Otūmoetai donkey rescuer gets helping hand from Lions Club

Olive Love with Bronnie, one of her rescue donkeys. Photo / Talia Parker

An old barn for rescued donkeys and horses that was in "desperate need of repair" has had a makeover.

Olive Love, 93, has been rescuing donkeys for more than 30 years but the "haven" she housed her animals in was getting to a stage where it needed an uplift.

So the Otūmoetai Lions Club came to the rescue and revamped The Windemere Donkeys barn.

Love said she has cared for more animals than she can remember over the past three decades.

Olive Love's rescue donkeys enjoying their paddock. Photo / Talia Parker

She first fell in love with donkeys at three years old, when her family lived close to a local doctor who owned one.

Her mother would bribe her to be quiet or distract her with the promise of hearing the donkey.

"I got brainwashed by my mother ... if she wanted to take my attention elsewhere, 'if you're a good girl, you'll hear Dr Bernardo's donkey!'

"So my first donkey was called Bernardo."

Rescue donkeys enjoying their paddock. Photo / Talia Parker

When Love's husband died 35 years ago, she said she "had to do something".

"I thought, 'well, here's my opportunity to have donkeys.' And that's where it all started."

One of Olive Love's rescue donkeys. Photo / Talia Parker

She has more than 10 rescue donkeys and three rescue horses living on her farm, as well as her St Bernard named Frodo.

The horses are retired racing horses, which she said would otherwise have been put down when their careers ended.

One of the rescued race horses, now living out its retirement at the farm. Photo / Talia Parker

"They just don't want them anymore, and they put them in a paddock and forget it. So instead, people like us rescue them," Love said.

Otūmoetai Lions Club member Kelly Cotter said he was contacted about the barn by a friend whose child had visited the donkeys with their school.

Love had mentioned the barn was in desperate need of repair and the friend enlisted his help, Cotter said.

Lions Club members with Olive Love in front of the repaired barn. From left: Lionel Raven, Kelly Cotter, Barry Roberts, Olive Love, Annika Corley, and Love's dog Frodo. Photo / Talia Parker

"I presented it to the club, got a team together, and the rest is history," said Cotter.

The repair involved washing down the barn, repainting, and adding a new door.

"It's come out absolutely beautiful," said Cotter. "It was a new red barn for Olive for Christmas."

Club president Barry Roberts said repairing the barn was a good, hands-on project.

"With the Covid-19 situation, we can't go out and raise money, but we like doing hands-on things. We're always open to suggestions."

Lionel Raven, who was president of the Lions club when the project started, said the project was a chance to "live by our motto".

From left: Lionel Raven, Kelly Cotter, Barry Roberts, Olive Love, Annika Corley, and Love's dog Frodo. Photo / Talia Parker

"Our motto is 'we serve', and we were able to serve and do a job for Olive."

Club member Annika Corley grew up riding horses, so had a "special love" for the animals.

"It was great to be out among donkeys and horses [when repairing the barn]."