Cane fires aren't doing any harm

UNLIKE some of the locals, I don’t have a strong view on whether cane fires are good or bad.

UNLIKE some of the locals, I don't have a strong view on whether cane fires are good or bad.

I didn't grow up playing in the black snow, or know that winter was coming based on the blacked-out sunsets in the distance.

But I have experienced a few cane fires now and I'm still ambivalent.

Driving through the smoke can be daunting, especially if there isn't much warning, but usually the smell gives it away.

And whether cane fires are a part of Bundaberg's ideology, as claimed by one Facebook reader, is yet to be determined.

But I have learned something.

I now know why farmers choose to burn the cane trash or burn the crop before harvesting.

And each option seems to have its own merits.

Let's not forget farmers aren't just doing it for the sake of it - it has a real impact on their livelihood.

But according to Alloway farmer Neville Cayley, cane fires can draw in a crowd - whether that's through curiosity, or nostalgia.

You have to ask yourself, are the cane fires doing anyone any harm?

For the most part, I think the answer is no.