Page 106 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

Hereford Youth

helps thirst for

knowledge

Leora with her dogs Flick, Jossy and Gin.

eora Werner loves being part of NZ Hereford moving to Braeside, but she has an insatiable appetite for
Youth; she also rides horses, trains dogs, goes deer knowledge.
hunting, wants to learn more about wool classing, “I’d love to do a wool classing certificate,” she says, but then
takes winning photographs, and plays the piano admits she has to finish her agribusiness certificate first. She’s
Laccordion. doing that online, which she finds hard with so much distraction.
“I’ve played the piano accordion since I was 10, which is a “I have my horses here, I can train my dogs, and I have 6000
bit random,” the vivacious 24-year-old says with a grin. “I pull hectares I can go hunting on. I love venison and I’m lucky to
it out every now and then. It’s good fun and a good laugh. I have so much meat basically at my back doorstep.”
play the bass guitar too, but very badly. Unfortunately, music She even taught herself to kill mutton for dog tucker by
has taken a backseat in the past couple of years; I’ve been a bit observing others and watching videos.
busy.” “A butcher would probably cry watching me, but I can do it.”
It seems she’s been busy ever since she left school in Year 12. She also learns new skills through being a member of Upper
“School wasn’t for me. I just wanted to get out and do Manuherikia Young Farmers, which she describes as “very social”.
something. I wanted to work. A few of my friends were dairy “This is a massive club and we do some really cool stuff,
farming, so I thought I’d give it a go. It helped me get a foot mainly in the summer, like cleaning up the local playcentre,
in the door, but I wouldn’t go back to dairy, not having tasted and tailing for a couple of local farmers as a fundraiser.
this life.” We went through the Nevis Pass in early December, Covid
‘This life’ is working for brothers Graeme and Alastair (Al) stopped a planned trip Stewart Island, and we have a ball
McKnight, and Al’s partner Philippa Pope, on Braeside Station every second year.
in Central Otago. She’s been there two years, having done “We did a tour through Hickey’s wool store at Omakau, that’s
a Diploma in Agriculture at Telford when she was 18, then where I got the bug to do some wool classing; I’ve done merino
casual work in the Hakataramea Valley, which was her first ram judging the past two years at Earnscleugh Station, but I’m
taste of sheep and beef. keen to know more about wool. We have half-bred sheep here. I
“After watching my workmate working with his dogs, I go with Al to do the ram buying … I enjoy the discussions and
bought my first heading pup. That’s him, Ghost,” she says, comparing what I’m learning to what Al is looking for. A lot of it
pointing to some photos on her wall. “He wasn’t my best work, still goes over my head, but it’s so interesting. That’s the bonus
but I ended up selling him to a guy in Aussie. I love training of the Hereford Youth days too. Meeting other people who are
dogs and maybe that’s a little business for the future.” into the same stuff and just as eager to learn.”
The next few years included time at Tower Station, near Te The Hereford Youth involvement came about through a
Anau, before moving to Maniototo. friendship with her former Telford classmate Lisa Bonenkamp.
“I started in November, just after paddock tailing, as a casual. Leora had started following their social media accounts and
After a month they offered me the fulltime shepherd general jumped at the chance to go to its national youth forum.
position and I’m still here. I count myself lucky to work for Al “I’m glad I did it. It was so full-on… so much knowledge,
and Graeme. They’re kind people and they’re good to me. especially the Youth Development Forum. Man, it was
“I’m still learning… there are certainly a lot of things I can information overload. It was so good. The next one will be
improve on, or find easier or better ways to do them.” amazing because I’ll be starting from a better place with
She didn’t know anything about fine wool sheep before more knowledge.”

104 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2023