Commuters from Wagga’s northern suburbs were surprised to see a new sign on Travers Street selling poo for the same old price. Photo: Chris Roe.
As much as the world keeps changing and Australia battles through pretty crappy economic times, it’s heartening to see that some things stay the same.
Colvin Racing may have erected a shiny new steel-frame sign opposite the racetrack on Travers Street but the price of poo remains refreshingly steady at $2 per bag.
Gary Colvin said the decision to replace the iconic hand-painted sign that had amused commuters and attracted customers was inspired by a spate of poo sign stealing.
“Around the end of the year when uni breaks up it used to be a big thing to get a poo sign,” he said with a chuckle.
“We lost a few of them over the years and any time one disappeared, we’d have to put up another one.”
The previous well-weathered plywood sign has been in place since COVID and was wired to steel posts and chained to a tree, but Gary said he’d had it in mind for a while to erect something more substantial.
“The new sign’s got a steel frame and you can’t lift it. I had to put it out there with a forklift and I reckon it’s too big for the students to chuck in the back of a ute,” he said.
The iconic old sign and the much less stealable new poo sign outside Colvin Racing. Photo: Chris Roe.
Over the years the stables team has resisted calls from other poo sellers to engage in localised price fixing.
“We feel sorry for everyone that’s doing it tough so while things have gone up, we keep the same price,” Gary said, acknowledging an economy that’s …well, in the toilet.
“Another mob that was selling poo approached me a few years ago and asked me if I’d put the price up.
“They wanted me to put it up $3 but we refused to and I told ’em – I’m happy just to leave it at $2 so that the ladies and all gardeners can afford it, and really, we’re just glad to get rid of it.
“Obviously we’ve got plenty of poo to clear up every day and it goes great on the gardens.”
Horse poo is a very effective natural fertiliser that helps to condition the soil and attracts earthworms.
It is rich in nitrogen so leafy plants, lawns and backyard crops like corn, potatoes, garlic, and lettuce love it, however, it’s not so great for flowering and fruiting plants like tomatoes and capsicum that also require potassium and phosphorus.
Gary reckons on a good week in gardening season they can sell as many as 50 bags and earn some handy pocket money to pay for a few things around the stables.
“The horses cost a lot more to look after than what we get out of selling the poo I can tell you,” Gary said.
“But it all helps and everyone’s happy, so we’ll just leave it at $2 a bag.”
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