by Cootharaba Beef Genes
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20 Nov, 2019
Cattlemen the world over, be they men or women, recognise and embrace the stock management and marketing skills of others. And the book, Cattlemen in Pearls, started out as just an idea by Ian and Anne Galloway of Cootharaba Beef Genetics, to give public recognition to some of the unsung heroes of the bush – our women. “We had a wonderful team of five authors, Annabelle Brayley, Tracey Hartmann, Paula Heelan, Claire Mactaggart, and Amanda Salisbury, all of whom are country women and took on their role with such enthusiasm,” Anne said. Anne said they made a list of 28 cattle women, last November. “We wanted to launch this book at the Ekka, and we didn’t want to give our authors a big workload,” she said. “A lot of these women were people that Ian had grown up with, plus there are a lot of younger women coming through the ranks and we thought they needed to be acknowledge. “All Ian and I really wanted, was for these stories to be documented, as they all are different and have vitally and we didn’t want these ladies lost in history.” “Our niece Tracy Hartmann was one of the authors, and she did a brilliant job a the project manager, while Bev Ryan was the editor, and Elspeth Barker the graphic designer.” “We wanted an abstract front cover, and it was painted by Roma artist Sandra Allen.” Anne said the project has been a dream to work on, and the finished product is far more than they imagined. “It is a beautiful book, and Ian an I have got so much satisfaction in knowing we have made some families very happy,” she said. The book was launched by ABC Landline presenter Pip Courtney at the Ekka High Tea Charity Fundraiser. The fundraiser focuses on helping and educating rural youth, by raising funds to support the teaching and learning program of three western Queensland Schools of Distant Education; otherwise known as the Western Alliance. The event also showcased an Ekka Fashion Parade, as well as traditional High Tea, Silent Auction and Raffle. The book is available through the Cattlemen in Pearls Facebook page and retails at $40/copy. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cattlemeninpearls