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Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [5.03 p.m.]: Mr Acting-Speaker, it is a great privilege to have you in the chair at this time. Tonight I wish to refer to a week in the life of people in the Murray-Darling electorate. Mr Acting-Speaker, on many occasions you and your lovely wife, Trudy, have been to St Patrick's Day races. You will appreciate the magnitude of what it is all about—a great social occasion and more than a race meeting. This year's the St Patrick's Day race meeting was an overwhelming success, with 8,700 people passing through the gates and an estimated 10,000 people attending. Facilities in the town were booked out. There were eight races on the program and it was a huge event.
I commend in particular Margaret Corradini, the president of the race club and one of the great citizens of western New South Wales; Cheryl Krutli, the secretary, who was ably supported by vice-presidents Andrew Schmidt and Greg Curran Greg; Fran Vartuli, the treasurer; and a great committee. St Patrick's Club also runs associated events that occur both before and after race day. I commend Wayne Krutli, president of the club; Helen Teelow, the secretary; vice presidents Geoff Cullenward and Steve Southon; and treasurer Sarah McConnell for that great event. I sum up the meeting by referring to the report on the meeting in the Barrier Daily Truth on Tuesday 15 March. The article stated:
About 8,700 people went through the gates at Saturday's 40th St Pat's race meeting.
The race club's Andrew Schmidt—
he is a well-known and leading identity with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation—
said that it had been a successful event with patrons working their way through 21,000 cans of beer, 52 kegs of beer, 2,000 bottles of wine, 6,700 cans of pre-mixed drinks, and 15,500 bottles of water.
The setting was incredible. Imagine all the marquees, the fillies and colts. All the other areas were booked out. It was a great event. We had a tremendous St Patrick's Day race meeting. For the benefit of honourable members, the St Patrick's Day race meeting is always held the fortnight before Easter. We do not worry about when the event is held in Ireland; we worry only about when it is held in Broken Hill. On the Sunday following the race meeting I went to Wentworth shire. For the benefit of honourable members I will go through the week's events. The following Thursday night I drove 1,440 kilometres from Cobar—which cost me about $300 at the current rate of 120.9¢ to fill up with diesel at Warren and 121.9¢ to top up at Cobar on the way home—to go to a twenty-first birthday party.
This was a twenty-first birthday with a difference. It was for George, the toothless wonder wether who is 21 years old—the oldest sheep that we know of in New South Wales. It was an incredible event. Reporters from the Land and Aboriginal elders attended the event, but unfortunately the local member did not. The birthday party was held just over the border past Barraba Central School in the Barwon electorate. I was wearing a Richard Clegg woollen shirt that I acquired at Tottenham—a very fine 15-micron shirt.
[Interruption]
I acknowledge the interjection of the honourable member for Southern Highlands. She has great taste in matters of dress. I attended the twenty-first birthday party of this wonderful wether at Willie Retreat, which is operated by Myra and Phillip Tolhurst. After he had eaten two finger buns—he has no teeth and has to be fed finger buns—I read him a poem. Before I read the poem in this Chamber I will tell honourable members why this wether has lived for so long. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—a dreadful mob—want to stop mulesing. This wether, which has lived for 21 years, has never had fly strike. The secret is early mulesing, no fly strike and a clean backside. The poem, which is entitled "To George Happy Barrrrrrrrthdaaaaay from Peter Black, OAM, MP", states:
For a sheep to turn 21 means a lot,
Suppose life has been good not becoming a chop.
To your future life we drink a toast
You'd be too tough now to become a roast.
With gusto your owners we shall thank
Not to have boiled you as a shank.
I throw out a challenge for a test
Are you really the oldest wether in the west?
Today I hope you enjoy the dry finger bun
Better than running up an abattoir run!
I commend the 21-year-old wether. Last year I said that sheep were not supposed to die of old age, but this one surely will.