Hon Kyam Maher visits Kangaroo Island

We recently had the Honourable Kyam Maher and his family call in to visit Emu Ridge and listen to the issues we face within our business and  Kangaroo Island.

Kyam is the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation – Minister for Automotive Transformation – Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Member of Legislative Council, Australian Labor Party

His question was what 3 things would improve your business or Kangaroo Island? My answers were, we need improved infrastructure on the island and help in producing more raw product so that we can keep up supply and demand our our eucalyptus oil:

1. Improve our roads, if 4WD’s are not hired visitors are not allowed to drive on unsealed roads. This will increase our tourist numbers.
2. Upgrade the airport,  this will improve competition in the tourism industry with more affordable flights this in turn will increase our tourist numbers.
3. Produce more eucalyptus oil. By producing more oil we can cut out the imports, create more local jobs, which helps our economy, farming of our natural resources is better for the environment. See why buying local helps us here.
4. Larry has always been passionate about the exploitation of all of our natural resources and sustainable farming on Kangaroo Island and the need for more responsible land management. In the below picture Larry shows the Minister a wallaby skin and tells him the story of how 100,000 wallabies are culled every year on Kangaroo Island and left to rot in the ground feeding the flies and feral cats, such a waste. In 1993 Larry worked with Michelle Leather and Macro Meats to prove it was viable to utilise our Tammar wallabies and he later received a Winston Churchill fellowship in 1998 to study the production, marketing and utilization of native flora and fauna. Unfortunately nothing has changed, government departments agreeing it is wasteful and then nothing happens. One day things will change. But this is another story!  This link is a great read about Eating Australia’s Skippy equals Sustainable Farming

Natural resource, wallaby skin, our culled wallabies are all wasted and not utilized

Kyam is particularly passionate about ensuring that all South Australians are afforded the dignity that good, meaningful jobs provide, and that all South Australians are able to share in the opportunities and benefits this State offers. He has spoken on a wide range of issues including Aboriginal Affairs, equality, the importance of science in society, and the challenges facing regional and country communities.

Minister Kyam  his wife Carmel and their 3 boys enjoyed a lunch of local produce here  in our dining room at Emu Ridge consisting of local dips and sheep milk cheeses, Halloumi Cheese Entrée, and Mains, Fish and Chicken served with Suzanne Rose Potato Bake, Tretheweys steamed  broccoli and garlic and KI Honey roast carrots, local salad and Pudding and custard for dessert.

We hope the minister and his family enjoyed his time here and  lets hope his travels around the island has given him a  great insight of the view of local  Business’s.

Cheers Bev