A Far West New South Wales grazier has been left shocked and pissed off after being turned away on the South Australian border together with his son and a truckload of sheep.
Key factors:
- The grazier’s son was deemed a “non-essential” traveller regardless of his dad double-checked their permits after they tried to cross the border
- The ten-year-old had helped his dad put together the sheep for transport and was extraordinarily disenchanted after they had been turned away
- Wes Herring says the journey value his household time, cash and precipitated an enormous quantity of stress
Wes Herring, who runs Gum Park Station, 100 kilometres north of Damaged Hill, was travelling together with his non-verbal, autistic 10-year-old son when he was turned again at Oodla Wirra on Monday afternoon.
Regardless of having a livestock allow, Important Traveller (ET) numbers for himself and his son, proof of vaccination, and verbal affirmation from SA Police, authorities deemed his son non-essential.
“We had the ET quantity for Angus and we double-checked with SA Police and received an e-mail on Sunday evening to verify Angus’s ET quantity was all good,” Mr Herring mentioned.
Denied entry at border
Mr Herring was transporting a truck stuffed with pregnant ewes for agistment in SA and had deliberate to carry different inventory again for an additional grazier.
“We would been organising inventory to go on agistment on account of no rain and declining feed because of the climate situations,” he mentioned.
“I used to be pressured to show round and get my spouse to drive from the property into Damaged Hill, which she had already been to get our groceries that day.”
After travelling greater than 360 kilometres from the station to the border checkpoint, Mr Herring was pressured to show round and unload the sheep in Damaged Hill.
“On account of rules, they could not have a drink — they might have a feed, however went 36 hours with out water, which isn’t notably good for lactating ewes,” he mentioned.
‘Busted his rear finish serving to’
Mr Herring mentioned the ordeal put monumental stress on his household.
“It is a flow-on impact,” he mentioned.
“Not solely did it value me time, however 560km within the truck you do not do for nothing — so there’s roughly 350 litres of gas.
“My spouse [drove] out and in of Damaged Hill twice, so there’s one other 400km there, plus.
Mr Herring’s son, Angus, was devastated he couldn’t assist his dad end the job they labored on collectively throughout the stormy climate on the weekend.
“For the final two days on all the weekend of that terrible climate that we had he busted his rear finish serving to me draft and drench and needle sheep and mark lambs … it is what he lives for,” Mr Herring mentioned.
“As a lot as Angus is just not verbal, he isn’t silly — however we needed to inform him a lie that the truck had damaged down.
Late final month, the SA border was unexpectedly opened to Damaged Hill, reinstating a border bubble with the group earlier than it was abruptly closed one week later.
“From the second [the police officer] opened his mouth it was clear there was going to be a problem, and there was,” Mr Herring mentioned.
Mr Herring made one other try and cross the border with out Angus and was allowed by.
He mentioned police at Oodla Wirra had been stunned to listen to of his beforehand unsuccessful try and couldn’t work out why he was turned away when he had applicable journey approval.
Restrictions nonetheless in place
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens mentioned Mr Herring was refused entry solely as a result of his son was not a vital traveller.
“It is unlucky that it occurred — I perceive the difficulties that individual skilled,” Commissioner Stevens mentioned.
The SA border is anticipated to open to vaccinated NSW and Victorian residents on November 23, supplied they’re from a neighborhood authorities space with an 80 per cent double vaccination price and the place no group transmission of COVID-19 has occurred.
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