Certainly going back to our roots in this weeks episode with Donny on a little hiatus between varieties we managed to get him in for a good chat, and it must be a while since he's had a good yarn because it went for a while. We had a lot to cover though including wanting the rain to hold off, school starting for the year, the labour issue, 97% of water allocation which is having him whistle a very different tune to last year.

He also talks about export markets, footy, basketball, training and doesn't say no when asked about the senior netball head coaching job.

Then Ethan is back for what could be one of his last episodes before heading off to university, They grow so quick, I"m so proud! Our summer intern is off to spread his wings!

Then Phil is in to talk about footy, the new netball coach, the new netball courts, the state of the oval and just the general state of play,

So much to discuss this week and if you've ever whinged about your rates, you should give this one a listen.

We discuss how we might tackle the situation along with hemp, Fiona talks about her porn trafficking days, packing bongs and all sorts of other things you won't hear politicians talk about anywhere else!

If you haven't signed the petition for RATEGATE yet, make sure you do. You can hit the link right here, it takes about 3 seconds and could result in some actual action with regard to a more equitable rates system in Victoria!

Welcome back to The Vale Podcast for another year! This is our third, who'd have every thunk it.

This week Charlie takes a little time out to talk to us in between his other media commitments and he is in fine form. He gets socially excited from time to time.

We talk about the blue-green algae issue downstream of Wentworth, the Australia Day Breakfast and a multitude of other things.

Anne Webster is in also and we quiz her on the Seasonal Workers Scheme, Strong Communities Program, Parliamentary Committee for Friends of making social media a safe place and a lot more.

So much to get through today!

We're all exhausted so it's taken us a couple of takes and little to ZERO editing as we literally recording this Christmas Eve afternoon.

Unpopular Opinions is back, and Seamus Mitchell came in to chat with Ethan and Jade earlier in the week so that's really the highlight!

Kato has a Christmas message in Tongan, Jack has a Christmas message in Vietnamese, with also have Cantonese and Tawainese as well.

Have a safe and happy Christmas from all of us at The Vale Podcast and Network House Robinvale!

We have a new segment called unpopular opinions. Feel free to submit yours, you can do so anonymously if you wish.

The last of our "What do you want to be when you grow up?" series and after chatting with all of the Robinvale College year 12 class of 2020 the defence force was a common thread.

So I thought we'd tap into a valuable and local resource, albeit, he's on the otherside of the planet right now, but he did all of his schooling in Robinvale and is now a Warrant Officer with the Royal Australian Navy.

Jason Hicks has been a guest with us before but now we have our summer intern so we ask him all about joining the ADF from a year 12's perspective and we give him the tough questions that only someone high ranking in the military would know,.

Are UFO's real?

Did the moon landing really happen?

Are all weird objects in the sky weather balloons?

The mental health drop in clinic is now up and running in full swing at RDHS. Anthony comes in to give us an update on how things are running and what you can do should you need to access this clinic.

Essentially, it's just rock up on Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 9:30am and 1pm or call RDHS Primary Care ahead on 5051 8160.

We also managed to get hold of Ali Cupper on a day when Charlie was unavailable for consultation but we did manage to have a chat about the $10million we got for the Robinvale-Sea Lake Road, the Murray Darling Basin Rail Project and the basement of Victorian Parliament House.

Having been stood up by both co-hosts I was delighted to see John Neale walk through the doors of Network House this week. As we all know, John is always up for a chat, always has a story and is so interesting to listen too so it was a great chat.

We also had a call from the CFA to issue reminders that we are into fire restriction season and any lighting of fires on days of total fire ban can result in prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, so we chat about that, and about the dangers of grass fires with Jack and he translates this message into Vietnamese! Yay Jack!

We also had a visit from our Federal Member Dr Anne Webster and one of her staffers who shall now be known as 'Cherry Boy' within the walls of Network House, because he turned up with a box of delicious cherries from Ian in Kerang under his wing!

It's so nice to be on the media trail of politicians when they're in town. Yes, I nerd out a little bit (I think the kids call it "fan-girling" but whatev!) but things like the State Budget that was handed down this week affect every one of us so we did want to talk about that.

We also had some discussions about our free trade deals with China and Indonesia and try to decide whether or not they're worth the paper they're written on.

Ali Cupper also made some time for us this week but it was late on Thursday afternoon so it didn't make the cut for this week's regular episode so you're getting a bonus this week as well.

Our VIP;s get it first and get the full version though so sign up to support us at patreon.com/thevalepodcast

It's been a while since we've had an update from the blocks so we're giving it to you this week.

Fred is in to discuss the demise of mainstream media, the China export market and multiple other issues whilst Donny gives us his point of view on the AFL trade period, his stress levels, the fundamentals of farming and plenty more.

The regular podcast feed only has about half of each conversation, if you'd like to hear them in full you can sign up as a Patreon from as little as $5USD per month at patreon.com/thevalepodcast

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A rapper, a dancer, an ambo, a mechanic? We're talking about it all today!

Norto is in to talk about becoming an Ambulance Community Officer in Manangatang and he also discusses the pizza at the Manang Pub. He promises to come back and review the parma next week so hold your breath for that one.

Skip Rogers from Pioneer Ford also pops in to talk about his progression from a school based apprenticeship to possible retirement before the age of 40. That's a joke but he makes a good point about being in his early 20's with the beginnings of a real estate portfolio whilst his university studying mates are living on noodles, obtaining degrees that they may or may not ever use.

Then Phil Egan, the dancer and the rapper is in to talk about his career that has taken him all around the world, his struggles, his downfall and his rise again to happiness. We also play his new track and roll out his rapper name "Crooked TP". We talk about why he's come up with that stage name too.

Loads to listen too and in the next day or so you can watch the uncut video from our zoom chat with Phil, but only if you're a VIP (very important patron). become one here: patreon.com/thevalepodcast