|  |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
| | ||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|  | | ||||||||||||||||||
Hayden Giles Hayden Giles’ family has owned their property since 1916. Hayden’s father, Bill Giles, used to run sheep, wheat and oats, then in 1920 he ventured into potatoes, which was a staple cash crop. Growing a range of crops was a way of providing work for farm workers all year round, and eventually the farm was also growing carrots and onions and asparagus. In times past, you would have seen umpteen teams of Clydesdales pulling carts piled high with dewy fresh asparagus through the characteristic morning mists rising from the rich peaty soils. Hayden has 20 acres of his property cropped with asparagus - just the right amount for one draught horse - George. Today, George Giles - the last working Clydesdale horse in the Koo Wee Rup area - provides a valuable link with the past. Whilst all the other growers in the area now use modified self-steering tractors to pull asparagus laden carts back to the packing shed, Hayden is as thrilled with the job that George does as he is with his companionship. “We go down to the paddock about twenty minutes before daylight and he’ll hear my ute come in. I’ll call him and he’ll meet me at the gate to get a feed of chaff, which is just to put him in the holding paddock so I’ll know where he is when I want him. I go off to put crates around the headlands and do a couple of jobs around there. Then it’s time to get George into his harness. That’s when he gets half his apple and half his carrot - the other half stays in my pocket and when he is fully harnessed and in the cart he’s already got his head around looking for the rest. We start work about a quarter of an hour after daylight. I have six good local people as cutters and sometimes you are faced with lousy weather and muddy conditions and you find yourself slopping through the mud. But you all have to have a laugh at yourselves and in the end you all become “sparry mates” for the season and George is part of the “sparry group”. One of the workers will talk to George every morning, especially Tom who has worked with me for twenty years. When George gets to where he is cutting, his head turns around and he waits for Tom to talk to him and give him a pat. He knows the system. Dad’s had that mateship all his life now, people come in the for the season’s work, you all pitch in, and you get the work done and he still likes being part of it.” | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| | |||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | |||||||||
Back | Home | About Asparagus | Recipes & Tips | What's New | From the Chefs | Supplying Asparagus | Contact us | Site Map Copyright© Australian Asparagus Council. Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website is correct and up to date, no representation is made or warranty given (either express or implied) as to the completeness, accuracy or currency of the information that it contains. Last updated August 2007 | |
 | |