'Little' Grey Fergie' a treasure of an era

They were first built around the time liquid paper, super glue and the wireless television remote were invented, but it is certainly no ordinary household item.

Now deemed as one of the best inventions since sliced bread, Midge Point local Vince Olsen is hoping to sell a unique 60-year-old Massey Ferguson TE 20 tractor to someone who will love the classic machine as much as he does.

The piece of vintage machinery was put into Mr Olsen’s hands more than three years ago when he was looking to buy a tractor to launch his boat from the beach at Midge Point.

"It was too small for my boat and I didn’t want to put it into the salt water anyway. It would be a damn shame," Mr Olsen said.

"She runs well and it’s a diesel which are a little more scarce these days."

Mr Olsen said The Little Grey Fergies, which were now a collector’s item, were a popular tractor back in the day as they changed the way people worked on the land in the 1950s.

"Using horses was hard work. The Little Grey Fergie changed the way people farmed - you could cover more country and get the job done properly."

"They made a lot of them in the 1950s or earlier and many have since rusted away or are locked up in a shed."

The engine and three point linkage system on Mr Olsen’s Little Grey Fergie are still in tiptop condition which, he says, proves the longevity of the model built sometime between 1954 and 1956.

"They are good little tractors and some people are fanatics when it comes to restoring them."

Mr Olsen is hoping to sell the collector’s item for $4000 and it can be inspected at 26 Peters Avenue, Midge Point. For more information contact Vince on 49 476 572.

Whitsunday CWA reaches out to fire victim

They’ve attracted the nick name "chicks with attitude" for a good reason you know.

They stand up for what’s right, they’re empathetic and they fight for equality. While times have changed considerably since the Queensland Country Women’s Association’s inception some 90 years ago, a small branch of the QCWA has proven once again they never steer far from their association’s core values.

Remember the woman whose home was burned down south of Bloomsbury a few weeks ago? Did you wonder what became of her?

The QCWA pioneer division president Marie Baulch heard of the woman’s plight and offered her free rent in their Midge Point cottage "Lethebrook".

"A member from the Calen branch called me and told me about the fire. It so happened that our beach cottage was empty so we offered it to her. She was so grateful. It was such a worry off her shoulders to be left with nothing after a fire would be so awful. That’s what our organisation is all about – helping women, children and families in times of need, be it cyclone, flood, fire or drought," Ms Baulch said.

QCWA member Vi Bradford who looks after the cottage at Midge Point said their guest was the most lovely person you’d hope to meet.

"I had a few cuppas with her. There were tears and then there was laughter. For the QCWA to be able to help out at times like this means so much to everyone," Ms Bradford said.

The guest did not want her name printed, but left a beautiful message for those who helped in her time of great need.

"To find yourself homeless and without possessions overnight is a huge shock and I really did not know where to go or what to do. The last couple of weeks have felt like an eternity as I try to get myself organised and gather the courage for the future. You have assisted me greatly in this – and for that – I am eternally grateful. Thank you and God bless," was the lovely message in the guest book.

There’s nothing left of the house that the woman had newly rented a few kilometres south of Bloomsbury, just the tin roofing and a few beams and the sad memory of a little old timber home that once stood proudly in the beautiful Taranga valley.