Knowing Your Own backyard: Part one in the "Down Home Series"

We all have a place we call home, be it a house we grew up in, a family property, a business that has been in the family for generations and then there are those who feel home is where their stuff is, or where they carry it (I used to when I was in the Infantry). To many home is where  a number of close family reside, perhaps it is a bach/crib or caravan/tent spot that is an annual pilgrimage.

To me home is our family farm in the Hunter Hills (inland 9km from the sea situated 40 km from Timaru and 27km from Waimate). The 1100 acre property has been in the family since my Great Grand parents started farming it in the early 1900's. It is green rolling South Canterbury farmland with considerable stands of native bush and an 400 acre hill block called Mt Diamond. I know I am home when I hit this sign post and roar up the drive to my mothers house (seen to the left in amongst the trees in this pic).

As I get a bit older I find myself more interested in the history of the place and like most small New Zealand settlements there is no shortage of it. Over the coming months I intend to write a few blogs with some of the interesting stuff I have stumbled across in my own backyard and the surrounding areas.

Like most farming communitys there have been many changes over the last 10-15 years. There are still the shingle roads and an absence of Police, however gone too are party telephone lines, the local school that both my generation and my mothers attended, churches stand empty, community halls are rarely used and so the list goes on as the tendency for bigger farms alters the landscape. Add in the large number of dairy cows that now occupy an area once firmly sheep and beef country and you have a very different rural landscape.

There are still the local swimming holes (see my recent blog about Otaio Gorge), the local war memorials and farmers who enjoy the land and stock and all that the farming lifestyle brings with it so whilst not all changes have been positive on the local community, there is still a lot going on and it is a great place to call home.

I look forward to sharing a bit of local history.

Other blogs I've already written about my home that you'll  love;

The Great South.....Camping in Gods Own!

Burning Down The House.....New Year 2010

South Island You Rock!...Mt Cook, The Lakes, Central, Tekapo

The NZ Army uses Caves Too- Dining in style

Late last year I was lucky enough to be invited to an Officers formal dinner for my old Battalion (2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment) based out at Burnham. A close friend of mine is currently the Commanding Officer and he wanted to do something a little different. Using my brothers cave at Redcliffs as the venue he added a few key ingredients for a great evening. Namely;

• The New Zealand Army Band as world class entertainment.
• A field kitchen set up to cook a three course meal.
• Numerous Army chefs and waiting staff.
• 90 Officers and their wives/partners.
• Many dozen fine New Zealand wines, and
• Some good speeches including farewells.

In fact it was almost a home coming because in the second world war the cave had been used by the Army to store ammunition and the property still has several concrete Machine gun posts.

So a great evening it was. I have been to many during my time in the Army but you forget how close an Army combat unit can be. The Battalion, like many of our Army units, had just had many of its officers and soldiers return from overseas operations including Afghanistan, East Timor and the Islands. This was  a night to thank those wives and partners who remain at home and support those overseas and it was a night to let their hair down (what little they are allowed) and relax amongst close friends and colleagues.

Having been away from the unit since the day I left the Army (April 2004) I was reminded of just how close the bond is between soldiers. Shared experience, tough times, common goals and the traditions of a fighting unit are all reasons for this. My wife Belinda commented on the fact that it was like a big family gathering and even after years away you are still somehow part of it. I have reflected on this and do agree. It is the nice thing about the Army.

In normal workplaces friendships are formed but in many ways they are never as close as those Army friendships you have. Army friends are those that you do not have to see often.  In fact years can go by without even hearing from close mates (not so much nowadays because many pop up on Facebook from time to time and hurl a bit of light abuse) and then suddenly they will be passing through and over a coffee (or 20 rums) and a lot of laughs you can quickly catch up on their lives and the lives of others you served with.

It is an aspect of my life that I am so glad I have and friends like that are few and far between in a world without the community's of old.

Onward

NZ Herald....Dumb move, dumb, dumb, dumb!

It really gets on my wick that the NZ Herald decided to expose a couple of the NZSAS currently serving in Afghanistan (I'm not posting the link because it would make me just as bad). It is ironic one of the biggest threats to security is our own media and a sad day! I can tell you right now that the NZ Herald will not be getting any further favours from the SAS nor arguably the NZ Defence Force. Anything to do with the SAS just draws journalists like bees to a honey pot. Anything that they do (or don't do for that matter) is speculated about and it is a constant battle to have them play by a few basic rules.

The SAS need to be anonymous for a number of reasons. Firstly their own security and so they can operate in many different environments and situations. Secondly to protect operations on the ground. They are always part of a wider plan or operation and it is generally against bad guys (really bad guys) so the bad guys don't need to have the plan put across a two page newspaper spread or beamed into their cave by CNN. Then there is the issue of protecting their family at home. That is simplifying it somewhat but that is it in a nutshell. In the case of Willy Apiata, he now really is in an unenviable position. He is public property because he won the Victoria Cross but he is still a serving special forces soldier and he has a right to be able to get on with it.

To be fair most of our media do play by the rules but the decision of the NZ Herald Editor today showed a real lack of maturity in my mind. Sure they had a scoop with this picture but to say he did not realise it was Willy Apiata?.......come on! Sure Willy had no face mask on but wasn't it a quick call out in response to a serious situation in downtown Kabul.

Lets support our boys on the ground doing a tough dangerous job. Right or wrong (politically) they are there and so are a lot of other soldiers on other tough assignments. A bit of common sense can't be too much to ask from our media professionals surely? Sometimes the wider public interest can just wait a while.

Bollocks! We expect better, much better.

Life....It is a Fragile Thing We Cling To!

Tomorrow I head north to Taumaranui (perhaps the hardest place on earth to get to) for the funeral of a friend, Paul Karam. His son David is a very close friend from my Army days and like all good friends you get to know their family pretty well.

Paul was 77 and died suddenly two days ago when his small ute collided with a 31 ton truck and trailer. It was a shock. Paul was a farmer all his life, a tough man and a bloody good bloke. You know the type who was always interested in what you were up to and what was happening in the world around him. I was David's best man at his wedding in Cape Town, South Africa and we travelled there together. I got to know Paul well and it was great to see him experience this trip to a part of the world we knew well. He loved it, the different people, the food, the experience and he made the most of it!

He was very fit (wiry with big leathery farmers hands the size of dinner plates). He still competed as an axeman in various competitions, a passion he had for most of his life! The family farm had just been sold (a tough thing to do) and Paul and his wife Colleen had retired to Cambridge. He was returning to Taumaranui to tie up some final loose ends.

When someone dies you always try to find something positive to make sense of it. It is just what we do isn't it! In many ways a sudden death is so much better than say a long illness and this is something I know his family will reflect upon. But then this allows no time to prepare for the shock of a sudden loss. I last saw Paul at David's 40th in January 2009 (where this picture was taken) and he was in fine form. We talked at length about many things and I greatly enjoyed his company. He was a good bugger. He was also a family man with five grown up children (most of whom have a few kids) so he made for a pretty cool grandfather taking time to play and laugh with them all. He had a strong catholic faith which I'm sure will give Colleen and his family some comfort knowing he is in good hands up there!

Times like this make you think about just how fragile life can be. You can't help but reflect on things. Here one minute and gone the next, it is so fast when it happens and you can't stop it. It makes you realise that you have to enjoy each day and make the most of all the things life chucks your way. It also makes you realise that people are your life and you should take every opportunity to send time with good friends and family. So whilst it is a sad occasion and one none of us were planning on, it will be an opportunity to support and spend time with some very good people.

The world needs more Paul Karams.

Rest in peace.

The Great South......Camping in Gods own!

It is always the simple things in life that are the best I reckon.  As I age and life gets more complex the more I seem to understand this. Take for example pitching your tent in some of the best native bush the east coast of the south island has to offer and right here on our family farm.

Walking distance to game, a hunters paradise of deer, wallaby, pigs, rabbits, hares, opossums and all manner of things to challenge the keen hunter.


Add in close family, an open fire, a bbq, new spuds, some fine New Zealand wine, a hot summers evening and you can have the best time and all at the back door and all there to enjoy. sitting up late by the fire discussing things with my wife looking at the stars, pure magic.

Our wee girl Caetana loves camping and in fact harps on about it endlessly as soon as a trip is mentioned.  Our latest adventure also included damming the small river we were next to which provided fun entertainment. Yesterday I took her out into the bush for an hour just exploring the river, the bush and following animal tracks. Just us two.

Priceless stuff and good times. In an age of Sky tv, cartoon channels and the fact that modern kids seem to feel they have a god given right to be entertained 24/7, it is awesome that the simple stuff can still win out. A trip into the bush and camping certainly included no mention of "being bored" or "can I watch TV". In fact all that stuff has not been mentioned for days!

Throw into the mix the daily summer routine on Mums dry stock farm. Moving cattle breaks, moving sheep and preparation to muster the hill block (if the weather holds) later this week so that lambs can be weaned and the fat ones sent off to the big roast making factory!

The orchard is due to have all the fruit ripen at once which means a small army needs to be on hand to pick the six different types of plums, the apples &  the pears, all of which need either to be eaten (my job) or to find their way mysteriously into jars and jam (not sure how that happens).

I think as you get older and you have kids of your own you become aware of just how lucky we are and just how good our childhood and lifestyle was growing up.

My grandfather was a home movie buff and in the late 1950's started taking 8mm home movies. This is the type that has no sound but is in colour and when he started doing it the films had to be sent to Melbourne to be developed. A couple of nights ago my brother Ed & I yet again subjected our wider family to footage of our mother as a child, as a 21 year old, us as kids playing footy, fighting, family reunions, picnics, trips to Otaio Gorge (see my recent blog on Otaio Gorge) and other priceless (to us) memorys.  This is probably why I enjoy taking family pictures and photos in general. They capture life for future generations.

So as the last week of the summer holiday comes to the end and the prospect of returning to the real world becomes reality for me, it is fair to say it has been an awesome time. Relaxing, lots of babies, kids, food, hunting, farm work and good old fashioned family life. There are the annual resolutions to spend more time at the farm and there is the regret it is over so soon.

Love it though. Does it get better? Take it busy!

Other popular blogs I have written about my Summer holiday;

Burning down the House....New Year 2010

South Island You Rock!....Mt Cook, Southern Lakes, Tekapo

Hurray Up Santa!

Santa...One Wrong Move and You are Toast Son! (Advice for parents and one of my most popular)

Burning Down The House....New Year 2010

What is it about a good bonfire that draws people like a moth to a light? We hosted a New Years bonfire at the farm again this year. You know the good old Kiwi one that involves waiting until dark, big logs, a dab of diesel, fireworks, family, close friends and what seems like a dozen or so kids tearing around the place.

This year we had better preparation, moving some key logs into place to bulk out the trimmings already in place. A couple of smaller "candles" were added to the mix my brother. By standing them on their end 10 feet away from the main fire, cross cutting with a chain saw they provided a light whilst burning from the inside out.

Add in a carefully stashed box of fireworks and voila....a good night for all. Wine, a few beers and a few close friends sitting around telling lies makes for an awesome introduction to the New Year. Of course there is a constant watch on the smaller kids to make sure they do not fall in the fire, the thistle patch or get too close to the fireworks and with the older ones ensuring they keep out of the beer rations, but by and large it is a fairly relaxed and safe environment although not one sponsored by ACC.

Of course once the New Year rings in, the flames die down, the oldies head back to the warmth of the house and the bulk of the scone grabbers keel over with tiredness the real lies can be told over a few tipples. Starting 2010 on a log in the heart of South Canterbury with a few stories about the year thats been and the year ahead whilst squinting into the embers is somehow pretty therapeutic.

Is this a Kiwi thing or the same around the world? To me it is right up there with swimming at Otaio Gorge, just part of our New Zealand life.

Love those summer holidays.

South Island.....You Rock! Mt Cook, the Lakes, Central, Tekapo

Last week we did a road trip up to Mt Cook for the day. The journey took us through the Waimate Gorge and the Hakataramea Valley (Richie McCaw country),  we passed the Waitaki, Aviemore and Benmore Hydro dams and their tailing lakes (and millions of holiday makers and boaties) and on to The McKenzie country. Mt Cook hits you in the face very early on and is constantly on the horizon. This day we are lucky to have little cloud.

The Hermitage now houses the "Sir Edmund Hillary Pavillion" and really is quite a cool destination with  lots of memorabilia from the great man himself. I watched part of the recent TV documentary about the ascent to the top of Everest. Hillary speak,s as do others and you realise again just how extreme their feat was. Brave men!

Tekapo to me is a little like Waiouru. An Army training area and I don't at all relate to it being a holiday destination. Ironically it is beautiful country and I took this snap of one of many hundreds of cairns travelers make on the lake edge. (Got the old church of Good Shepherd behind it too just for good measure.) This was a brilliant day out and in country I love. Big views, mountains, great colours and not many people! Lots of stops and things to see. The challenge of keeping an eight year old from announcing that she is "bored" every 10 minutes.....alas perfection is is not always 100% without a test.

The final challenge is to take the shortcut home through all the back roads. Turning in at cave and searching for the Backline Road to travel right along the base of the Hunter Hills to Mum's farm. Then a meal cooked for us and a movie to cap off a great day out.

Fun times.

Put Your Feet Up Santa for Another Year!

Well old Santa pulled it off yet again. A quick once around the world in 24 hours after a hell of a lot of preparation, planning and manufacturing. Why does he not outsource to China like everyone else? I mean lose the elves and all that drama. I digress, I previously wrote a couple of blogs about Santa and promptly got so into the "christmas slow down" that I have hardly done anything except relax.

But then isn't Christmas the one time of the year you go and do all those other things that you never get around to during the year? I have never realised how used to having a good summer break I am. I think that goes back to the number of years in the Army, whereby if you weren't overseas or on short notice call, you generally got to take four weeks off over christmas. That gave you the opportunity to travel home and resume your old family life. You had a real break and generally no one rang you on a work matter. Of course in the age of easy communications even the need to be close when on call relaxed.

I always try to take a good break at this time of year because the rest of the year is so full on. It is great to just relax and do different stuff.

This for me is to be on the farm in South Canterbury, have the outdoors close and very little noise. It is being able to travel for ten minutes to the swimming hole at Otaio gorge for a dip when it is stinking hot. Jandals, slouch hat and singlet being the dress of the day! Shingle roads, dust for Africa and the river absolutely freezing no matter how hot the day is. The water comes straight off the snowy tops and is in bush covered valleys so is cold as all hell!

Meals are salads and meat, hot or left over cold with new spuds! (Of course now with wives and other "cholesterol busting warriors" amongst the family ensures there are healthier options besides just meat.... But you get the drift.) The work load on the farm is a small amount of stock rotation (daily cattle breaks) and hay making with the latter being weather dependent. This means that as the hot weather peaks so does the workload which is madness!

Evenings consist of hunting after dinner till dark. Either deer or if we have too much venison the focus is on the wallaby....a trusty foe and awesome to try and get close to and shoot. Then a late movie to watch.  Every year you get older you think how can I live like this all year round but then it is not like that all year round with the workload being so seasonal. I'd love to farm but would miss being around people at work. It would be so different.

Like any long break there is a down side. The shock of suddenly going back to work is a lot bigger and it seems to take weeks to readjust to the reality of jobs, school, homework and the weekly routine of modern life. The speed of it I suppose.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the farm this for another week just to ensure that the shock of going back to work is huge! Lets face it can it get better than honey potting into the water hole at the Otaio gorge on a scorching summers day in Canterbury?

Take it busy!