General News
14 May, 2025
David Byrnes - a bloke in a harvester
David (Mick) Byrne is a farmer and that's all he wants to do. His ties to the land are strong; he was born in the original homestead.
His father often says, David was the last of eight children to be born and he came pretty quickly so I think we decided he'd be the last.
But David has four children of his own now with his wife Sarah and the threat of a mine taking the farm is much more than a childhood memory.
He lives on the edge of the Aston Corporation Ltd Donald Mine Mineral Sands Project near Minyip at Banyena and is facing decisions he doesn't want to make, but says the one he has made is to dig his heels in and stay where he is.
The farm has been in the family since 1874 and generational farming is in the blood.
"I remember when I was about four there was talk about a mine coming and we were in the paper because Dad was against giving up the farm to a mine.
"We all lined up and had our photo taken," he said.,
"This isn't a day to day job, a week to week or even a year to year to me," he said.
"This is generation to generation and it's going to stay that way."
David is the fourth generation to farm the family property and his children will be the fifth.
He received an email from the Donald Project in December 2024 giving him two weeks to make a decision but he said he was not doing it.
"I was in the middle of harvest and no time to even read and take in the enormity of what they were asking," he said.
Anyway, he doesn't want the money.
Money can't replace what he has now.
"I don't want compensation, there is no amount that could make up for what we'd lose," he said.
"And anyway, what they've been offering is an insult."
It's not a level playing field he says, referring to the differing legislation between states. Western Australian farmers have veto rights over mining but Victorians don't.
"They say we can go somewhere else and farm there.
"Firstly, we don't want to and secondly, with so much of Victoria under mining or exploration licences, we might settle somewhere and be in the same position in a year or two," he said.
"This soil here is special. We can have an ordinary year seasonally and still have a good yield. You can't do that everywhere.
"To produce what it does means this land is special."
David said it is true that farmers work for money like everyone else, but the difference is that they work to put back into the land.
"We produce food," he said.
David said he wants people to have a look at the size of the mines in the Wimmera Mallee and just see how much agriculture land will be stopped from producing for decades.
"It's a lot of really good land going to mining.
"What do you want, a mobile phone or a bag of groceries?" he said.
My ancestors came here in the 1870's and the original mud brick home was built then in 1870.
Mum and Dad came in the 1960's or 70's and we have three homes in a row on the farm.
The mine will demolish the family home.
"This has devastated my family, my wife and children, and my parents," he said.
"We need farms, not mines," he said.
"If you wonder why I’m passionate about saving our farm, this is it," he said in a recent Facebook post.
"My Dad is one half of my greatest heroes, the veteran, the king of one liners, the storyteller, and the bloke who forgets everyone’s name, especially his kids.
"And not to mention his better half, a woman who can single-handedly feed a large group of gatherers with a loaf of bread and an assortment of homemade relish from the pantry along with a cheeky smile and an unmatched amount of calm you’ll rarely see.
"This is our home, and this is family farming,
"My heels are dug in, we are going nowhere.
David believes it’s not up to him to get the government out of trouble and by that he means mining his back yard for income from minerals.
"We’re here for the farming long haul, not the mining sugar hit," he said.
"We need farms, not mines."
The toll on families, friends, and neighbours is huge and the mental health challenges are something that must be recognised, he says.
"When the government says they are sourcing critical minerals remember they are sourcing them my back yard, my home, my family's generational farm and my neighbours."
Known as the 'Man on a Harvester" making videos of his thoughts, he says, "Remember you can't eat sand."