00:00We're having reports of around 12,000 head that's been lost so far, but we really won't
00:08know until the floodwaters start going down, whether those cattle have been lost or they're
00:16just, they've floated downstream a little bit. So once we know when the water starts
00:23to recede, we'll be able to find that out for sure. At this stage, the choppers in those
00:29areas are only just sort of getting up in the last couple of days because of the rainfall
00:35and hopefully that is clearing today. Although that we do, we'll have more floodwaters through
00:41the system come through. Neighbouring towns like Ewan and that have had decent rainfall
00:47in the last couple of days. So that will come down unfortunately on top as the water recedes
00:53and moved north. So to the north of that Dewy Creek, Richmond area will also be, the floodwaters
01:02will get there and we'll have a problem there as well. To be able to get as soon as we can
01:06and get to be able to sling fodder out to those livestock or be able to get into the air to
01:12move stock from flooded areas to higher areas. He's paramount. But the state government,
01:20the premier was on the ground with one of his ministers pretty much straight away. I know the
01:27state ag minister is heading out that way later in the week and we're able to get into the prime
01:34minister's office to be able to get the prime minister to sign off on some flood relief money
01:40straight away to be able to do those operations to get some fodder to those stocks, the stock that
01:48have got to higher ground. People do try and compare this to 2019. It's a little bit different
01:54to 2019. While in some areas it's just been a really good start to the wet season, in other
02:02places it's absolutely devastating. So, you know, those areas that are flooded and that's where all
02:08the rivers seem to converge out west, that's the worst of it. And some of those areas are higher
02:15than 2019. You know, these guys live and breathe that environment. They live and breathe their stock.
02:22So to see their stock in any sort of peril is devastating to these guys. But yeah, we really
02:29won't know until the waters start receding enough to see what damages to the fences,
02:37where and what stock losses are until the waters, you know, recede a fair way.
02:42We cover a lot of territory out here. So some of these guys have got, you know, 5,000, 10,000
02:48head of stock or more. And so it's harder to manage and get, even though we know the rain,
02:57the heavy rain is coming and there's potential of flooding. It's just such a vast area and vast
03:03numbers of stock that there's not much you can do about it. Hopefully that they get to higher ground
03:09or you can cut some fences, open some gates for them to be able to get to that higher ground.
03:16But the danger then is if they get up to higher ground and the rain hits at night and the wind picks
03:22up, they get exposure from, from actually getting out of the water. So there's, there's so many
03:27factors that come into play at this time and during these type of floods.
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