Life ain’t a spectator sport . . . just ask Lucy Bond, who fell into a role helping farmers and equestrians access essential feed for their animals.
It all started when she looked to put together a group to buy some hay and truck it in after realising Cyclone Gabrielle had decimated local supplies.
Suddenly people from outside the district were contacting her to see how they could donate, and things have gone gangbusters since.
She thought the first truck and trailer that came through would be it but how wrong she was.
“I’ve lost count of how many have come through now,” she says. “There is huge demand out there and it is only going to get worse.”
Once the bales of hay are delivered — each one weighing around 600kg — they are stockpiled and Lucy loads them up into her trailer and delivers them around the district.
One of the first to call her was a friend from Rerewhakaaitu, and since then they’ve come from far and wide — Waikato, Te Puke and even the Coromandel.
“We don’t have enough for winter stock but we are dropping off bales to buy time so farmers can find more for the months ahead,” says Lucy, who is being helped by local contractor Tim Bradnock. “We all do what we can to get involved when we’re not busy.”
That means fitting around her job at Farmlands and work at home, so there are many after-work drop-offs. She works a 30-hour week for the company who have supported her in her endeavours to help others.
“It wasn’t hard to help. I just coordinate it and I have Tim there to help and give me advice. Power Farming have helped with storage, loading and unloading around the clock, providing tractor drivers and use of their machinery with delivery when they can. They have been amazing too.”
Along with the big and medium-wrapped haylage stored at Power Farming, truckloads of conventional hay have been stored at Tim’s property.
“That’s where I spend the majority of my time, loading and doing drop-offs. My trailer holds up to 50 of them — after that it’s a bit of a push!”
As well as farmers calling, neighbours too are picking up the phone to quietly give Lucy the names of those who they think need a hand with stock food.
Lucy and fiance Colin Ingram’s property wasn’t damaged during the cyclones but they were completely surrounded by water.
The ongoing rain continued to hinder efforts to distribute feed. “People were hanging out for feed and every time it rained it stopped us because we just couldn’t get to them.”
She found it a little strange coming home to a warm house each evening while so many others struggled. “Simple but good,” she says of their life on the lifestyle block they share with showjumpers, hunters, house dogs, a few sheep and 25-odd hounds.
Early in the cyclone Lucy was heading to help family and happened to drive along Branson Road. “I called in to see if they were OK or needed anything,” she says. Turns out they had no food, no cash, no car . . . so she did a U-turn and came back with a barbecue, food, tea, coffee and more. “I roped in a few neighbours to come and help. It was really nice to see everyone coming together and offering to help each other, even though they also needed help.”
She is forever grateful to everyone who has helped in even the smallest way. “Having those outside communities come together with the hay is what has saved our region. Within 12 hours of my first post about buying hay, I had three truck and trailer units on the way. I have the easiest job!”