Hobby farming – a labour of love
AS South Gippsland’s hobby farmers will tell you, some people are able to make the lives they really want in this special part of the world.
Across the region, hobby farmers are motivated to explore diverse interests, raising animals such as alpacas, bees and donkeys, and crops such as berries and saffron.
These smaller operations are not usually a major source of income but those running them say their farming activities bring them a lot of satisfaction and sometimes a small financial return from sales of animals or produce.
Steve Lovie of Koonwarra keeps bees and is the president of South Gippsland Beekeepers.
He said all the apiarists in the club are hobby farmers, apart from about two who are semi commercial.
Mr Lovie said South Gippsland was a good place for bee keeping.
“It’s a good place for bees when the clover is running,” he said.
He said people can get as involved in apiary as they like.
“There’s a lot more to it than people think,” he said.
“It depends how far you want to go with it; for example, if you want to get into re-queening.”
He said there are lots of benefits to keeping bees.
“You get the honey,” he said.
“Also the pollination is good for the garden and the natives. And apart from that it’s quite enjoyable.”
Similarly, Claire and Alex Aeschlimann of Leongatha run 50 beef cattle on their small farm at Arawata for enjoyment.
The property has been in Mr Aeschlimann’s family for five generations.
“Alex always really wanted to work on the farm,” Mrs Aeschlimann said.
“Of course, with a farm of that size nowadays you need an off farm income, so he spends his weekends there.
“He finds it relaxing. He likes the physical labour.
“It’s different from the office work he does. It’s a nice contrast. He just enjoys being outside.”
Through managing their property, the Aeschlimanns have become involved with Landcare.
“We’ve planted a lot of the gullies out, so we are trying to care for the land out there and make the land better,” Mrs Aeschlimann said.
“There have been thousands of trees planted out there. That makes it more productive, hopefully to pass onto the next generation.”
Fiona Mottram of Woorarra West, along with her partner Ross West, has also worked to regenerate native vegetation on her property.
“On our place, we’ve got two acres of indigenous regenerated vegetation,” Ms Mottram said.
They keep mules, donkeys, bees and other animals on their five acre farm.
They moved to the Foster area in 1999 for lifestyle reasons.
“I’ve always been mad on animals and Ross is a very practical, hands on person,” Ms Mottram said.
“What we wanted to do was live near the bush and the beach. I work part time by choice.
“We have a modest house and we’re mortgage free.”
Ms Mottram gets a lot of enjoyment from caring for and working with donkeys and mules.
“I think of donkeys as more than pets,” she said.
“They’re a good working animal. They’re like a kelpie, but equine.
“Mules have those donkey qualities but they’re a lot feistier.”
She is also involved with donkey welfare work, helping to rehabilitate neglected animals.
Ms Mottram said donkeys and mules need to be wormed and have their teeth and feet cared for.
“You can learn how to look after their feet,” she said.
Ms Mottram recommended people who are interested in keeping donkeys or mules join the Donkey Society of Victoria to get better informed.
She said she has met lots of people through keeping animals and enjoys being part of the Foster district community.
“We feel like we’ve come home, living in this area,” she said.
Hobby farmer: Fiona Mottram of Woorarra West keeps bees, donkeys and other animals, including Daisy the mule.
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Posted by Sarah Vella on Apr 28 2015. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
