Thanks Sue for helping Lauren set up her Nursery

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

computer virus

I have just got over a very bad computer virus, which i think has been playing on my computer for a while.

it is a control centre virus, that takes over your computer, completely jams it up, and changes part s of windows.

I though i had lost everything,

there is no doubrt when you see it, emails stop, you cannot turn computer on or off, and then a command centre window comes up it has a shopping basket on the top left hand side, and wants you to buy the program, giving you the impression that it is a program up for renewal in the computer same as above

if you have any doubts, go to this website http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-control-center

go to the bottom of the page

where it says

rkill.com, and then malwarebytes down load these and you get rid of it, please do not open it, you do not need to pay for anything going through this site.

I hope i have not passed this onto anyone, if i have i appolagise.

My Heros

I am so proud of my husband and daughter Elyse.

During the day, my husband and ELyse also does mowing , landscaping etc, and this morning a man came to them during a job and asked them to do his lawn.

Naturally Rob 7 Elyse went over and started to do it.

The man in his 80's had a suspected heart attack about 2 weeks ago apparantly, but signed himself out of hospital.

Whilst Rob was talking to him, he noticed his eyes go so pale, and the blue in his eye s drain, the man seemed to stop talking, and although when Rob asked him how he was, he said he was ok, Rob, asked elyse to go in and ask the wife to call an ambulance, get a chair, which she did, Elyse told the wife to calm down, as she almost went into shock, meanwhile Rob settled the man, as he collapsed caught him, and saved him hitting his head, whilst Rob, was trying to care for the man, who at this stage was actually having a heart attack, Rob placed him into the right postions, etc, Elyse is dealing with the wife who completely lost it.

The ambulance came, and he was taken off, at that stage, he was coming in and out but the ambulance driver said if it was not for Robs quick thinking, the man would have most certainly been dead.

Elyse also, kept the sitaution at hand, and kept the lady as calm as she could whilst running back and forth to the house to assist Rob with the man, as they thought he had actually dropped dead.

I am very proud of them both

Seychelles Giant Tortoise

With the success of the export to Seychelles, I have now been asked to find a marketplace for some Giant tortoise babies.

How interesting, and i will look, there must be someone around that wants to make sure these beautiful creatures, thought to be extinct, until 1999.

Apparantly a breeding program has taken place in Seychelles, and now there are some tortoise babies for sale.

In the 19th century the first settlers arrived on Silhouette Island – the Dauban Family from Mauritius. Over the next few years they gradually acquired the whole island, and began cinnamon and coconut plantations. Unfortunately, a crash in the copra market at that time forced the family to mortgage the island.Silhouette is surrounded by a marine national park and some areas of the island have been designated as nature reserves. Ron and Gill Gerlach began the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles (NPTS) in 1996 to protect Silhouette.
Seychelles Giant Tortoise Conservation ProjectGiant tortoises inhabited Silhouette until the first explorers from Europe arrived in the 16th century. These enormous defenceless creatures were killed for their meat in vast numbers until by 1840 the only survivors were in captivity or inhabiting Aldabra, an isolated atoll in the south of Seychelles waters.

From then on it was believed that the only Indian Ocean giant tortoise species to survive was the Aldabran, a species often seen in zoos around the world. But in 1995 a strange looking tortoise in a hotel garden on Mahé was brought to the attention of The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles. Speculation that it might be a survivor of one of the extinct Seychelles species prompted a genetic study of tortoises in Seychelles. In March 1997 this study revealed that a few individuals of two "extinct" species survived, scattered amongst the captive groups of the Aldabran species.In July 1997 all the tortoises identified in the DNA study were acquired by The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles and brought to the breeding enclosures on Silhouette, under the care of Ron and Gill. Silhouette is housing the only breeding populations of these two "extinct" species.

The NPTS depends on the work of a small band of dedicated volunteers who do not have an international fund-raising organisation. Support and sponsorship are vital. After 150 years of "extinction" this conservation project offers a last chance of survival for the rarest animals on earth.Ron and Gill would be pleased to show you the Centre, talk to you about the Seychelles Giant Tortoise Conservation Project and introduce you to these charismatic giants.

these guys live to over 100 years old, with one female turtle is believed to have live to 176 years old, when she died at the Australia Zoo, (Steve Irwins).

Well another chellenge

Good morning Raelene
Trust all is well.
This is to let you know that the second shipment of Live Goats has been well received and delivered to consignee without any reservations.
We look forward to more business from your company during this year.
Thank you once again

Make a Smilebox photobook

Therese Badcock-RIP

To all who are familiar with the Australian show circuit, especially our major shows, would have met a lovely lady called Therese Badcock, her fiery red hair, and happy smile, would stand out over the crowd.
Therese is from Tasmania, her large stud called Serena Lodge, wither the support of her daughters and grand children, she ran over 400 alpacas, concentrating on suris.
Therese was diagnosed in early December with Lung Cancer, and travelled to Melbourne for an operation, which after Xmas, was given a good prognosis, after going back home to Tasmania, she devloped complications, and passed away yesterday morning.
I am unsure of her age, but i think she was only about 55.
Therese and i were heavily involved in the setting up of the Ultrafine Bale, and also GIFT, and was valuable in helping to set up this project, which long term will see all countries being able to benefit and being able to sell the ultrafine fleeces, which will be a great asset world wide.
As i spoke with Paul Valelly last night, as he said this is also her legacy, as we were so dedicated in moving this project forward, as we can see the World industry of alpaca farming, needs to start producing the super and ultra fine fleeces, and the marketplace and the end result is set up so the grower has more say, and returns from this project.
It is still in it's infancy, and still there is a lot to do, but without the efforts of the orginal people that have supported Paul with his quest, Therese and myself, this project would never be off the ground.
Thank you Therese for your help, your dedication, and your friendship
It is with a very sad heart i pass this news onto you

2010

Like a new day dawning, a new year begins.

Although i am glad to see the end of 2009, and looking forward to a fantastic year in 2010, when i overlook the year of 2009, i realise the changes that occurred in our lives.
2009 was really a year of change...changes that will affect our own lives for years to come.
The year started off on a bright note, of our eldeest son Andrew becoming Engaged to his fiance Leesa, a lovely girl, and we all were so happy for these two.
Lauren thought she had met a nice guy, but this guys true colours showed through very early in the piece and it was not to be.
She is now pregnant with er first child, our first grandchild due in Febuary. She is now looking forward to being a good mum, and has moved back home so the stories i hear of a grandparent handing the baby back, i see myself, typing in future one handed whilst i will have a baby on my lap.
But we support our gorgeous daughter and her new son, Jesse Robert.
Daniel and hannah are very settled, and Daniel excelled so well in his apprenticeship, he completed two years of study in one year and was the only one in his class to pass.
For a guy that hated school in his early days, now has found his forte and just loves plumbing, and we are so proud of him.
Elyse the story of out with the old and in with the new, she said goodbye to one guy, who was not making her happy, and the new guy in her life Josh, has made so happy, she and Josh and his brother grant are currently away on her very first holiday that has nothing to do with work, she tells me no alpacasno goats and no sheep for two weeks, she has gone to Broken hill, camping, and has seen plenty of goats on the side of the road so far.
Rob & I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary, and although we hate the feeling of growing old, we are still much in love with each other as the day we met.
So the Home front, although we have our ups and downs is great.

I will always love my alpacas, but politics in the alpacas at times can be just too much.

After almost 20 years of being bogged down with alpaca politics, is too much.


If only people in this industry put all the efforts they put in to gossipping and causing problems for others, put those energies into promoting our Industry, ca you imagine how better this industry would be.n


I realise it is everywhere, you go to other countries, and there are also politics over in their assocs, but we just do not need it.



My time these days, all day is spent in front of the computer, although now with this new contract i have i venture to the airport to load the animals at least once a week.
With one week, completely monopolising the whole of the victorian AQIS staff, as I had three shipments go off in two days.
So this little lady, self taught in the export game, is now one of the biggest Victorian live animal exporter, (by air) sitting in her little office.
So bogged down with trying to sort out problems others insist on covering up...i had to move on.


I discovered there is a world outside my office, and the world wants our alpacas, but also Australia's goats, sheep, cattle, camels, & buffalo.


So i had to research again into these other species, to extend my licence. I have spent the majority of the year, opening protocols for different countries. Originally for alpacas to Canada, which saw the first of three shipments that have gone to Canada, Adele, one of my favourites also went to canada.

ROb and I went to Canada to see the first lot of alpacas to exit the canadian side of the quarantine. 3 weeks in Canada opened my eyes to another world.

I look at all the websites now from overseas, and the facebook, and hear how cold it is in places, and i now can see the hardships you guys go through supporting animals in the cold snow. We have the opposite extremes here, with the excessive heat, but wow, it is hard in the weather that you guys in europe and north america russia, and parts of China experience.

We sent the first group of white suffolk sheep to China, saw a few hurdles, which meant changing some parts of protocols, which was not easy with China, but from this one group, there are now orders for 15,000 white suffolk sheep, which will be a huge advantage for white suffolk breeders.

This one shipment was seen one that would not go,

Persistance, and huge obstacles to overcome, and finally they were off. This experience taught me alot when dealing with other countries that do not speak english, other cultures, their beliefs, and how they do business, relate to directions, etc, is so different to how Australians see things, so i learnt alot through this experience.

Being the new exporter on the block on the big scale of things, means i do not get the easy joibs, i seem to get the too hard basket, exports no other exporter wants to do.

Allinvolving changing or creating protocols.

You do not get paid for opening a protocol, and so about 6 months hard work, for what. but i see this opportunity to prove myself to others and also, opening up new marketplaces for other species, gives us the chance to introduce alpacas to countries trhat never heard of them.

Since we have not only been to China, but russia, Seychelles, and Malaysia, with sites on Thailand and Taiwan.

Again, different cultures, different ways, and interpretations, all have taught me huge amount of knowledge.

Giving me experinces that no one probably could teach me.

Still on the EU's back about opening up direct eexports, and hopefully one day this will happen.

I have learnt through dealing in other species, how valuable an exporter is to these industries, and sheep and goat people show me appreciation for asisting them in selling their products overseas, and creating these new marketplaces.

Respect and appreciation i have not seen in the alpaca world.

alpacas will always be my one love.

A beautiful ultrafine, lustrious fleece, is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

A new born alpaca and watching them bloom into this beautiful animal, and also the love they show back to us.

But there is life with others as well as alpacas, and at the moment has opened my eyes to a larger world.

We have also established our own boer goat herd now, and i have a permanant weekly contract now, with the largest importer from Malaysia.

New years Daw saw Rob and i again talking business with future partners, and if all goes to plan, 2010 will be a great year.

We look forward now in 8 weeks time also welcoming Jesse. so a new year is dawning, and a whole year of new opportunities arise. Rob is busily preparing the farm now for our new venture.

Vallons Quest,

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This guy is one of my favourites, measured at 12 microns, his fleece is so so soft to handle, and is as light as a feather, he is growing out very nicely.
Some of these photos were taken in winter, and our red soil can stain the fleeces.
One of our future herdsires

My suster collects snowmen

Make a Smilebox greeting

When we went to Canada, susan, my sister said plese buy me a snowman from Canada, everywhere we went, we asked have you any snowmen, and everyone looked at me as if to say why would you want a snowman.
Well, we foiund 1 snowman in all of canada, but susan has a lovely collection as you can see