Haze Heta (Year 7) had never seen a sheep being shorn before and mentioned this to his mentor, Peter Ogle (Ray White Whangarei Rural Sales Division) one day. Peter, who comes from a farming background, joked that he would take Haze to a real sheep farm if Haze could hold a plank for two minutes. Haze was up for the challenge! After an unsuccessful first attempt and some sheer determination, Haze nailed the two minute plank and a sheep farm experience was planned.
Haze and Peter visited Sandy and Sharyn Moore’s farm at Purua on a rainy winter’s day. Even though Haze’s Poppa had some land with a cow, sheep and a horse, Haze had never been to a working farm before. The first time experiences began almost as soon as Haze and Peter had left the edges of Tikipunga, with Haze encountering his very first hawk trying to pull a dead possum off the road. From thereon in, it was one spectacle after another. Not only does the Moore’s farm have sheep, cows, ducks and other animals, it also currently has a forestry operation underway with the felling of 120 hectares of pines. Haze was amazed to be able to walk around the harvester, automatic chainsaws and big excavators – whilst not in action on the day, still an awesome sight.
“It was definitely a highlight seeing the pine trees fall down. We watched this for ages. It was cool.” Haze said.
But it wasn’t only the big spectacles which caught Haze’s interest. Peter was able to show Haze other farming practises, such as how to work an electric fence, how to spot the difference between a female cow and a male bull and of course, what happens in the shearing shed with shearers, rousies and press men all working together to make the bales of wool. Haze wasn’t only a spectator during the farm visit, as he was roped in to help the shed hand pen up the sheep for the shearers and move them under the woolshed with the help of the dogs.
Being able to expose Dreamers to new ideas and concepts, work environments and opportunities, is a key objective of the Mentor/Dreamer relationship. And it’s not only the Dreamer whom get a kick out these new experiences.
“Being able to share these new experiences with Haze really made my day.” says Peter.
We’re seeking Mentors for 2019. If you’re interested in becoming a Dreamer’s experienced and trusted adviser, then please get in touch with Diane Coleman 022 024 3141 / diane@ihaveadream.org.nz.
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