As of 2pm tomorrow (17th Aug 2023)

[Die Judicii]

Well, tomorrow we drive out of our property for the last time. Sold up,,,, and as of 2pm we become official “townies” Sad in a lot of ways, but a relief in others. At least now I’ll be able to spend even more time hunting.

[JohnV]

That is sad but you do get to a point it's all too much and you can't take care of it anymore . My brother has a property in WA and he is 77 now and has to keep clearing firebreaks and fixing fences etc. It's going to kill him . He has a mountain of trucks and machinery and tractors half of them are scrap but he won't sell anything . His wife is an invalid and if he dies she will end up unable to look after herself .
At some point we all have to take rational steps to make life easier and easier on the one that is left to go it alone .

[Noisydad]

It’s a big step that’ll take some getting used to and may even cause you some hurt. I know coz I had to make the hard decision and sold my family farm that had been in the fam for 135 years just before the millennium drought kicked into high gear and wiped out 83% of the dairy farms in the area. It resulted all manner of long term family disruption that I still won’t forgive certain capital city based siblings for.
Be kind to yourself.

[JohnV]

It’s a big step that’ll take some getting used to and may even cause you some hurt. I know coz I had to make the hard decision and sold my family farm that had been in the fam for 135 years just before the millennium drought kicked into high gear and wiped out 83% of the dairy farms in the area. It resulted all manner of long term family disruption that I still won’t forgive certain capital city based siblings for.
Be kind to yourself.

That reminds me of something a farmer friend Nevill , at Mungindi told me . He said , John the worst mistake I ever made was sending all my kids off to private school education . I asked why ? He said because they all have high paid jobs now in the city and no one wants to run the farm . One of the great disappointments of my life was not being born a farmers or graziers son .
I hate the stinking city with a vengeance and would have stayed on the farm through hell and high water . Half the reason for my declining health has been the negatives I have suffered from having to leave the bush where I was happy and move to the city for work reasons and had a wife and daughter to look after . Financially we are better off but I am unhappy .

[Wallaby stew]

I'm recovering from major surgery but luckily one of my sons loves working on the farm or we'd be thinking about selling. Life would never be the same, our vegie patch, our dogs, our horses, our neighbours that watch out for us.
Hopefully we can hold out a bit longer.
I hope your move is a positive change and you benefit from it.

[Die Judicii]

Yeah, thanks for the positive comments you blokes. I’ll definitely enjoy the good parts of living in town even tho I’ll miss badly the ability to just step outside the back door and sight in a rifle. I will however still be hunting the wild dogs, and will still post pics of my successes.

[JohnV]

I'm recovering from major surgery but luckily one of my sons loves working on the farm or we'd be thinking about selling. Life would never be the same, our vegie patch, our dogs, our horses, our neighbours that watch out for us.
Hopefully we can hold out a bit longer.
I hope your move is a positive change and you benefit from it.

That is one of the things I really miss , good friendly neighbors . Even when I was just a station hand the neighbors would come over for dinner and we would go shooting together , go fishing together , go into town as a group for dinner . I have tried my ass off to make friends in the city but it just never happened , most just want to use you up and then when you need a hand they dump you . There is good people out there I was just not lucky enough to have them local . One cattle station I worked on there was long irrigation channels just next door and they went right along the edge of the state forest . I could just walk along the bank and get pigs anytime I wanted . I really miss that .

[Die Judicii]

Definitely,, I noticed that many years back,,, City people are a breed of animal all on their own. And quite often not having the attributes of country folk. You only have to take a ride on a bus or a metropolitan train and see all the city slickers “hiding” behind their newspapers so they can’t see you or have to talk to you,,, to figure it all out.

[snag]

Heart goes out to you mate. Just starting the process myself - now full-time carer for my wife, so going to have to move to a smaller place because I can't look after her and the farm on my own. Started trying to empty sheds, how did I accumulate so much stuff in one lifetime? Soul destroying, hey?

[Die Judicii]

Heart goes out to you mate. Just starting the process myself - now full-time carer for my wife, so going to have to move to a smaller place because I can't look after her and the farm on my own. Started trying to empty sheds, how did I accumulate so much stuff in one lifetime? Soul destroying, hey?

Yep,,,, Soul Destroying is an understatement.
However, I think I only just made the move myself in the nick of time.
Since the move,,, my general well being and fitness has suddenly taken a nose dive. Old age is a bastard when it catches you.

Probably also a good time to get out seeing as old El "Meano" is now about to envelope all of us again.

Best wishes to you and yours Mate.

[johnblackpigs]

What a great lot if genuine experiences expressed here . All vakud and mostly all sad as to the changing social values. The goal posts have moved many times for most of us oldies, ( now 81) and it's difficult to understand the " new" values of today. Basically, the essentials of life don't change ,it's just the perception of what is of value. Thus is driven ,as always, by outside influences and people not resisting government agendas. Enough said. Stay strong and respectful.