Guess Hu's Gone Bush
The Age
Thursday September 6, 2007
A FLOCK of bewildered sheep found themselves on display yesterday for Chinese President Hu Jintao, who visited a property in the NSW Southern Tablelands as part of his whirlwind tour of the country.
Flanked by Chinese officials in charcoal suits, President Hu arrived at the sleepy Bywong Station woolshed in Gundaroo in a motorcade of white cars.With police stationed in a nearby paddock and a plane patrolling the sky, he watched sheep being mustered by sheepdogs Zack and Dot.After watching a ewe being shorn in a tin shed, he was treated to scones and strawberry jam in the farm homestead.China is an important market for Australian wool and the Chinese APEC delegation is travelling widely around the country. Graeme Clugston, 38, who earns $2.20 for every sheep he shears, said he was "a bit nervous" shearing the ewe before President Hu."The sheep sat there nice and quietly, so that's the main thing," he said, somewhat relieved.The Chinese embassy asked for a visit to the farm, which was settled in the early 1800s and is now owned by Sarah and Ian Cusack. In 1990 the Cusacks hosted then Soviet premier Nikolai Ryzhkov.Over the past 10 years the farm, which has 2700 sheep and 150 cows, has been plagued by drought, though recent rain has left it looking green.Mrs Cusack said she had organised a working bee last weekend to tidy up the farm for President Hu's visit.She was advised to offer him only Australian food, such as scones and tea - but not green tea. "We were told (President Hu) would like to have the Australian experience," she said.
© 2007 The Age
