Beef Week: The Hangover
And a cultural subset of it's own.
Firstly, Happy Mother’s Day. Be it a mum it a mum with children, or someone trying to be a mum, someone who’s lost their mum or who misses their Mum in life - I think of t you all in this day. This poem about Mothers touched me this week. Thank you TC.
And now for a deconstruction of the week that was……
To step outside of your comfort zone. It never feels great does it? I was trepidatious about Beef Week, I felt an imposter. I am not a beef farmer and I am not from QLD. ‘Beef Week is awesome,’ they all said. It did not land.
Until I landed. At the airport, I was introduced to a girl who worked on the same West Australian station as my sister. I was on the grounds no longer than five minutes before I ran into one of my old work colleagues. This made things feel better.
And so it continued, people popping out of the ether everywhere. My learning: stepping into new waters, out of your bubble, is always a good thing. We know this but we forget, we let the discomfort get in the way.
I was educated in so many social and cultural hinges of rural QLD this week. Hats, and their cultural nuance was one of the more fascinating. Once home, my offsider here, Thea Harrington and I debriefed and she taught me even more through this week’s, ‘Dispatch From The North’ - I am definitely a ‘factory brim’ girl, I’ve never had a hat shaped to my ‘style’ and it seems I’m not the only one. From now on Hats will be shaped.
Fashion was another phenomenon. The ladies of Beef Week walked a catwalk of their very own. I want to explore this - who can I interview about women’s fashion in the bush, specifically station women? Tell me. It’s definitely a style of it’s own and needs more airtime. I saw multiple women in Aje, Chanel and Louis Vuitton - I didn’t even know about Axel Mano (Err, I just edited this from Axel Malino - case in point). It strengthens my resolve that country women’s, rural people’s brilliance is no longer deterred by distance - it is not second class, insubstantial - rather an outstanding subset of our Australian culture that’s increasingly asserting itself on the national and global stage. Sounds hefty I know, but we are getting there, we are there.
This edition of Company on Sunday is brought to you by Agrifocused.
Dispatch From The North
With Thea Harrington
Hats are not an accessory. They are extension of your body. Your hat is an insight into your character.
I haven’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s definitely more than sun protection, well in the north it is anyway. When you walk out the door, you grab your wide brim hat. Not a question, a given. Even my four year old feels naked without his hat. And even his $99 wool blend hat has a custom bash, just the way he likes it, and usually with the biggest feather he can find poked into the black ribbon band.
Brim, shape, colour and bash can tell you a lot about a person.
Beige and simple; you’re understated and no frills.
Navy or caramel; you’re oozing with personality. So too, a custom band with a little bit of flair.
Maybe your brim is low at the front with a curl at the back; rodeo man.
Black, well you know what they say about cowboys in black hats. Yellowstone, John Dutton, need I say more.
Maybe you’ve forgone the beaver XXXXX or the wool blend and gone a designer straw; practical yet fashionable.
My father in law has worn the same style of hat for as long as I can remember. Same colour, same bash. He has two on rotation; a work one and a good one. When the good one gets sloppy he moves it down the line to a work hat. When his beloved “overseer” ceased production he bought the last 3 in the country and squirrelled them away. He’s not interested in finding another style. This is his signature style.
I can pick him in the crowd a mile away, even from his silhouette against a setting sun at a Campdraft, because of his hat.
He always said when he runs out of hats, he’ll have to retire. He’s on his last one now. It makes me a little sad.
I have friends and neighbours that I cannot recognise without their hats. See them down to the Main Street, no problem. See them dressed up at a ball or cocktail function and I’m wracking my brain to remember their names. They look naked. It doesn’t feel right.
A dear friend of my friend, Saz produced an old photograph the other day of three young men yarning from the top rail of the yards. I didn’t know these men back in their youth, but I know them as older gentleman and I can tell exactly who they are by their hats.
People ooze their personalities in lots of different ways. For some it’s cars, or shoes, or handbags. But I can almost guarantee for anyone living north of the Tropic of Capricorn in this country, their hat will give you a fairly good insight into who they are before they have even opened their mouth.
Podcast Playlist
Very excited to she how Farm Life Psych evolves. Congratulations Steph!
Also picked up some new, slightly left of field podcasts this week.
The Data Farmer: by a lovely couple - Sam and Kirsty White from Bald Blair Angus who I met at a networking drinks. A brilliant example of marketing directly to your audience to deepen loyalty and engagement.
And I listened to 6 Beers with Hinto and Staff (thanks for the recommendation CT). It’s quite blokey but episode with Pauline Hanson was really interesting. Also Sir Graham McCamley, founder of the Cattlemans Union.
A place to call home with Sam Fryer: A podcast helping the youth of agriculture work towards owing land. Liked this one with Hamish Brett of Brett Cattle Company.
Lay your eyes on these Instagram accounts
Be ready - my handbag is full of new retail business cards - there’s going to be a lot of QLD content - but gauging by the way these women dress and accessorise - I think we all need to have a bit of what’s she having.
@the_teatowel_dress_co || @chase_and_hide || @claragcreative || @jf_hides || @beltera_ - stunning hats || @silverbydiamond || @duskonthedowns - for linen shirts and dresses || @thecowboyscloset.com.au - trucker caps || @littlewindmillclothingco
This pile of things to read
NSW woman sets world record for eight-hour shearing of merino sheep. This was carried out at my friends shed in Cassilis, NSW.
Kaleb from Clarkson’s Farm speaks with the Victorian Country Hour.
Cattlemen ditch horses for E-scooters in Rockhampton and come off worse for wear.
Away from the bush:
Why I love watching home renovation videos. Via Primer.
And this divine ‘Paddington Bear inspired house’.
The EOFY is looming - does that make you squirm a bit?
The Agrifocused’ Farm Budgeting Masterclass might be a help.
Carmen Quade is the woman behind Agrifocused, she’s also a mum of 5 and CFO to the family farm business. I regard her as an excellent operator, I learnt a lot from in our Daily Routines chat last year, so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, I urge you to check it out.
Thank you for being here readers. There are lots of newbies this week, welcome! I love having you here.
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Until next week, S xxxx