Well, there goes another year!  It was quite a salutary one for those self funded retirees who are sprinkled quite liberally around the Mountain.  Many lost half or more of their worth in 2008 – as someone said – “It’s worse than divorce, because I’ve lost half my assets and still got the wife!”
Everyone is hoping that in 2009, recession doesn’t bite too hard into the earnings of those bloodied investments, and that eventually, it will all “come right” for the kids.

The gremlins got deeply into the system and Mt Mee News didn’t appear in the December “Grapevine”.  For once I can plead “Not guilty, your Honour.”  And if this edition is not quite up to date, it is because the column was written early – we plan to spend most of January in New Zealand.
Our grass season continues to be unparalleled – it has to be one of the best ever.
Here on Kalahari Downs we had a total of 1391mm (or over 56 inches) of rain for the year.  This might be less than some had, but for us it was just about perfect, with the dams filling to overflowing in January – (for the first time in years) and holding virtually all year, and a shower or two turning up each time that the ridges began to turn brown.  And the cattle look wonderful.
As I write though, there is a bit of Three-Day Sickness about, mostly mild, but there is a severe version too.  Remember that Toby St George of the CSIRO proved, (back in the days when CSIRO got its teeth into the practical problems besetting farmers), that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs given early really do help survival rates in severe cases.  They aren’t cheap, but it may be better to pay for a vet visit than to dispose of a number of carcases.
A dozen or so cattle owners with property near the Mt Mee State Forest conducted a coordinated feral dog baiting program late last year.  Bait uptake was generally very good and we hope that it is slowing the traffic between the forest and the cattle country on this side of the Mountain.
That Rod Thomas leg is at last healing properly, and although he has had pressing appointments with his day job after such a long lay-off, he has accounted for six more dogs since last report.  Ben Facy has at least seven more and the old Master Maroske has a few more notches in his belt too.  Steady pressure must pay off, but the reservoir of dogs seems bottomless!
I encourage everyone with an interest in wild dog issues to get the paper “Wild Dog Management in Queensland – an Issues Paper” from DPI or from Agforce and to fill in and return the questionnaire.  This is our chance to put the case for the allocation of a fair share of resources to coastal producers in the corridors of power.  To date our voice has been tiny compared with that of the western sheep men. We need to shout!
Paul Lucas, Deputy Premier, has advised me through Dorothy Pratt that the SE Qld Regional Plan is currently under review, aiming to “build on the vision, strategic direction, principles and policies of the existing plan, but will modify these to take into account changes in the region and its context, emerging issues, new regional strategies and evolving national and state policies”.  “Public consultation on the plan will run from December 2008 until March 2009.  Mt Mee residents will have the opportunity to put forward for consideration their ideas about Mt Mee’s position within the urban footprint” (Gulp).
Many of us are eager to be able to subdivide into 40-acre blocks.  This is our chance to speak out.
Almost 200 people attended the funeral held in the Hall for Joan Duncan, who passed away on New Years Eve at the age of 85 years.  Joan, like sister Margie Pedwell, was the daughter of Arthur and Kate Thomas.  She married Alf Duncan in 1946 and they farmed the family holding “Glen View”.  Alf predeceased Joan in 1996.
Joan is survived by daughter Lesley and son John, who farms “Glen View”.
There is some good news regarding some residents who have been flirting with our hospital system.  Joyce Knight has made an amazingly quick recovery and has had a few days examining roses on the Mornington Peninsula with Leigh and Dawn Juds.  Meanwhile Tom Thomason finally left hospital for home in mid November - complete with skin grafts and Don Pickering is enjoying a record spell at home. Madge Ford is home too after a spell of real hospital misery. She is still struggling a bit and we wish her a speedy recovery.
It is now ancient history that after months of planning and much last minute labour the 08 Carols on the Mountain event was rained out.  The carols evening in the Mt Mee Church was well attended and most enjoyable though – the highlights perhaps being the items from children from Mt Mee School and the singing of Silent Night by young Caitlin von Berky, (a Jeays grandaughter), to her own guitar accompaniment.  It is no surprise to learn that Caitlin is about to begin study at the Brisbane Conservatorium.
Hausmann Rd residents enjoyed the most extraordinary street Christmas party as they attempted to decorate the traditional roadside pine tree in some 40 knots of northerly breeze and intermittent rain.  Unoccupied resin chairs blew away!  If only we had known that it would be an occasion for medicinal rum rather than bubbly!  But it was fun – thanks to the three girls who organised it.
Finally, I can perhaps celebrate the beginning of another year of deadlines and “what can I write about” itis) with a little story of my great grandfather – Benjamin Wells. Ben was a character very much after my own heart - a pioneer, an adventurer, a naturalist, a historian, a scholar with a wonderfully crisp literary style and perhaps just a tiny bit MCP.  In 1878 he published his “The History of Taranaki”, which remains a current text on the early years on New Zealand and especially on the Maori Wars.  I note that he was also a very active Primitive Methodist preacher – a trait that failed sadly in the transition to my generation.
In 1874, at the age of 50, he was appointed as editor of the Taranaki Times, a position he held until his death in 1881. This is what he wrote about the opposition newspaper on one occasion when the state of his liver clearly overtook his Christian charity.
“ A dung cart happening to break down in front of the Budget office on Saturday last furnished the editor of that journal with ready materials for a paragraph.  Possibly this may account for the stercoraceous ( excrementitious - IDW) character of the materials pitchforked together in the Budget that day.  Similis simili gaudet.” (Translation: Like rejoices in like).
What our generation has lost, when in the 21st century we can only write –“What a load of crap!”