Opinion: Duncan Humm, NZ Farming

I write this the day after getting home from a road trip, an over 1000km return trip to Riversdale,  deep in the heart of Southland to help celebrate with Jamie Mackay 30 years of commercial radio broadcasting what we all know now as The Country.

Initially when I got the invitation last month I didn’t think there was much chance of getting away from what has been a busy time on our farm.

We’ve been coping with a long dry spell that has meant being tied to feeding out, and for the first time since our Family have been here at Mount Somers the usually reliable Council stock water race has been dry which has been a huge worry and very time consuming.

A few days out from the event I was feeling a bit more on top of the situation to the point I thought it was doable to make a quick trip away.

On the face of it driving all that way to see The Country broadcast their birthday show live from the Emerson’s tiny pub on a Riversdale farm doesn’t seem like it would be worth driving all that way for a few hours before driving all the way home again, especially because this would limit the amount of Jamie’s beer I could enjoy!

Almost uncannily like when drought shouts are organised, the weather decided to get involved by delivering much needed rain to most of the South Island on the day. Rainfall amounts were widely discussed, Southlanders were sick of the sight of it while I was fizzing to hear from home that we could declare it a drought breaker. While the rain backed off for the function, the keen Southern wind was there to remind visitors from outside the region that a decent coat is always a good idea, despite a few locals showing up in their shorts still!

The first keg of Mackaiser had been emptied as the live show kicked off and a crowd of 200 odd people came together to enjoy a feed and drinks. It was great to see a great mix of old friends and new catching up with plenty of great conversations.

For me personally it’s what made the trip worth all the effort, to finally meet friends I regularly converse with online via Twitter or the NZ Farming Instagram mailbox where we’re always sharing the ups and downs of life on the land, often conversations coming from whatever the topic de jour might be on The Country on any given day.

Much like the live version of the show beaming out from the Emerson’s tiny pub, there was a great energy that will be remembered for a long time by all that attended.

Many there told fond reflective stories while congratulating Jamie on his long career as a sort of Judy Bailey ‘Mother of the nation’ type figurehead that is a key part of the fabric of Heartland New Zealand, it’s a legacy that brings us all together.

We never know when our time or that of the figureheads in our circle may be up, so make sure you put in the effort to celebrate great people when the opportunity arises, I guarantee you’ll get a lot out of it!