Rabbit Trucks

And it’s not only these so called educated bimbos who reckon it’s hip to speak in that manner!! Witness the people who email or text in some shortened version, left handed Braille, whatever you call it. At least in Kubricks Clockwork Orange you had a bit of a chance of deciphering it. I despair sometimes of what or rather how the next generation is going to manage. Predictive script I suppose via a palm held device. Glad I won’t be around to see it.

RE: completely incapable of speaking

have U kno eye represent th@
LOL

Speak n with u're mouth closed is abbo talk as they talk wih mouths closed
n az ewe kno n eye kno if U open mouth U get a mouth full of flies
LOL
cya

Brocky45,
Yes, the rabbit problem really was that bad in Australia in the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. European rabbits were introduced by early immigrants from England, maybe as early as with the "First Fleet" of settlers in 1788. The First Fleet also introduced the Prickly Pear cactus which by 1912 had been declared a noxious weed. Rabbits along with deer and several species of birds were introduced to "give the gentry game to hunt." Many species of plants, including several trees, gorse and blackberries were fine in their native Britain whereas in the warmer climate of Australia they soon became pests. camels were introduced with their handlers from Afganistan and Turkey, as the soft footed camels could cope much better than horses in the arid, sandy country of central and northern Australia. These camileers were colloquially known as "Afgans" and their work is acknowledged in the name of the passenger service on the main Australian north/south railway, "The Ghan". Camels escaped or were released when no longer needed and became feral pests. Ironically, we now export camels to Turkey. Over the years horses have escaped into the wild and even developed into their own breed, the Brumby. Wild goats have also become a pest. Excaped or abandoned cats and dogs have "gone feral" and become pests.
In the early 1920's the Cactoblastis moth was introduced to control the Prickly Pear.

And on speaking with ya rabbit trap shut, don't be fooled the calicivirus didn't kill off the rabbits, they got knocked for a massive six for a few years but HELLO they're baaaack. And ya can't Trap em, traps are illegal, you can feed em some of your own expensive you paid for not too poisonous bait, you can spend hours in the dark shooting (in may case - warning shots only) them or you can just enjoy watching them chew through the garden ring bark the fruit trees in the orchard and eat what sheep feed you have got, 6 rabbits to one sheep I think is the story. And for every one you see there are 10 you don't see. I have got them as bad now as when I came here 35 years ago. It was pretty good in the middle, relentless again now. Rabbits will become news items again when the fires stop being of interest.
Rant over.

Morris and Swishy
Thank you for the history lesson.. I enjoy learning more about your amazing country after only spending 2 weeks Down Under. The cattle station, east of Ayers Rock, where we ate lunch on our tour mentioned the feral camel problem with their stock.

Hi,

the Afgahns let their camels loose because the government bought in a tax per camel to try and make the new train line economically competitive and if a camel didn't have a 'tax disc' around its neck it was to be shot so they let them loose rather than have to kill them because they couldn't afford the tax disc.

Terry

When we bought this place 16 years ago, there were signs of past rabbit infestation. It took me several years to finally fill in the old warrens. Now the bastards are back, but more cunning this time. They have built their apartments under the concrete slab of my big shed.

No, can't have traps, don't have a gun license and the so called poison just seems to fatten them up. Don't get me wrong, I like rabbits, preferably slowly braised in onion gravy.

Rabbit drives were a fundraiser in south west Victoria late 1940's early 1950's.
Net two fences out from a corner in a large paddock, suspend netting on star
pickets to make the third side. Dogs, kids and folks to dig out the warrens as
the rabbits were driven towards the corner. Drop the netting then catch them.
Uncle had 1000 quid at 18 from rabbit skins in 1947. Not needed on the farm
so he shot, ferreted and trapped rabbits in the district. Carcasses were boiled
up in kero tins to feed pigs. Plenty still about. Paul.

Being a bit partial to the "underground mutton" myself, having head shot quite a few family meals when younger, happened to be in the goumet butchers here in Maryborough (the Vic. one) not all that long ago.
Asked he of the greasy apron, if he got any rabbits in. "Only on special order. Average rabbit goes for 16-18 dollars EACH".
I nearly fell over in shock! Used to go out when I was a kid and if you couldn't get half a dozen PAIR in a couple of hours, you weren't trying.
"Yeah, well, nowadays all rabbit meat has to go through the abbs (abbatoirs) after being inspected. Can't even buy a bush rabbit these days, all specially bred for meat. So if you tack on all the government control boards, petty officials etc etc, like lamb or beef, all it does is drive the price up".
Just as written above, old time farmer I knew years ago told me about how they would have the hare and rabbit drives in the Winchelsea district of Victoria. Used to be a big thing of a Sunday, go down to Winch on the morning train, with the kids, family, dogs, make a whole day of it. Told me it would be nothing to bag, skin and load out 5-600 PAIR, (rabbits always seemed to be sold in pairs for some reason, maybe big families could only afford rabbit and needed at least two to feed what would have been by todays standards. When I queried the amount, said no, that would have been an average day, nothing special. I also asked if at that rate they would have been in danger of depleting the numbers, NO, hardly made a dent in them..
There was a bloke wandering around this area (Central Vic.) not all that many years ago who had a truck painted up as a rabbit catcher, used to go onto the properties with ferrets and clean the warrens out. Haven't seen him around for a while, maybe the Calisi Virus thinned them out a bit at least around here, although still see quite a few on the roads of a night.
If you were only allowed to process them for dog tucker , maybe he reckoned it was no longer worth the effort.

Dave_64 wrote: If you were only allowed to process them for dog tucker , maybe he reckoned it was no longer worth the effort.

They would need to have had a few starts at Flemington before they would be allowed to be retired as dog tucker.

Terry