This poem was presented as an introduction to an awards night.
In the Queensland Channel Country with its red and deep black soil,
There’s a group of cattle people who are used to honest toil,
And they’ve got a great advantage with the cattle that they run,
For they grow on natural feedstuffs made from soil, water and sun.
And they’ve got themselves together in a group to market meat,
To try and give the customers the meat they like to eat,
Not chock a block with chemicals, with drench and HGP’s
But from stock which graze on herbage and then camp ‘neath shady tress.
And from Charleville to Birdsville and Quilpie, Thargo too,
They have all joined up together for they have a common view,
And they know they’ve got a product that people want to buy,
Though it’s hard to market beef themselves, they sure as hell will try.
If you wander ‘round at Quilpie you’d reckon life is slow,
You don’t see whole lots going on, there’s nowhere much to go,
But behind the blinds and awnings in a place you cannot see,
There’s a lot of people working in a group called O.B.E.
And you know that Coonawarra is a name that goes with wine,
And you know that Yass and Bigga grow wool that’s superfine,
And King Island’s reputation for cheese is quite supreme,
So watch for Channel Country Beef, it’s tasty and it’s clean
