Pick up the phone and call them, it's worth it

Maybe the person on the other end is ringing to say you won the lotto, or you have landed that dream job. It could be you dialing the number to tell someone that their best friend isn't coming home.

A few years ago now, while I was a journalist at The Land in NSW, I received a phone call from a gentle sounding voice.

It was a man I'd come to know a lot about after publishing a lengthy double page spread on his life and how he was fighting to keep it going.

On this day he was ringing to thank me, for capturing him in a genuine way.

For the last month or two I've had these constant reminders in my head to give him a ring, just to check in and say g'day.

When I did eventually pick up the phone for a chat; I was fighting back tears.

For many people, 2023 has been tough - maybe even tougher than the COVID years. Are we allowed to admit that?

Would you have believed me 12 months ago if I told you cattle wouldn't even be worth half of their current values, fire ants would spread west of the Dividing Range and cozzie livs would be crowned the word of the year?

Me neither.

Macquarie dictionary's decision to name a colloquial term for cost of living the word of the year is not only outrageous but a true reflection of the mood this last 12 months has left most of us in.

Suddenly we at Queensland Country Life went from not having enough pages to fit in all the pictures of people and their stock at store sales to struggling to find even an agent who would front up for a back page photo.

Our newsroom requirements for a market report quickly changed from a photo of the top pen to "just make sure there is a human in it".

While we had been warned that everything that goes up must come down, nobody, not even the most accurate experts could have expected the slide in cattle prices that eventuated this year.

Pair that with high interest rates, soaring diesel prices and a lack of long-term committed workers and there weren't too many shining lights in a dim year.

But on this dreaded Wednesday, when I picked up the phone to call somebody who will forever be my favourite interviewee of my career, none of that mattered.

This time I was having a conversation with someone whose days weren't guaranteed anymore.

We didn't talk about how much rain we didn't get or how the cotton plant was looking. There was no mention of the cattle prices at Roma that week or what government funding had been forgotten.

Instead we spoke about how good oysters are and his afternoon catch ups with mates, even enjoying a few beverages despite what the doctors thought.

This year at QCL we have shared some truly heartbreaking stories, and some lucky escapes, that remind you of your own mortality.

When I began my career with QCL as a journalist in Roma I was lucky enough to have all my 'blonde' market questions answered by then Landmark livestock agent Rod Turner.

He was also a passionate voice in the fight against Pimelea and kindly linked me up with many producers on the issue.

The entire industry lost a true legend with his passing this year.

On the flip side, I was reminded of the life or death scenarios we face everyday on bush roads when I interviewed Leroy Brown.

The 21-year-old butcher was driving home along a road west of Blackall he'd used many times before when his vehicle left the roadway and rolled on Australia Day morning.

His car was a write-off; the roll bar around his vehicle was the only thing keeping it from crushing him inside the cab.

Had he not of text his parents to let them know when he was leaving on his way home, they may not have found him so quickly. Suddenly I understood why my own mother was constantly on my back for not notifying her about my whereabouts.

It's so easy when reflecting on the year that was to draw attention to the negatives, or the bad press in our industry.

I could tell you about the feeling of watching the Broncos lose a premiership live for the second time, or having to say goodbye to a beloved Border Collie who has been a mainstay in your family for more than a decade.

What it's like to have to negotiate with readers who might not be happy with seeing the facts in print or how much you long for a steak when you've had all four wisdom teeth out.

However 2023 also saw my family get a glimpse of the first calves by our $200,000 bull purchase, I got to live out a childhood dream to visit Canada and received the Queensland Rural Press Club's Young Journalist of the Year.

We need to celebrate the good moments, even if they are fleeting, because we never know what the next 12 months will bring.

I didn't end that phone call with goodbye, but rather, "I'll give you a ring in the new year". I won't leave it any longer this time.

Don't underestimate the power of people.

That phone call will hold a place in my heart for much longer than any word of the year.