Hawke's Bay deer farmers Harry and Emily Gaddum with Minister Matt Doocey and Farmstrong programme director Gerard Vaughan at the launch of the Getting Through book and website at FMG national Office, Wellington.
Hawke's Bay deer farmers Harry and Emily Gaddum with Minister Matt Doocey and Farmstrong programme director Gerard Vaughan at the launch of the Getting Through book and website at FMG national Office, Wellington.
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The stories of farmers impacted by severe weather events in 2023 have been captured by Farmstrong in a bid to give others in the primary sector more tools to get through tough times.
More than 30 farmers, growers and industry leaders were interviewed as part of the series that has been pulled into a book, website, and resources to support those going through the recovery process from the weather events.
One of the farmers affected by Cyclone Gabrielle was Hawke’s Bay deer farmer Harry Gaddum.
If dealing with a cyclone hasn’t been bad enough, 2024 has brought the driest spring on record for Gaddum.
“Farming brings challenges, and we are getting used to them, it’s not new to Hawke’s Bay to have a dry summer, we just need to make sure we are in the right space of mind and position on-farm to deal with it,” he told The Country’s Jamie Mackay.
November saw Gaddum and his wife Emily head to Wellington, for the official launch of Farmstrong’s new resource book, “Getting Through.”
Harry Gaddum shared his Cyclone Gabrielle story with Farmstrong for the Getting Through book and website. Photo / Mark Coote / Farmstrong
Minister for Mental Health and ACC Matt Doocey attended the launch.
Gaddum said: “It was a good opportunity for a get-together at the FMG building down on the waterfront and chat about the new Farmstrong resource book, a very cool initiative that the Farmstrong team put together over the last 18 months since the cyclone”.
After the cyclone, the Farmstrong team headed to Hawke’s Bay into the depths of a bit of turmoil and destruction, helping put some much-needed smiles on the faces of some of the farmers.
This resulted in farmers coming on board with this initiative and so the book is the outcome.
The book is full of amazing stories and good yarns from farmers and their families and how they managed to get through some pretty troubling times on the farm and in their own spaces.
“Harry last time we chatted I was in admiration of your attitude to all this,” Mackay said.
“You have had an exhausting last 18 months, you told me fitness helped you get through everything, even after a day’s work on the farm. Is this still the case?” he asked.
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“We still love our fitness, rural social cricket season has started, my wife was a Black Stick for many years, so she knows fitness like no other,” Gaddum said.
“She has us out of bed and into it.
“It is a good way to keep mentally fit and help you have a clear head to help run a sustainable business.”
One main point that Gaddum learned during and after the cyclone was that everything didn’t need to be rushed.
The natural human reaction was to get out there and fix every fence, he said.
It took a couple of strong minds and a bit of chatting with people he trusted, to make him realise that he was heading to exhaustion.
He realised what was important and prioritised and planned.
Gaddum said the management of how you approached things was important.
