Shawn McAvinue asked fencers at the National Fencing Field Day, at the Otago Taieri A&P Showgrounds, on August 3, how they cope with the stresses of working in the industry and what they do to feel more in control of their own wellbeing.
Todd Sherburd, of Hamilton ... "Hand over your business to your son. He’s taken it and running with it. It’s hard work. When I started out, you had a hand rammer and a hammer and that was it. Then you build yourself up to having 10 employees and you keep looking to the future, but you’ve got to keep it in balance. I don’t think I’ll ever retire, I’ll just back off a little bit. Old fencers don’t retire, they just get old and they fall over. A focus on your own wellbeing is hugely important. I had open heart surgery two years ago. We think we’re all tough and nothing is going to go wrong with us, but it nearly tipped me over. We are not bulletproof.’
Andy Tindall, of Wanaka ... "We try to stick to Monday to Friday to leave time for family, sports and recreation. We employed my wife to do all our paperwork so we don’t have to do it in the evenings — that really helped. Sometimes you have to slow life down a little bit to enjoy it. Paying good money to get good staff has made life a lot easier — if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys and it creates hassles."
Kapua Barrett, of Ranfurly ... "By spending time with family."
Hamish Gill, of Eastern Bush ... "We’ve been fencing for 30 years and we’re giving away work at the moment. I’m fencing for five days and farming the other two, plus raising kids, so it’s a full-time gig. Once we come off winter grazing I am going to start flying lessons for a bit of time out, something totally different away from work."
Hamish McDonald, of Otautau ... "I go pig hunting — often."
Peter Blackwell, of Dargaville ... "I haven’t created any ways to have a good work-life balance. It’s just work, no life. I work on my farm in the weekends. This is my week off for the year. The way I see it is I’m still young and I want to get ahead. I’ll rest when I’m older."
Gerald Gordon, of Omakau ... "By only working Monday to Friday."
Jamie Rogers, of Hokianga ... "I’ve just started taking weekends off and just working Monday to Friday. The missus had had enough and wanted me home more with our young family."
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