{"id":9637,"date":"2026-02-23T23:02:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T13:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bardonnews.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/the-feb-22-show\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:10:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T23:10:26","slug":"the-feb-22-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bardonnews.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/the-feb-22-show\/","title":{"rendered":"The Feb 22 Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From the Nullarbor to the Tamar: Wine, Rain and the Long Way Round<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Macca\u2019s lines were wide open this week, and as usual, the calls stitched together a portrait of Australia that felt both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From skiers bound for Japan to sheep on the way to Albury, from hay convoys into bushfire zones to Sauvignon Blanc revelations in Tasmania, it was a morning that moved across states and stories without ever leaving the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan, Factories and the Price of Snow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brendan rang in while packing suitcases \u2014 Japan for skiing, China for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan, he said, had become so affordable for snow trips that his brother had bought a place there. In his words, it had worked out \u201ccheaper to get a joint over there and own it\u201d than take the family skiing for a week in Australia. The strength of the yen, lift pass pricing, accommodation comparisons \u2014 all of it, he implied, had shifted the maths for Australian families who once defaulted to domestic slopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a quiet irony in it: Australians flying north for snow while their own alpine resorts battle short seasons and unpredictable conditions. For Brendan, it wasn\u2019t ideology or tourism strategy \u2014 it was cost and practicality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the slopes of Japan, he was heading into a different kind of terrain: Chinese factories producing electric mobility components. That\u2019s his line of work, he said \u2014 \u201cspare parts specialist,\u201d visiting plants manufacturing the small but essential parts that power e-bikes, scooters and electric vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a reminder that the global shift toward electrification doesn\u2019t begin in showrooms. It begins in industrial parks, in supply chains, in component plants that most consumers never see. Later in the program, that global supply chain would resurface in a longer discussion about electric vehicles and where Australia sits in the evolving automotive landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Brendan, though, it was simply work and a bit of pleasure \u2014 skiing one week, factory floors the next. Modern Australia, suitcase open on the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wineries, Stories and the Latitude of Taste<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marcus from Tarragindi spoke about family-run wineries \u2014 the kind you won\u2019t find in big chain bottle shops. The ones open \u201cby appointment,\u201d where you meet the owner or the owner\u2019s children, and where one story leads to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That thread was picked up by John Howie, who shared his conversion moment in New Zealand\u2019s Marlborough region. A glass of Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc at an Italian restaurant changed his palate forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, performing in northern Tasmania, he was steered toward a Tamar Valley Sauvignon Blanc when the Marlborough had run out. The revelation? The two regions sit on almost exactly the same latitude. The flavour profile \u2014 bright, sharp, distinct \u2014 felt strikingly similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was less about alcohol and more about geography, soil and climate \u2014 the quiet science behind taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rain on the Nullarbor and the Long Haul<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Glenn, a truck driver of 45 years, was edging toward retirement. He had just crossed from the Western Australian border toward Port Augusta in steady rain. The paddocks were green, humidity thick in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described sleeping in his cab with an auxiliary \u201cice pack\u201d cooling unit running so the engine could stay off. Parcel freight in the trailer \u2014 he didn\u2019t even know what was inside. Just another run across a continent where, as he put it, most freight still moves by road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He remembered floods near Balladonia in the late 1990s \u2014 graders towing trucks through roadworks at night. The Nullarbor changes, but it also stays the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheep, Kelpies and 40 Acres<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bazza from Macclesfield was loading about 30 sheep for a regular customer near Albury. His co-pilot was Ozzy the kelpie. Also along for the ride: Banjo, an ageing Australian cattle dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions at his 40-acre property were dry \u2014 a contrast to the rain reported further west. It was a reminder that in Australia, rainfall is never evenly distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Licorice Roots and Hiroshima<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jared Gray phoned from Tokyo, listening via the ABC Listen app. His father had grown licorice root near Finley for export to Japan \u2014 eventually reaching 600 acres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The root, not confectionery, was the commodity. Extracted for medicinal compounds and widely used in tobacco flavouring, it was described as vastly sweeter than sugar in concentrated form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in Japan, Jared visited Onomichi, where the licorice shipments once arrived, and travelled to Hiroshima, reflecting on his grandfather\u2019s experience as a prisoner of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trade, memory and reconciliation shared the same itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pankind and the Hard Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Judy from Hobart rang to promote Pankind\u2019s \u201cPut Your Foot Down\u201d walk for pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She spoke about her own diagnosis in 2021 and said that, according to figures discussed within the organisation, pancreatic cancer carries a five-year survival rate of around 13 percent. She also stated that two Australians are diagnosed every hour and that approximately 75 Australians die each week from the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those figures were cited by Judy during the call, and listeners were encouraged to seek updated information through Pankind and official health sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Electric Cars, Range and Reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Automotive columnist John Connolly joined the program to discuss electric vehicles. He said China is now building roughly two-thirds of global EVs and described Australia\u2019s pure electric vehicle uptake as sitting at about 8 percent of new sales, with hybrids proving more popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also raised concerns about battery replacement costs, insurance premiums and charging infrastructure outside metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Gordon from near Hillston offered a different perspective. His family owns three electric vehicles and charges them using rooftop solar. He cited what he described as American statistics suggesting EV fire risk is significantly lower than petrol vehicles, and said their experience has been overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For long regional trips, however, he noted they still travel diesel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation reflected a broader national debate \u2014 less about ideology, more about practicality and geography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hay Convoy to Longwood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Graham Cockrell from Need for Feed described 76 trucks delivering donated hay into Victoria\u2019s Longwood fire zone on Australia Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of that hay, he said, came from farmers who themselves had received help in previous disasters. Communities affected by fire stood roadside as the convoy passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need for Feed is a registered charity operated by volunteers, and listeners were directed to its official website for further information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil, Hardpan and What We\u2019re Doing Wrong<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calvin, calling from Kangaroo Island, argued that degraded soil structure \u2014 including what he described as a chemical-induced hardpan layer \u2014 is contributing to worsening drought and flood cycles. He believes funding should prioritise soil restoration before disasters occur, rather than focusing primarily on post-event relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His views reflect one side of an ongoing debate around land management, farming practices and climate resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain John King Davis and the ANARE Club<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Liz from Hobart spoke about Captain John King Davis, Antarctic explorer and captain for both Mawson and Shackleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his previously unmarked grave in Melbourne was located, members of the ANARE Club organised a proper headstone with family permission. A ceremony was held last Thursday, with Davis now recognised formally in the cemetery where he rests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small acts of historical restoration can resonate widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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