FODDER for his proclivity to spin a good yarn and a time-proven recipe for keeping sore throats at bay are the tools of his trade and while the average country Queenslander might not recognise him on the street, Neale Stuart need only say "G'day" for familiarity to set in.
Affectionately known as "The Voice of Outback Queensland", he has been broadcasting at country shows, field days and small town festivals from the Gulf Country to the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane for decades.
Now, the long-serving event caller is bringing his microphone south of the border.
Neale (pictured) broadcast proceedings at Casino's Primex field days last month and will head to Gunnedah's big Commonwealth Bank AgQuip field days in August.
The drought gripping his beloved Sunshine State is breaking his heart - the worst he's ever seen - but still, like the country people he speaks to and for, Neale has a belief in the land and the future of farming in Australia as sturdy as a rock.
Since it's inception in 1991, he has called Queensland's biggest agricultural field days, CRT FarmFest in Toowoomba, and watched the event evolve from what he describes as "a primitive affair based on a brilliant concept" to the showcase of 2500-plus companies that attracts 60,000-plus visitors it is today.
Speaking at the 2015 event, he said the first FarmFest was wet and muddy.
"People got bogged trying to get in and out and everybody had to wear gum boots and that doesn't make for easy times covering big miles at a field day," he said.
"It clearly had potential but there were uphill battles ahead."
But the field days grew fast and furiously because of the unique nature of the "one-stop-shop for all agricultural needs".
"In the early days, farmers would come from across the state - Longreach, Cunnamulla, Thargominda - with their property semi trailer and take it home full of new gear," he said.
"I've seen it when we've had four good seasons in a row and tractors go out the gates one after another.
"Brand new utes have been bought on the spot and driven home and there have even been light aircraft purchased and flown home.
"Today there are a lot more shops in the bush to cater for the farmer's needs but still FarmFest is an outing for those on the land.
"It's time off the property, an opportunity to catch up with mates."
That, he said, was especially important in drought.
Neale calls 28 events a year, from the Mud Crab and Tiger Prawn festival at Karumba up in the gulf, west to the Winton Outback Festival and down to the Brisbane Ekka.
He says in parts of Queensland, there are still cracks in the ground that you could drop a can of Coke down and not see it again.
"When we do get soaking rain it will be 18 months or more before people are back on their feet again," he said.
"Not having rain for three years has been crippling but still you are greeted with a warm handshake by those who are living it.
"Australians are a social lot in the city but the further west you go, the more social they become.
"Hospitality and warmth oozes out of people in the bush."
Originally from Tweed Heads, Neale is now based in Toowoomba and has 33 years of broadcasting under his belt.
His early radio days were filled with interviewing the likes of Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra, then came John Farnham's era and his latest celebrity conversation was with country music's Lee Kernaghan at the 2015 CRT FarmFest.
But music stars were still people, and all people had a good story to tell - it was just a matter of drawing it out, he said.
A stint in the Northern Territory broadcasting scenic flights out of Darwin and Katherine allowed Neale to combine his second love, flying, with his work.
Venturing into NSW will mark the next era in a dedicated career and Neale is looking forward to meeting new faces - and drawing out new stories.
He is most confident there will be no hiccups - after all, he hasn't once lost his voice.
The secret behind that is a recipe from his grandmother: Two cloves of garlic, a full lemon squeezed, two nips of rum and two teaspoons of honey, taken liberally throughout winter.
And count your blessings.
