On September the 8th last we heard of the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
She was 96 years old and reigned for 70 years, the longest serving British monarch in history. The queens state funeral took place yesterday. We remember our neighbours in the UK on this sad occasion. We in Ireland fondly recall Queen Elizabeth’s memorable visit to Ireland in 2011. She endeared many Irish people to their hearts. It is believed that she considered that visit to be one of her most important and special of all her tours abroad.
She achieved a lot during her years on the throne and has seen a remarkable change in the world during her long life. Yet, despite her high profile achievements, some of you may be surprised to hear that Queen Elizabeth II had a close association with our own industry. In March 1945 the then Princess Elizabeth qualified as a mechanic while serving in the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during World War II. While serving her time with the ATS she drove and serviced heavy vehicles. That was quite an achievement back then when being an engine mechanic was considered to be a man’s job.
A photo of Princess Elizabeth, taken in 1945, shows her leaning against a vehicle during her driving and vehicle maintenance training. Image from the Imperial War Museum collection
Coming back to the realities of life, I am hearing worrying news of small businesses under threat of closing, due to the spiralling energy costs. Some businesses have seen their electricity costs doubled from their previous bill. This is happening now, when we are still in the relative warm days of September. What will it be like in a month’s time when heating systems need to be turned on and lights left on for longer? If energy prices keep rising, as expected, this will be an impossible situation for some businesses, especially smaller, family run businesses. We wait in hope for some government relief in next week’s budget.
Staying on the topic of energy, in the US, there are moves afoot to get commercial lawnmowers included in the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act. Why is this important? If included in the act it would mean that commercial lawnmowers under a certain weight would be entitled to tax credits to support the purchase and use of battery-powered lawnmowers. If successful it means that golf courses and sports grounds could receive up to $7,500 to replace a petrol or diesel powered mower with one powered by batteries. That would be a huge incentive for turf maintenance facilities to reduce their carbon footprint. It would be great if a similar scheme would be introduced in this country. This would benefit both customers and dealers.
Don’t forget that, from today until Thursday, the National and World Ploughing Championships take place at Ratheniska, Co. Laois. This is the first time since 2019 that trade stands will be present. The event was staged behind closed doors in 2021. For those of you who have exhibition stands there I hope you get plenty of visitors and, more importantly, a lot of sales. Here’s hoping for good weather.
