Murder, swine flu and Afghanistan death burden dead farmer's dad

Bryan Guy. Photo / Supplied

August was already the busiest time of year for Bryan Guy, even before he was down three men.

Calving season means Bryan wakes at 3am most mornings to check on his pregnant cows and usually puts in a 16-hour shift.

His business partner and son-in-law Ewen MacDonald has fallen ill with suspected swine flu, which has struck down half the pupils at Colyton School in Feilding, where his children attend.

Another farm manager has taken bereavement leave after one of his best mates, Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell, was killed in action in Afghanistan.

And his son Scott, who ran the drystock and cropping part of the family business, was murdered a month ago today.

Waking in the pre-dawn chill each morning, Bryan heads out to check on the calves knowing that whoever killed his son is still out on the loose.

"It goes through my mind when I am riding my bike in the middle of the night, thinking who might be around," he said. "I do think, 'Hopefully it's still going to be safe'."

The Guys own 200ha of farmland, and lease a further 170ha for their heifers, bulls and cropping.

The family have been farming in the Manawatu for 90 years and everyone in the town has some connection to them.

Guy says the massive outpouring of grief since his son's murder has helped the family get through, but he is at a loss to explain why the crime has gripped the country.

"The support we have had certainly makes it a lot easier.

"We are trying to be positive, but it hasn't really sunk in. It still seems surreal.

"It's really hard for Kylee, she is struggling. And for our kids it's been particularly hard.

"There has been a fair few tears. Everybody grieves differently at different times.

"In the last week I find I am missing him a lot of the time. When I am organising things on the farm I will think 'I'll get Scottie to do it', but then I think, 'Well he can't do it'."

Scott's sister Nikki said the family went to visit his grave for the first time together this week.

"Scottie was so well-liked, everyone liked him. I just can't understand how someone could do that to him," she said.

"It's too hard to think about, even though we think about it all the time."

Nikki, who runs the Reve fashion store with her mother Joanne, said she was planning to run for the Palmerston North City Council, with a goal of making the city safer.

"I had been planning to stand before Scott's death and this has made me more determined. I feel like I want to do something."

Nikki and brother Callum have had tattoos done in memory of Scott, which read "gra tu i gconai", which means "love you always" in Gaelic.

Scott was heavily tattooed. He had his son Hunter's name, Kylee's name, and he was booked in to get a tattoo of his next son's name once he was born.