Page 138 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2019 Edition
P. 138

Our Breeders


       A Southern story







       WORDS STEPH DEW  PHOTOGRAPHS STEPH DEW / SUPPLIED                         An attempt at a group photo at Macraes Mine.

       WEATHER  IN  MAY  IN  THE  SOUTH  can  throw  anything  at  you.   you get back on the bus, the catalogues for the next stop are
       This year the start of the annual bull tour had us meeting in Gore   handed out for you to study prior to arrival.
       in pouring rain. As everyone arrived and loaded their overnight bag   Started by a group of horned breeders, the tour was opened
       and refreshments into the trailer the first job of the tour was already   up about five years ago to include all members of the Southern
       well underway; lining the bus floor with builders plastic so farm   Districts Club. The reason for its inception was to provide an
       boots could stay on for the duration. It was 7.15am and barely   opportunity for breeders to view each other’s bulls prior to
       daylight. As we piled into the bus we were mentally preparing   the start of the southern sale circuit. The sales were originally
       ourselves for the big day ahead, and of course, the banter had   spread over two to three weeks but when they were condensed
       already begun.                                        to one week it made it difficult for breeders to get to all of them.
          In the long and colourful history of the annual bull tour, I was   It is organised for the week prior to the southern circuit and is
       the first female to go on it. Under the guise of needing to attend   two big days of travelling as far south as Waiau Stud in Lillburn
       for research purposes while writing this article, I was secretly quite   Valley and north to Seadowns in Oamaru; and seeing every
       excited to get the chance to join in. My plan was to keep a low   landscape imaginable in between.
       profile in the hope my presence wouldn’t cause the usual antics   About 30 years ago the first bus trip headed off with Joe
       or conversation to be watered down too much. As club secretary   Benson, an employee of Laurie Paterson’s, at the wheel. Aboard
       it is always a great source of amusement to me when I email   the bus were the likes of Colin King, Bill Holmes, Stuart Baird,
       members to ask who is interested in attending the tour each year,   Doug Landels and Jock McKenzie. Some of the others who were
       that within the next 24 hours I am bombarded with replies. This   with them are still staunch regulars on the trip, such as Gordon
       is in stark contrast to the usual hit and miss feedback I get from   Shearing, Geof Brown, and Alistair Campbell. Now the next
       other club correspondence. Some members only appear out of   generation is happily joining in, with the younger ones likes Ross
       the woodwork once a year for this particular event.   Paterson and Duncan Campbell being regaled with legendary
          A quick stop to pick up the lunches from the caterers and we   stories and traditions from past years. From false teeth being
       headed to our first farm. Marc Robertson had done the itinerary   lost, the eldest tour member always being referred to as the
       and had everything booked and organised for this all-inclusive   Head Shepherd, the nicknames given to people’s farms such as
       trip. He also put his hand up to drive the bus and spent the next   Pneumonia Gully and Pleurisy Point, or Colin King’s only luggage
       couple of days working to keep everything on time. It was a very   being a whisky suitcase containing two crystal glasses, a bottle
       tight schedule that must be kept to, otherwise at the end of the   of whisky and a bottle of water. A bottle of water could last a
       day you will be trying to view someone’s cattle in the dark.   very long time but a bottle of whisky never did. In those days
          Duncraigen was our first stop and we were greeted with   you wouldn’t want to be one of the farms visited from lunchtime
       snow covering the ground. You can always guarantee a good   onwards, as chances are there probably wasn’t much point.
       snowfall in May and no one was complaining, as they’d rather   When we arrived at Waiau at 10.30am on the first morning it
       have it then than during sale week. We pull up to the gate and   wasn’t whisky on offer but cups of tea and coffee. I have to say I
       the bulls are there ready and waiting for us. The rules of the   wouldn’t normally have a pie for morning tea but on a cold morning
       tour are that you have to go on the tour if you want your bulls   it really hit the spot. Others, like Andy Denham who had been up
       to be visited. Participants are sometimes collected along the   since 2.45am to make the drive down to Gore to meet the bus,
       way if their farms are visited on the first day. The bulls must   were well and truly ready for something substantial. Another great
       be rounded up and penned somewhere close by and easily   thing I discovered about the tour was how you were often greeted
       accessible for the bus. Each stop is only 20 minutes and when   by the whole family when you arrived at a farm. It was great to see


       Seadowns bulls looking content wallowing in feed.



















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