The passion of youth keeps old men invigorated!
As I sit down to write this article, it’s pouring with rain, and a southerly has hit. I remember the days in Raetihi where growing up in the hills and rain was the norm and the passion for all things rural filled my mind: rodeo, hunting, working alongside men, and a pocket full of cash at the end of the week meant life was grand.
Last night while judging the FCANZ Emerging Talent Award, alongside Paul Van Beers and Justin Tilly, we all got to go back in time as we witnessed that same youthful passion in the three nominees. The same drive that we had as young men came out of the mouths of those we questioned, judged and deliberated on.
The outcome will be known by the time this goes to print, but what the industry won’t know is the incredibly hard job we had separating the nominees: Kalani Snooks, Murray Graham and Galen Monks. They are a credit to the industry and together are the rising tide that will lift all ships. To have staff like these is a credit to the contractors that have trained them and the NorthTec industry training programmes that Donna Upton works so hard to organise and Justin facilitates.
I spent eight years as Manager/Coach of the New Zealand Rodeo High School programme and, with the help of my (recently passed) friend Ross Ford from Australia, we developed a Trans-Tasman contest and development programme. Ross and I worked tirelessly on this, with a few cuts in our hides along the way. We knew what we were doing meant the world to the young people. We travelled to each other’s countries. We watched them develop into adults taking their own paths in life, and that has been the most rewarding part of my rodeo career.
To see NZ rodeo youth competing in America this past month at the World College and High School Finals is what Ross and I wanted as an end goal for our country’s rodeo youth. It made this old man proud but tinged with sadness that Ross didn’t get to see it.
As I write this, I realise I’m driven to show youth the same help many an older generation showed me in my youth growing up in Raetihi. It’s an investment I hope I pay back to them for as long as I can.
The ultimate opportunity to be involved in and experience the growth of rural youth was when I was asked to host the Young Farmer of the Year Contest. Forty-six regional finals and six grand finals around every rural region in this country meant I witnessed the passion, the emotion and the joy that this contest created in the contestants, the organisers and often the parents and families who travelled miles in support. Again, I see those young people travelling well in their own lives; some are now politicians, industry leaders, and many others honoured for their work.
In the last three years, I have been the Chair of a school board that has so many layers of compliance, staff management, public scrutiny and parental management that it’s a minefield of anxiety and stress, with many who sign up for the role leaving as soon as possible. But again, the reason for being involved is the youth. The treasure of unknown potential, the passion of life, the ability to support and develop the needs of all, from the gifted to the challenged, and knowing that one day the investment will return or be paid forward. If not by all, by some that have understood the journey. The cuts in the hide from this space scar deep, but the results of the mahi heal most wounds.
Recently I was contacted by a young farmer who was struggling with life, feeling isolated and not in the best of thoughts. As we celebrate those who go forward, we must also catch those who fall back! I’ve seen so much success in the people who have travelled the harder roads, so that’s where my life spends a lot of time now. The ‘Lean on a Gate’ campaign works not only for those in need but also for those who are trucking along well. The reassurance of knowing what you do matters, and the telling of your stories, good or bad, makes us human; it gives us connections and can lift those in need or simply reassure the person who seeks positive affirmation. But equally, it fills the cup of those who invest the time to give support.
Passion is something we can lose as we grow older; the reason we get out of bed in the morning, the work we do and the relationships we are in. Take a word of advice from me: the passion of youth is infectious, and it will keep an old man alive!
Written by Craig (Wiggy) Wiggins
Published in WIRED issue 74/September 2024 by Fencing Contractors Association NZ
