Ashburton Courier: November 05, 2020

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RURAL 16 Ashburton Courier, November 5, 2020 www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz Glass family plans for farming future TONI.WILLIAMS @ashburtoncourier.co.nz Opportunities are out there andoften come whenyou least expect them, farmersColin andPaula Glass say. Thecouple, who live at Muckrim Farm on Ashburton River Road, near Methven, have spent years buildingupa strong farm portfolioand are always open to newpossibilities. Colin, who is atthe helm of Dairy Holdings Ltd, amultimillion dollar corporate dairy company with60dairy properties in the South Island,has an accounting background and grew up on amixedfarmingoperationinMid Canterbury. He is also adirector of anumberof irrigation and agribusiness companies andhas just beenreelected to the board of DairyNZ. He is the only South Island representative. Paula is also an accountantand grew up on asheep and beef farm with her parents, the lateJim andCelie Wood, at Hampden, near Oamaru. She has spent thepast 30 years doingthe booksfor others as well as thedaytoday finances of the family operations; Colin does the budgets. For thepast 15 and ahalf years shehas alsobeen an accountant at Dairy Holdings Ltd, buthas just taken astep back,insemiretirement,toworkon farm. Thetime was right,she said. The company has an experienced team in place and Paulaisstill available in the officewhen needed but she gets to spend more timeworking on farm raising bulls,aswell as alongsidefatherinlaw Derek. It’sveryphysicalwork, which she’s enjoying andshe gets to work alongside Colin at weekends. ‘‘He’s very handsoninthe weekend. Colin is MrFixItMan, if Colin can’t fix it it noone can,’’ Paula said. Colin has alwaysloved farmingand, as acouple, they werealwayslooking at Looking forward ... Colin and Paula Glass always have farming plans in their future. chances withinthe industry. ‘‘We’realways looking for opportunities,stuff popsupwhen you least expectit, you’ve just got to back yourself,’’ he said. Colin and Paula married in March 2003. They met acoupleofyears earlier by chancethrough their respective accounting roles in Dunedin andthe numbers just addedup. By theend of 2003 they had moved to Timaru. They spent every weekendtravelling to Mid Canterburytovisit Derek and Rae and spend time on farm. The girls lovedit, Colin said, of daughters Hannah and Olivia, now16 and 13 respectively. Two years laterPaula and Colin boughtinto Derek andRae’s Westward Ho farm(namedinsimilar fashiontothe historicalnovel) on Longsford Road. Thecouples have beenfarming together ever since. WestwardHofarm hasbeenowned by members of the Glass family since 1976. It wasinitiallyowned byDerek and his twin brother,the late Eddieuntil they split the partnership in 1983. Eddie and his wife Valerie carried on withthe cows, but Derek and Rae took up the mixed croppingside. They also had pigs. In his youth,Colin, now 51, who is also a twin to sister Vicky (sixminutes younger),got alot of handsonfarming experience. In the early 2000s WestwardHofarm moved from mixed croppingtoabull beef operation, whereDerek, at 83, is still very involved. Colin andPaula’s purchase of afarm block at Westerfield in 2007, which was upgraded from border dyke irrigation to pivots andusedasadairy grazing block leased back to Dairy Holdings Ltd, went on to give them opportunity to buy Muckrim Farm, in 2010. It’s a140hectarebull beef finishing farm, named after thefarminNorthern Ireland where Colin’sdad grew up. The stock is usedasservice bulls in the dairy industry andthe rest aresold to Silver Fern Farms. In 2016they bought arecently converted dairy farm along their road, despite the previousyear being alow payout yearofamilk price of just $3.90. The forecast thisseason is $6.80. The property, called Tamlaght Farm, gets its namefrom the where the Glass family hails from in Northern Ireland. It’s in CountyAntrim. Colin and Paula have had contract milkers Ronaldand Jane Kidayan running the dairy farm operationsince then. They are milking670 cows on a40 aside herringbone. ‘‘We’vegrownwith them,’’ Colinsaid, of the firsttime contract milkers. Morning teatime every Saturday in the Glasshomehas traditionallybeen a‘‘big catchup event’’ within the family, Colin said. They include notonly catchingup with thegirls, buttime withRae and Derek. Hannah is in Year 12 at St Andrew’s CollegeColin’s former school and next year will be joined at the school by Olivia, still in Year 8, so weekends, already valued, willbecomemore so. Colin and Paula work to their strengths; he is aterrible cook and she has issues with tractor work, but they have fun and are enjoying whatthey are doing. It’s made more enjoyable as both daughters have farming planned for their futurestoo. ‘‘Farming is alwaysinour future... it’s encouraging, (and) nice that the kids get akick out of it too.’’ Tractor trek and chat Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club members,including13driving tractors, took partinasocial tractor trek aroundAshburtonlast weekend. Club president John Stewartsaid members usually had adisplay at the Ashburton A&P Show but thisyear, with limited events takingplace on the showgrounds, haddecidedtodo something for its members. The13strong tractorconvoy,with somemembers in vehicles,visited the property of Hayden Tasker to viewhis collectionofmotorcyles before headingtothe Ashburtonbusiness estatewhereguest speakerDaniel Lovett spokeabout twocoolstores being builtfor McCains growers in the district. Mr Stewart said they then took the scenic route back to the clubrooms wherearound50members,plus partners, gathered for abarbecue tea. Right: Don Wakelin leads part of the 13strong tractor convoy around the district last Saturday. PHOTO STRUAN CHRISTIE 20COC003 BARMOWERS FROM2.4MTO3.5M GMD 240 GMD 310 GMD 355 GMD 280 GMD 315 • PROTECTADRIVE cutter bar safety system • Fast-Fit blades as standard • Hydraulic headland lift Contact us today Leeston 03 324 3791 Amberley 03 314 9055 Ashburton 03 307 8027 Timaru 03 688 2179 www.cochranes.net.nz
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz Science explored at roadshow Students havebrushed upon their science knowledge at a twodayroadshow held in the AshburtonIntermediate School hall. Anumberofworkstations kept the children fully engaged, including ahand grip to test hand strength. There was an insight into whathappens when ametal object is heated and alook at the effectonland duringan earthquake. Other stationslooked at how sound travels, thedifference between earthquake andnonearthquake strengthened buildings and the ins and outs of low pressure and force. One popular workstation used aspeed counter to record how fast athrown tennis ball travelled to atarget. Some students from AshburtonIntermediate School helped explain stations to fellowstudents and to other visiting school groups. Visitors included students from Hampstead School. Hampstead School pupil Molly McKernan checks out the science roadshow. Lodge gives health shuttle $1000 Ashburton St John chair Paul Thomas (left) with Ashburton Masonic Lodge’s John Soper. Ashburton Masonic Lodge has given $1000 to support theoperation of Ashburton St John’s health shuttle. The shuttletravels 43,000km ayear taking Mid Canterburypeopletohealthrelated appointments in Christchurch;around2000 people ayearuse the service. Areaexecutiveofficer Elaine Vallender said the shuttle service ranata $10,000 lossannuallyso donations for it were most welcome.People whouse it are encouraged to make a donation if theycan. The shuttle has room for eight passengers andis staffed by two volunteers a driver andanassistant. About25volunteers take turnstoman the shuttle every week day and between them clocked up 2500 hours of volunteerservicelast year. Pickupsare from the cancersociety building, thoughthe shuttle willstop at Rakaia or other pointson State Highway 1by arrangement. About60per centofthe users are65years and older. The servicestartednine years ago. ‘‘The shuttle serviceis important. Alot of people can’t gettoChristchurch.’’ The vehicle takespeople to appointmentsathospitals, specialists, GPs’ roomsand any healthrelatedvenue. Many users do not have familymembers to transport them or don’twantto navigatebusyChristchurch streetsthemselves.Someare having proceduresthat will affecttheirability to drive. The Canterbury District HealthBoardalso runsa shuttle servicefrom Deans Avenue, wherepeoplecan driveand parkeasily. John Soperofthe AshburtonMasonicLodge said theshuttle was an importantcommunity service and he andhis organisation wereproud to support it. NEWS Ashburton Courier, November 5, 2020 17 Walking, cycling plan out for feedback Walkers whohave repeatedly lobbiedfor afootpathatthe western end of Racecourse Road willhave to hitthe keyboard again when the Ashburton District Council’s walking and cycling strategy goesout for public consultation. Walkersand mobility scooterusersonRacecourse Road andAllens Road use the grass or thesealedroad as there is no footpath, andmany elderly peoplelive in the area. Developing ashared path there is alow priority in the strategyand Cr Lynette Lovett triedlast weektogive it a higher priority. She said it should be at least amedium priority, given the proximity of Lochlea retirement village andits extension, andthe number of previoussubmissions on the same subject to council over the years. ‘‘They cametouswith a deputation with theroad speed limits.They came to us aboutthat stretch and how dangerousitis. ‘‘We are having to have themrepeat the process.’’ CrAngusMcKay also supported making afootpath fromCharlesworth Driveto Allens Road ahigher priority. ‘‘These people have been here, havebeen here, have beenhere andhave been here. Toask them to come again is to insult them.’’ CrStuart Wilson said it was not up to councillors to pick pet ‘‘bits’’ from the draft; the consultationprocess would informthe final document. The RacecourseRoad footpath remained alow priority, medium term project butmayorNeil Brownurged people to make asubmission or send council aletter if they wanted the work to have a higher priority. Councillors voted for the strategytoproceed to public consultation.The draft document isopen now for feedback andsubmissionscan be made until November 30. Four star energyrating. Onestargiftrating. 14kg TopLoad WashingMachine withTurboClean3D This toploader certainly gives afastand powerfulwash, thankstothe TurboClean3D, WaveForce,TurboDrumand Jetspraywater movementtechnology.But you’ll be in hotwater (sorry), if youeventhink of givingitasapresent.Onthe otherhand,you could always just get it because youneed anew washing machine. $1,599 lessthan $17 perweekfor 24 months on interest free* 9062539 WTG1434BHF Offers valid until Tuesday10th November 2020, while stockslastorunless otherwise stated. Some products on displayinselectedstoresonly—please call 0800 764 847tocheckavailability.*Apple, selectedcomputers, game consoles, gift cards, clearanceitems and some promotionalitems arenot availableinconjunction withinterestfreeoffers. Flooring available on amaximum of 18 monthsinterestfree. Exclusions,fees,terms,conditions and credit criteria apply.Available in-store only. Equal instalmentamounts include one-off booking feeof$45.00, annual fees of $45.00 p.a.,and security registration feeof$8.05, andexcludeinsurance.Current interest rateof23.95%applies to anyunpaidbalanceafter expiry of (any)interest freeperiod. See in-storeorvisit smithscity.co.nz/interest-freefor details. SCWK28AC2
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Ashburton Courier: November 05, 2020

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