Plan to claim third party property against Roo Insurance Australia Limited

IT IS TIME to slow down to avoid the roos on country roads.

Kangaroos on a Queensland roadside. Picture: Jodie DixonBIT200616WILFLIFE

DRY AS A BONE column in Bush Telegraph by Gerard Walsh - A lighter look at rural life

I AM back to 70kmh at night on the rural roads around Greymare, west of Warwick, after hitting three roos with the ute in the past six months.

I know it is six months as the first since the last trip to the panel beater was in April on the way to watch the first of two international polocrosse games on a Saturday night.

The CEO (my wife Margaret) didn't miss me, I was going too fast trying to make sure I got there at least during the first two chukkas of the women's game.

I lost time checking out the front of the ute and slowed down for the rest of the trip and still made it to the polocrosse in good time.

I have dropped back my speed to under 90kmh but have still collected two more roos; better try 70kmh.

Each time, the bull bar of the ute has been pushed a little further back.

A bystander would barely notice the damage but I now need a degree to lift the bonnet of the ute.

To do or not to do is the question I will have to address.

The damage to the ute is more about looks but insurance won't cover the whole cost. We have an excess of $350 and then if you claim too often, your premium could rise a bit due to the number of accidents.

With accidents, you can get the other fellow's insurance to pay the damage if they are the "at-fault” driver so I will make a claim through Roo Insurance Australia Limited.

Just hope the three I hit were covered for third party property. Not sure how I will get on with the roo who didn't survive a collision on Montrose Rd. He/she won't be able to sign the claim.

Since a little rain in the past couple of weeks, the roos are chasing the green grass more than the oats. They have decided there is just not enough feed on the oats to worry about - no one told the roos oats have more protein.

On Friday afternoon there were 20 roos on the cricket pitch, a paddock used for a game of cricket at the engagement party Marg and I put on in 2002.

The grass was cut a bit shorter for a pitch in the middle of a paddock used as a holding paddock after sheep are shorn.

Haven't been any sheep on our place for a long time for two reasons; dingoes and, to a lesser extent, my job as a journalist. There is a lot more work in sheep than cattle.

Come to think of it, it would be more than 20 years since our woolshed was used for its intended purpose. We had many shearers down the years but I reckon Alwyn Hamblin and Andrew Costello shore the most.

They must have, I still remember their phone numbers.