ONE of the largest support and logistical exercises in King Island’s history culminated on Sunday when the King Islander docked at Grassy Harbour with a cargo of more than 500 bales of hay and 200 pallet bags of pellets purchased by the Need for Feed organisation and shipped by EasternLine Shipping.
The Need for Feed truck convoy arrived at Port Welshpool about 8pm on Friday, having travelled across Victoria.
The volunteer teams, the wider Port Welshpool community and harbour staff, worked throughout the night loading the King Islander.
The weather was not kind during the 18-hour truck unloading and deck plan stacking, nor for the Bass Strait crossing, which had 40-knot westerly winds and three-metre seas.
King Islander captain Peter Dunbar was concerned about the increasingly bad weather. “About 2am it was pretty rough…a headwind slowed us down a bit, so we worked our way around the top and down into the island,” he said.
The King Islander travelled throughout the night and arrived at Grassy Harbour at lunchtime – without losing bales or bulka bags overboard, with few load shifts, a bit salty, but intact.
The King Island transport drivers and volunteers moved straight into action and unloading finished at 9.30pm Sunday.
Due to the transport costs, the planned initial shipment represented less than half of the Need for Feed allocation for King Island farmers.
There were unexpected changes and about 38 per cent of the allocation came in. The reduction meant many logistic and feed allocation changes.
“The process was constant recalibration including revising allocations and reorganising transportation and volunteers, coordinating with TasPorts, and staggering truck arrivals to avoid congestion,” TasFarmer’s King Island drought coordinator Deb Delaney said.
“Volunteers from the island assisted with phone calls to inform landholders of their allocations.” Ms Delaney noted overwhelming gratitude from farmers, even when allocations had to be adjusted due to supply changes and King Island community support.
Eastern Line Shipping owner Warren Dick said that the collaborative exercise was an “absolute monumental operation” and a totally different exercise to loading containers and cattle trailers.
“There were many more people involved due to the amount of hay that needed to be loaded on the vessel, the way it had to be loaded and the logistical side of things,” Mr Dick said.
Eastern Line Shipping provided shipping below cost. “It’s a very costly exercise, but we decided to help. King Island is a large part of our business.
We supported the destocking of the island’s cattle and have moved more than 26,000 off in the last four months,” Mr Dick said.
“When the King Island drought started back in September, I made a statement that I would stand behind the farmers of King Island, and I’m true to my word. We will continue to stand behind the farmers and King Islanders.”
It is estimated that the overall cost that will be met by Need for Feed for this feed allocation is about $400,000.
On Friday, Primary Industries and Water Minister Jane Howlett announced that the State Government will contribute $75,000 through a grant to Need for Feed towards the additional cost to ship the feed from Port Welshpool to King Island.
Lions Clubs in Victoria and elsewhere have supported through donations. Tasmanian Lions contributed about $60,000.
“Much more will be required throughout the winter months,” Lions District Governor for Tasmania Rob Batchelor said.
Gippsland Ports waived wharfage and channel fees and TasPorts waived wharfage fees and stevedoring costs.
Without the King Island Lions’ actions to assist Australia’s bushfire-impacted farmers through Need For Feed, by sending hay and $10,000 to the mainland four years ago, this rescue and event wouldn’t have happened.
“It’s wonderful to be repaid. We never expected it, but when Victorian Need for Feed heard we needed help, they were happy to return the favour,” Lion Linda Payne said.
“Other Lions Clubs in Tasmania, which we’ve helped during floods or other disasters, were also quick to offer assistance.
“It’s a great feeling—what goes around comes around.”
Looking ahead, Ms Delaney said that the focus will be on visiting farms to assess needs, coordinating with organisations like NRE and the Tas Farm Innovation Hub, and encouraging educational programs. Need for Feed is ready and willing to support another shipload of feed to King Island, but this is dependent on support from sponsors and government.