Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria annual Get Together cancelled

Organisers of the annual get together for Victoria’s mountain cattlemen have taken the difficult decision to cancel the event, which had been expected to draw 2000 people.

Other priorities: Mountain cattlemen herding cattle. Their three-day annual Get Together had been scheduled to begin on Friday.

EXTREME weather conditions and the threat of fire has prompted the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria to cancel its annual Get Together next weekend.

Organisers yesterday scrapped plans for the annual three-day event which was due to kick off next Friday at Merrijig.

MCAV president Bruce McCormack said “this is not a decision we have come to lightly” but there was “just no way we can get together when we have hundreds of our members battling not just for their farms and their homes, but also for their lives”.

“We were hoping we could go ahead with the event, which helps us continue to fight for better Parks management, but when our local shire was declared a State of Disaster we knew we couldn’t proceed,” Mr McCormack said in a statement.

Organisers were expecting about 2000 people to next weekend’s event with ABC radio program, Australia All Over, scheduled to broadcast live from Merrijig.

“The Get Together is our chance not just to promote our own cause, but also to promote the Mansfield Shire,” Mr McCormack said.

“We had people travelling from interstate to attend — so it really is with a heavy heart that we have to cancel, but the safety of our guests is the most important thing and being safe at this stage means staying away.”

The Alpine National Park and forest, which surrounds the Merrijig site, were closed to the public last week with visitors told to evacuate.

“The site itself is in a safe location, but that is not our primary concern,” Mr McCormack said.

“We do this not only because we have been advised to by the local authorities, but also out of respect for those who are currently in a far worse bushfire situation than we are.”

The MCAV will be in contact with those who purchased tickets over the coming weeks.