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 Let me introduce you to George. He first came into our lives when we saw the most adorable, quizzical little face peering at us over the vegetable garden
fence one evening. His cheeks were bulging with silverbeet, and he managed to clear the fence from a standing take off! He comes into the garden most evenings and eats every single leaf he can reach; the nut trees are
stripped bare to George-at-full-stretch height, and the roses now have fences around them. Luckily the olive trees in the garden are not his favourite fare.
Mother-In-Law takes two bottles of water out to her bird bath on her gopher each morning, which suits George very well. When he has eaten his fill of rose leaves, he has a large drink at the birdbath before moving on to the next course which is likely to be almond tree leaves. The camera caught him at his favourite watering hole. Mother-In-Law bellows at him from her
sitting room, accusing him of greed, portliness and vandalism, and would never admit to him or anyone else that she, just like the rest of us, gets a huge amount of amusement and pleasure from his visits. Even if he does overdo the pruning just a bit!
George's wisdom in leaving the olive trees alone made us think about making wildlife part of our organic olive enterprise. We now encourage wildlife as members of 'Land for Wildlife' and have seen the bird life in the olive grove and on the farm increase substantially. The kangaroos and wallabies seem to leave the olives alone preferring the native trees and grasses.
As the story of Salsi Olives unfolds you will meet many of our animal community including the magpie 'Denis' and family, the Old Man Kangaroo who has been thrown out of the mob, Big Boy who chased us from his girls and many other stories.
And you will hear of the highs and lows of growing organic olives in Central Victoria.
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