By Kendrea Rhodes

Australia has long been known as a country with strict quarantine laws. Laws designed to prevent the introduction of human, animal or plant diseases and pests. These laws have served us well in escaping many crises, such as rabies, foot and mouth, and fire blight - until now. If we could turn back time, we’d say no to rabbits, cane toads, foxes and blackberries; so orchardists Australia wide are asking, why are we saying yes to fire blight now?

Story by Kendrea Rhodes

How often do you drift off in thought while doing things you’ve done every day, not really mindful, nor present in that moment? Perhaps it happens to you when you are driving, showering, cooking, ironing, gardening or watching something. It happens to everyone and it’s actually not that easy to live in the moment and observe everything that is happening right now, especially when we all seem to have so much to do these days.

Photos and story by Kendrea Rhodes
Pictured: Damon Hill and Kurt Waterman.

You don’t have to go far in Springton to be on a dirt road. The people who live there love that relative isolation and many have moved in search of a more peaceful lifestyle. In summer the countryside is dry, but after a wet winter, the grass lays in mats of green, pooling around the weathered stony outcrops like perfectly lain carpet. The odd gum tree, surrounded by grazing livestock, adds to the utterly ‘paintable’ scene.