Latest news with #Brownes
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Bunbury mourns loss of its 'Red Dog', an alpine dingo called Marley
If you asked a Bunbury resident about a dingo named Marley, most would have a story tell. Many did not know where he had come from, just that he lived at the boat harbour and liked to survey his surroundings from atop a pile of concrete slabs. Marley died at the weekend, aged 15. He is mourned by an entire city, but missed most deeply by the one man who knew the full story of the alpine dingo pup that came to live in the South West of WA all those years ago. Kevin Frencl was driving trucks in the Pilbara in northern WA in April 2010 when he came across an orphaned dingo pup cowering on the side of the road. Aware he was too young to survive on his own, Mr Frencl took him in. "He had to come with me to work on the loader," he recalled in a speech written for the launch of a boat Bunbury Marine Rescue named after Marley in 2019. "When he was young he could comfortably fit in a little worker's lunch box esky. "[He] was not yet eating solid foods so ... [was] living on iced coffee as it was all I had out there." Within a week, Mr Frencl and Brownes — named for the iced coffee brand the pair were more or less living off — were inseparable. When he finally finished his shift he took the pup home to Harvey, 140 kilometres south of Perth, where his children promptly took over naming rights. They called him Marley after the labrador in the movie Marley & Me, which they had recently watched. "[He] came everywhere with us — out on the boat fishing or skiing, camping." Marley went with Mr Frencl when he bought an old navy vessel and started fixing it up to live in. "He learnt to climb the ladder up to the boat … [but] he wasn't overly keen on going down," he said. Mr Frencl later moved them to a different suburb. But Marley was not happy — pacing, whining and howling, which he did not usually do. He settled down as soon as he was brought back to the Bunbury boat yard. From then on, that was where he stayed. The marine rescue group headquartered at the harbour became his foster parents, though Mr Frencl still visited regularly when he was not away working. Former sea rescue volunteer Kerry Trantham said everyone took an instant liking to the wild-looking, yet gentle dingo. Other locals and sometimes the odd out-of-towner would leave food for Marley too, or bring their dogs to come play with him. Marine Rescue Bunbury skipper Denis Hynes said the response had been overwhelming when the community was notified of Marley's death on social media. "It's unbelievable, the love everyone had for Marley and the effect he had on some people's lives," he said. "Some people were in bad places and would come down and talk to Marley … [other] people brought their parents down on their dying days." Authorities recognised Marley's importance to the community early on, as Bunbury MLA and state minister for the South West, Don Punch, recalled. "There was talk at one point that maybe he would end up at the pound," he said. "Then minister for ports Alannah MacTiernan got on the phone to the port authority and said you make sure he's supported and looked after and doesn't end up in the clutches of the pound." The same residents who campaigned for authorities to protect Marley have asked for help to commemorate him. "I just think it would be nice that there be some monument of some sort … you think of Red Dog, what they did up there," Mr Trantham said. Mr Punch said he had already spoken to the development commission about the idea. "I do think there's a great opportunity as we're doing the final stages of the waterfront to remember Marley and maybe have a statue," he said. Bunbury mayor Jaysen Miguel said the council would consider helping fund a permanent tribute if enough of the community wanted it.
ABC News
23-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
WA producers hope Brownes Dairy will be purchased by an Australian buyer
Western Australia's oldest and biggest milk company is up for sale and dairy farmers hope it will be returned to Australian hands. It is understood the Chinese owner of Brownes Dairy, the Mengniu Dairy Co, defaulted on its $200-million loan. Brownes Dairy chief executive officer Natalie Sarich-Dayton told the Brownes Dairy chief executive Natalie Sarich-Dayton says the partnership with Mengniu has been successful. ( ABC News: Samantha Goerling ) "This is purely at our parent ownership level back in China between two parties and an agreement that was made between two parties back in China," she said. "It has absolutely nothing to do with our day-to-day operations in WA and it's business as usual for Brownes Dairy." The announcement has sent shock waves throughout the dairy industry but dairy farmers are hopeful it could provide an opportunity for the company to return to Australian ownership for the first time Ian Noakes says it would be good to see Brownes back in Australian hands. ( ABC South West WA: Anthony Pancia ) Hopes for local buyer WAFarmers Dairy Council president Ian Noakes said a state-based buyer would be ideal. "We see it as a very vital part of the West Australian dairy industry and would definitely not like anything untoward to happen to it," he said. "There's a lot of dairy processors around Australia [that] have gone out of business in the last couple of years, so you wouldn't think finding a buyer would necessarily be that easy, although I think Brownes appears to be trading reasonably OK, so that might help." Ross Woodhouse supplied Brownes with more than 21 million litres of milk per year. ( ABC Rural: Jessica Hayes ) Ross Woodhouse operates one of the state's largest dairy farms in Scott River and is Brownes' biggest supplier. He would prefer the company to return to local ownership but said the highest priority was a buyer that could handle the company competently. "I don't care who it is really, as long as it's well managed," he said. " I just want to feel that the company's in good hands, and if it's well managed, then obviously it'll bring opportunities to us and give us security as farmers. " Future of the dairy Ms Sarich-Dayton emphasised that the most recent owners had been part of a successful relationship. "Obviously we would all love to see it return to Australian hands, but I think it's really important to flag that whilst we were owned by the Chinese parent company we had an incredible ownership structure … over the last seven years," she said. "We are going to have a lot of buyer interest in Brownes Dairy, and I absolutely expect that we will find ourselves a new owner that will invest in growth for our business and absolutely in the West Australian dairy industry." WA Premier Roger Cook told ABC Radio Perth Brownes Dairy would be attractive to buyers. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor ) Speaking on "Can I just say Brownes Dairy remains a profitable company," he said. "It continues to provide an important business link for the 50 dairy farmers that provide milk and other products to that to that facility or to that company … so the managers of Brownes Dairy are confident that they will find a new owner because it is a profitable business." Insolvency expert McGrathNicol has been appointed to manage the sale.
