CHRISTOPHERS COMMENT DECEMBER 20 18
It is once more time to put pen to paper or rather fingers to keyboard and bring an update to the happenings of Taruna Farm and the lives of the people involved.
Since my May newsletter everything on the farm had ticked along as normal. Winter went well and our stock came through in good condition. Lambing was right up to expectations with our final tailing percentage around 170. A little lower than what we would have liked after scanning just over 200%. Unfortunately we had quite a lot of wet and cold weather in the early part of lambing which took its toll although other parts of the country fared much worse than us. Weather is weathir so there is very little we can do. Although it was predicted we would have a dry October/November but that wasnt the case and as I am writing this we are in the middle of a severe thunderstorm.
Earlier in the year we were informed that our son James and his family would be retuming to New Zealand on October the first to take a new employment inAuckland; very exciting. But before they came they had leave of three months in which they did an outback camping experience up the middle ofAustralia, down the Western coast as far as Broome then across the Tamami Desert and back to Warmambool. We saw an opportunity to fly to Broome and have a few days with them.
Broome is an amazing destination. It was the centre of the pearling industry in the early part of the last century so we spent the time before departure reading all about the industry and its history. It was great to catch up with the family, to hear about their adventures and be with them flor those few days. We arrived earlier than they did, spent the time doing the tourist things, seeing the parl Broome played and suffered through WW2 and generally getting to know the area. Weather was hot and the water lovely so it was a nice break away from our Winter. Special highlight riding camels with our Grandchildren at sunset on Cable Beach. Magic.
Two years ago we met Rosemarie from Awarakau Lodge Chatham Islands at the Fieldays with a view to at some stage going to the islands. We contacted her again this year and she advised us that there was a vacancy at the Lodge 01-08 November. Rosemarie and Greg run the Lodge as a Farm Stay and we were told it would be best if we could make up a party of friends to make the trip with us. In no time at all we had our group together of ten people and it was all go; John and Janel Chris and Ross, CJ & Mary and Gordon and Allison and us.
We were all unsure of what the Chathams would be like. It took us just over two hours to fly to Waitangi. Chatham Islands from Auckland where we were met by Greg who was our Tour Guide for the duration of our stay. There wasnt much of the Island that we didnt see in that week. And
there was very little that Greg didnt know about his homeland; its history its people, the farming, the politics and everything in between was truly fascinating and each evening we return to the Lodge where Rosemarie looked after us in true Chatham style.
To me there seemed so much more that could be achieved on Chatham and I couldnt help but feel annoyed that our Foreign Minister floats around the Pacific Islands handing out millions when in our own back yard a few million would make a big difference. Black swans need to be eradicated(now up to thirty thousands pairs), gorse and guava out of control, new sources of energy need to be found, communication systems need to be upgraded etc; the list goes on. But we saw some great farms (Greg's included) and met some great people. Agriculture still has an important role to play in spite of the isolation. The islands used to have its own abbatoir but that was closed in the nineties, howeveq if stock numbers continue to rise opening a new processing facility could become a reality. Fertiliser costs a fortune to bring in which is a further limiting factor for farming. There are no daiy farms on the island nor any rabbits or hares but lots of weka which we tried one night; not my favourite dish! Plenty of potential for tourism and of course the big thing is the fishing industry. The blue cod was delicious, crayfish also. Our one disappointment was not getting to Pitt Island. We were all set to go but at the last minute it was canned due to high winds which were forecast later in the day and the Cessna may not have been able to return us. Two group highlights stood out for me; John's animation when he won the Melboume Cup sweepstake (couldnt shut him up - haha) and CJ's excitement when he was able to ride every morning and help Greg train his horses for the Chatham Cup held on 31 December every year - a highlight of the islands entertainment calendar. AII in all a wonderful eight days and we could not speak highly enough of our hosts Greg and Rosemarie of Awarakau Lodge.
In October we had a lovely visit fromAli who was once married to an old school friend of mine. She now lives in Hollard and was en route to see her son Dennis in Perth. It was amaztnghow after twenty-six years we were able to carry on where we left offas if it was only yesterday that we had seen each other. We have promised each other it wont be another twenty-six years before we see each other again.
Another thrill for us has been the inclusion of young Will Addison in the Irish rugby test squad. When we were in the UK many moons ago I worked for his Grandparents on their farm at Kings Meaburn, Cumbria. This initial contact has lead to reciprical visits from many members of both
families. We have been following Will's career for quite a while but this is a huge step up. Consequently we werent too upset when Ireland beat the AB's on their northern tour in November.
Finally, a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year to all those who read this newsletter; it has been a great year for our family and the farm and long may it continue.
Love to all,
CHRIS
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