Australian Farmer

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0:00:21 > 0:00:23This story belongs to Harry

0:00:23 > 0:00:25and his paba, John.

0:00:30 > 0:00:33It's a tiny tale about Paba John's life,

0:00:33 > 0:00:35and the things he used to do.

0:00:41 > 0:00:44Harry is helping Paba John feed the chickens on his farm.

0:00:44 > 0:00:46Throw it down there a bit more, Harry.

0:00:46 > 0:00:47A bit more feed for the chooks.

0:00:50 > 0:00:54They live in Australia, where chickens are often called chooks.

0:00:54 > 0:00:59You watch out how they come onto the feed. Look at that.

0:00:59 > 0:01:02Now it's time for Paba John to share his memories

0:01:02 > 0:01:05and take Harry on a journey of discovery.

0:01:10 > 0:01:14Australia is a huge country on the other side of the world.

0:01:14 > 0:01:18Farming has been an important part of Australian life

0:01:18 > 0:01:21for a very long time.

0:01:21 > 0:01:25More than half of the land in the whole of Australia is farmland,

0:01:25 > 0:01:31and some of the farms are very, very large, with many, many animals.

0:01:31 > 0:01:34The biggest farms in Australia are much bigger than the biggest

0:01:34 > 0:01:36farms here in the United Kingdom.

0:01:39 > 0:01:42There are lots of animals on Paba John's farm, too.

0:01:42 > 0:01:45SHEEP BAA

0:01:45 > 0:01:47How many sheep are there on the farm?

0:01:47 > 0:01:52There's 1,600 of these, and we've got 10,000.

0:01:52 > 0:01:55- 10,000!?- Yes.

0:01:55 > 0:01:59- Wow, that's a lot. - You think you could count them?

0:01:59 > 0:02:03One, two, three, four, five...

0:02:04 > 0:02:06Oh, you were sending me to sleep, Harry.

0:02:06 > 0:02:08You were counting sheep so well.

0:02:08 > 0:02:10How many cows do you think we've got?

0:02:10 > 0:02:15- Um... One million and a thousand? - Not quite.

0:02:15 > 0:02:18We've only got 1,600 cows.

0:02:18 > 0:02:22That's still a lot of cows!

0:02:22 > 0:02:24And do you know what cows sound like?

0:02:24 > 0:02:25Er...

0:02:25 > 0:02:27MOO!

0:02:27 > 0:02:29A bit louder. They can't hear you.

0:02:29 > 0:02:32BOTH: MOO!

0:02:32 > 0:02:34COW MOOS

0:02:34 > 0:02:39I think she heard you that time, Harry!

0:02:39 > 0:02:42Lots of people from here in the United Kingdom have gone to live

0:02:42 > 0:02:48in Australia over the years, often on great big boats like this one.

0:02:48 > 0:02:51But how did Paba John come to live in Australia?

0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, Harry, I haven't always been a farmer in Australia.

0:02:56 > 0:02:59I was born in Derbyshire in England.

0:02:59 > 0:03:02Here are some old pictures of Paba John as a little boy.

0:03:02 > 0:03:05He used to enjoy going to the seaside on holiday.

0:03:07 > 0:03:11That's him in Llandudno, in Wales, with his mummy, Hetty,

0:03:11 > 0:03:16who was Harry's great grandma. Hetty loved to sing, and so did Paba John.

0:03:16 > 0:03:21He sang in the choir at school, and even at Derby Cathedral.

0:03:21 > 0:03:24When Paba John left school, he became a sea cadet.

0:03:25 > 0:03:29I sailed in lots of very big ships all around the world.

0:03:30 > 0:03:33And I sailed across to Australia, as well.

0:03:33 > 0:03:37That's where I met your grandmother, Annie, and we got married.

0:03:37 > 0:03:42And then we bought a farm. We bought the farm from Annie's parents.

0:03:42 > 0:03:44But I had to learn to become a farmer,

0:03:44 > 0:03:47same as you're learning at school, Harry, and I realised

0:03:47 > 0:03:51that I really loved farming, and we've been here ever since.

0:03:54 > 0:03:58And then Harry and Paba John went for a walk to talk

0:03:58 > 0:04:01some more about the farm before it belonged to their family.

0:04:05 > 0:04:08This farm was started many, many years ago,

0:04:08 > 0:04:11because there was a good, big creek

0:04:11 > 0:04:14and it grew a lot of grass around here, and the early farmers could

0:04:14 > 0:04:20put their animals here and knew they were going to have something to eat.

0:04:20 > 0:04:25A creek, of course, Harry, is just another name for a river or a brook.

0:04:27 > 0:04:30Australia is one of the driest places in the world.

0:04:30 > 0:04:32Much drier than in the UK.

0:04:32 > 0:04:35Lots of Australia is desert, like this.

0:04:36 > 0:04:40Sometimes, there isn't enough rain, so creeks like Paba John's dry up.

0:04:40 > 0:04:44That makes things difficult for farmers like him,

0:04:44 > 0:04:47because they need water to grow grass to feed their cows and sheep.

0:04:55 > 0:04:59Let's go and meet another member of Harry's family.

0:05:03 > 0:05:05This is my Auntie Kate,

0:05:05 > 0:05:09and we're going to watch Paba on his motorbike.

0:05:09 > 0:05:11Yay!

0:05:11 > 0:05:12HARRY SQUEALS

0:05:12 > 0:05:14- BOTH:- Weee!

0:05:14 > 0:05:16Ungh.

0:05:16 > 0:05:17- Mwah.- Aw!

0:05:22 > 0:05:25Oh, look! There's Paba John there!

0:05:25 > 0:05:27I wonder what he's doing.

0:05:29 > 0:05:31Now, Paba's about to start mustering.

0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Do you know what mustering is?- No.

0:05:34 > 0:05:37It's when Paba moves the cattle on his motorbike.

0:05:38 > 0:05:41We would call this "herding" in the UK.

0:05:41 > 0:05:42ENGINE WHIRS

0:05:48 > 0:05:50In the olden days,

0:05:50 > 0:05:53Australian farmers didn't use motorbikes to muster their cattle

0:05:53 > 0:05:58and sheep, they used horses, like the ones in this old film.

0:05:58 > 0:06:00And some farmers still do this today.

0:06:01 > 0:06:05Dogs have also been used to muster sheep for a very long time.

0:06:05 > 0:06:09Dogs run over the backs of the sheep and help move them along.

0:06:09 > 0:06:11Don't worry, it doesn't hurt them.

0:06:13 > 0:06:15One of the reasons why farmers keep sheep

0:06:15 > 0:06:19is because they can sell the sheep's lovely, soft wool.

0:06:24 > 0:06:27These sheep are going into the wool shed to have their woolly

0:06:27 > 0:06:28coats cut off.

0:06:28 > 0:06:31It's a bit like going to the hairdresser's!

0:06:33 > 0:06:34DOG BARKS

0:06:35 > 0:06:38Sheep have been getting their hair cut in this wool shed

0:06:38 > 0:06:40for a very long time.

0:06:40 > 0:06:43This is what the wool shed looked like many years ago.

0:06:43 > 0:06:46Well, Harry, here we are in the wool shed.

0:06:46 > 0:06:48This is where all the sheep get shorn.

0:06:48 > 0:06:53There's ten stands down here, but we only use about six of them

0:06:53 > 0:06:56nowadays cos we can shear the sheep a lot quicker.

0:06:56 > 0:07:00All the sheep are in here, there's about 1,000 sheep there,

0:07:00 > 0:07:05- and they all get shorn in a day. - One day?!

0:07:05 > 0:07:07One day?!

0:07:07 > 0:07:12- That's a surprise, isn't it? Oh, and here's Darren.- Hello, Harry.- Hello.

0:07:12 > 0:07:15Darren's going to shear a few sheep for us today and show us

0:07:15 > 0:07:17how to do it. He's a top shearer.

0:07:17 > 0:07:19Darren might be able to show us the old gear

0:07:19 > 0:07:21that we used to use in the good old days.

0:07:21 > 0:07:23These are like big scissors,

0:07:23 > 0:07:27and it used to take a lot longer to shear sheep with those.

0:07:27 > 0:07:31Harry mustn't touch those. They look really sharp.

0:07:31 > 0:07:38And then they got the narrow hand piece with the narrow combs.

0:07:38 > 0:07:39And then they...

0:07:41 > 0:07:45..got to these ones, which are a bit wider.

0:07:46 > 0:07:49Here's a film of a man using old-fashioned shears

0:07:49 > 0:07:53a long time ago. They're a lot like scissors, aren't they?

0:07:55 > 0:07:58But look how much quicker it is for these men to shear their sheep

0:07:58 > 0:08:01using the old type of electric shears.

0:08:04 > 0:08:08In Australia, there are competitions between sheep shearers to see

0:08:08 > 0:08:10who can shear the most sheep in the fastest time.

0:08:16 > 0:08:20Well, it looks like Darren could win a prize for fast shearing.

0:08:22 > 0:08:25This is only the second time that this sheep has had its woolly coat,

0:08:25 > 0:08:27called a fleece, cut off.

0:08:28 > 0:08:30I wonder if it feels a bit tickly.

0:08:34 > 0:08:37That looks really soft and snugly, doesn't it?

0:08:39 > 0:08:42Once the fleece is taken off the sheep, it's sorted and bundled up

0:08:42 > 0:08:46for sale, just like people have been doing for a very long time.

0:08:47 > 0:08:51Look, Here's an old picture of a wool cart on Paba John's farm

0:08:51 > 0:08:53being loaded up with wool for market.

0:08:55 > 0:08:58What's all that wool used for?

0:08:59 > 0:09:00Maybe Harry knows.

0:09:13 > 0:09:17Harry? What do you think we can make out of wool?

0:09:17 > 0:09:22- A hat!- Ah, terrific! See if you can find something else.

0:09:22 > 0:09:23OK.

0:09:25 > 0:09:29OK, Harry, what else have you found?

0:09:29 > 0:09:33- A scarf!- That's good, Harry. That's a thick one. Now, off you go.

0:09:33 > 0:09:35See if you can find something else.

0:09:36 > 0:09:40- What have you found?- Socks!- Socks!

0:09:40 > 0:09:42They're really woolly socks, aren't they?

0:09:42 > 0:09:46And they're just some of the things you can make from wool. That's great.

0:09:46 > 0:09:51Now Paba John has a really fun job for Harry to do on the farm.

0:09:57 > 0:10:01Now, this is a very important job, to feed these lambs, because they're

0:10:01 > 0:10:05not getting enough food on their own in the paddock,

0:10:05 > 0:10:08so we feed them every day with a bottle of milk.

0:10:08 > 0:10:13In fact, they get two bottles of milk some days. Look at him!

0:10:13 > 0:10:15Look at him, wagging his tail and everything.

0:10:15 > 0:10:17See his tummy swelling up?

0:10:18 > 0:10:21- Yep.- That's pretty good, isn't it?- Mm-hmm.

0:10:22 > 0:10:24What a hungry little lamb!

0:10:24 > 0:10:29Sometimes other baby animals need some extra milk too.

0:10:29 > 0:10:30Look.

0:10:30 > 0:10:34Here's an old picture of Paba John feeding milk to a baby cow,

0:10:34 > 0:10:36with Harry's auntie, Abby.

0:10:36 > 0:10:40Look, he's nearly finished it. Look!

0:10:40 > 0:10:44Look at that! See, it's gone. All gone. All gone.

0:10:44 > 0:10:47- We have no more.- No more.

0:10:47 > 0:10:50Oh, feeding lambs looks like a lovely job.

0:10:50 > 0:10:53Paba John has another treat in store for Harry,

0:10:53 > 0:10:56a visit to the Royal Melbourne Show.

0:10:59 > 0:11:01Look at this old film.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04The Royal Melbourne Show is a special event that's

0:11:04 > 0:11:07been taking place once a year for a very long time.

0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's changed a lot over the years, but farmers still bring

0:11:10 > 0:11:14their best animals to the show, and lots of people come to look at them.

0:11:14 > 0:11:18The farmers all hope that their animals will be named Best In Show.

0:11:18 > 0:11:21And win a lovely ribbon as a prize.

0:11:21 > 0:11:24Paba John won a prize here a few years ago,

0:11:24 > 0:11:26for looking after his farm so well.

0:11:30 > 0:11:32You remember the piggy?

0:11:32 > 0:11:36- Wow, look at the pig, Harry. - That is very big.

0:11:36 > 0:11:38Yeah, it's a big mummy pig.

0:11:38 > 0:11:42That's what they call a sow, and they have lots of little piglets.

0:11:42 > 0:11:46- Lots?- Probably about 12.

0:11:46 > 0:11:50- 12?!- Yes! Probably about 12.- Whoa.

0:11:55 > 0:11:59They're little baby ducks. There's brown ones and yellow ones.

0:11:59 > 0:12:03See, look at that one. He's going on his own. See, look. Look at them.

0:12:03 > 0:12:06- Funny, aren't they?- Uh-huh. - Aren't they great?

0:12:06 > 0:12:09They're about three days old.

0:12:09 > 0:12:12- Three days old?- Yes!

0:12:13 > 0:12:15They're cute, aren't they?

0:12:15 > 0:12:18Here we are, Harry, in the animal nursery at the show,

0:12:18 > 0:12:25- and look at these goats. - They're very soft.- They are.

0:12:25 > 0:12:27# You're a beautiful goat

0:12:27 > 0:12:30# You're a beautiful goat

0:12:30 > 0:12:32# You're a beautiful goat. #

0:12:32 > 0:12:36- He's very hungry, isn't he? - Yes, he is very hungry.

0:12:36 > 0:12:38Look at him!

0:12:38 > 0:12:41- He's eating all of it!- Yeah.

0:12:42 > 0:12:43He is, isn't he?

0:12:47 > 0:12:52What a busy day it's been. It's time to head back to the farm.

0:12:55 > 0:12:58Harry, I've really enjoyed spending time with you and you learning

0:12:58 > 0:13:02all about what happens on a farm, with sheep and cattle.

0:13:02 > 0:13:06Now, Harry, can you remember all the fun things we did together?

0:13:06 > 0:13:09We counted the sheep and mooed at the cattle.

0:13:09 > 0:13:12COW MOOS

0:13:12 > 0:13:15We saw the sheep getting a haircut.

0:13:15 > 0:13:17I saw Paba muster the cows.

0:13:17 > 0:13:20We fed the little lambs.

0:13:20 > 0:13:23We had lots of fun at the farming show.

0:13:23 > 0:13:26And Harry, what did you enjoy doing the most?

0:13:26 > 0:13:28Feeding the lamb.

0:13:28 > 0:13:31Feeding the lamb? That's very good.

0:13:31 > 0:13:36- Well, Harry, did you have lots of fun?- Yes.- You did?

0:13:36 > 0:13:38Harry, how about a nice, big hug?

0:13:42 > 0:13:44What a fabulous heap of fun.

0:13:46 > 0:13:49That was Harry and Paba John's tiny tale of the things that

0:13:49 > 0:13:52Paba John used to do.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55Now Paba John has shared his story with Harry,

0:13:55 > 0:13:58it's time for Harry to start his own story.

0:13:59 > 0:14:01Do you know someone with a story to share?