FARMING is already a tough job, but for Bruce and Beth Hodges, a council amalgamation will make it even harder.
Mr and Mrs Hodges, “Baldrudgery”, Baldry, were among many farmers who joined a passionate crowd at Molong RSL Club on Friday to share their concerns about a proposed merger between Orange City, Blayney Shire and Cabonne councils, which includes the village of Molong.
Mr and Mrs Hodges, and their son Darrell, run fat lambs, Angus and Charolais cattle and grow oats, barley and wheat on their 4500-acre property, and said a possible merger was bad news for farmers.
Mr Hodges said their property was already on the far western boundary of the Cabonne Council area.
“If we have to join with Orange, it is 100 kilometres to drive there to council,” he said.
‘We are at the end of the shire. We will be forgotten.”
Mr and Mrs Hodges help maintain the cemetery, hall and tennis courts in the tiny community of Baldry. They said Cabonne Council has always helped with mowing and other maintenance, and most recently gave a grant for disabled amenities at the Eden Hall.
Mr Hodges said he feared services would be affected if the merger took place.
“We will have less service for the community, and our rates without a doubt will go up,” he said.
“We won’t have anyone to represent us. The mayor (Councillor Ian Gosper) is a farmer. He understands us.”
Mrs Hodges said they would miss ‘that personal touch’ if council services were moved to Orange.
“If we go to Orange, we will just be a number. We will lose out identity,” she said.
A generous volunteer, Mrs Hodges is concerned people from small communities will volunteer their time less.
“They will probably think ‘this big council can afford to pay people’,” she said.
Mr Hodges feels farming will become even tougher if a merger goes through.
“It is hard enough to make a living now,” he said.
“After six generations on the place, we are worried about overheads.”
