relevant!

My aim, if you the rate payers decide to re-elect me back to the board, is to streamline the ability for each and everyone of you to be able to contact me directly. To achieve this, there will be the ability to get to me expeditiously via this site’s e-mail attributes.

In this manner, I will be able to have immediate knowledge of the issues you individually wish me to consider and address through the board and I will also be able to have a dialogue, both individually and collectively with you all.

Further and most importantly, I will have a record of not only your concerns, but also an extremely important and collative expose’ to back up my addresses to the board at meetings etc, which will not only enhance the issues themselves, but give essential weight and credence to such issues. In this manner true representation can be achieved and should go a long way to negating any agenda driven refutation of some very serious issues the board has to consider.

Email Noeline at: snowywatch@gmail.com

To download this must read of Noeline's interview with Andrew Dawson on Wild Dogs in PDF format, click here

For more information about the Rural Protection Board visit their website
www.rlpb.org.au