Gore

We are a special character school. There’s a big Catholic church right next door that’s well known because it’s got unusual architecture. Because of the special character, there’s a strong sense of purpose. It’s obviously religious, so it’s faith-based, but when you talk about faith, there’s also the rural connection. It’s sometimes calving, it’s sometimes not. It’s sometimes time to plough, and sometimes not. The rhythm of rural farming life matches the rhythm of our school life.

About five years ago we decided at school to do a topic about food, and we called it “Paddock to Plate.” Now that is not unusual in and of itself – lots of schools would do a paddock to plate topic. We’ve got a great rural community, so of course we spent time going out to different places. Early in the year one of my parents said, “Well, I’ll give you a cattle beast at the end of the year.” So we gave the cattle beast to one of our families who’s a butcher, and everyone made sausages of their own choosing, and then we had a big barbecue to finish the topic. Families came to celebrate the learning of their children. It’s a really genuine, down-to-earth way of life that just rolls its routines and welcomes any ideas. It doesn’t judge too much.

I’m originally from Liverpool in England. I moved to New Zealand about nineteen years ago and I worked at a school in Auckland for a while, then I took a principalship over in Balclutha. And about ten years ago I got the job here. I’ve been sucked in to Gore, I have. When there’s Tussock Country on, I’m one of the emcees for the Tussock Country Queen. I just sign up to participate because I like the community that much. I’ve got three kids. One of them has just gone to university. My husband stays at home – not sure what he’s doing right now, because the kids are here at school! – but my husband is the house husband. We’ve got a nice wee spot out further afield. Almost anything could happen in Gore. You’d be absolutely blown away by the things that go on here. No one carries any airs or graces.

If you have that routine, then invariably you see the same people. But when you don’t see someone where you meant to see them, that’s when your love kicks in because you think, “That’s weird, he’s been at this thing for the past five years, I better give him a ring and see what’s going on.” That’s really how the school rolls – it’s more about people than anything else.

We have some really committed parents. They’re always seeking different ways to support us. One way has been through Cash for Communities. A family first said, “Hey do you know about this? We’ve signed up our accounts to you.” Everyone just goes about their business and thanks to the generosity of PGG Wrightson and Ballance Agri-Nutrients it all comes back out as goods and things for our community. I am really lucky to be the person on the receiving end. And our kids are really lucky to be on the receiving end and benefit from someone else’s smashing idea.

The last time we were presented with the Cash for Communities donation cheque, it was a no-brainer for us. We were able to purchase a number of Chromebooks we could earmark for families who actually could not attend school for the week due to Covid. It seems such a simple solution to what is a really stressful situation at home. Even just yesterday, I got a text saying, “I’m sorry, I’m not in today, one of us has tested positive.” And then I’ve already got the Chromebooks organised and ready to go. We’ve got a food bank attached to the church, so I’ll just nip in there and put some bits together. We just gather it all up and one of us leaves it in the porch or the driveway.

Covid was a big deal around the world, and everybody coped with it in their own way. We’re three years into a pandemic and some of the people we deal with are five years old. They’ve had more than half of their life in an unusual situation even adults are struggling to comprehend. So my school money would go into teacher aides, and anything extra would go into any resources that supports the child. Things that bring people back down from when their emotions are escalated. The simple things like weighted blankets that just let kids know they’re safe, and they’re in a good place. These things are really quite expensive. We’ve been lucky to be so supported. Not one person wants our kids to fall over, we all want them to succeed. And that’s really tangible.

 

Over the past eleven years, together with Ballance Agri-Nutrients, PGG Wrightson has run the Cash for Communities programme to raise funds for rural schools, clubs and community organisations across New Zealand. Are you a farmer and on a school PTA, club or community committee? Find out how you can give back to your community with your spring fertiliser purchase at cashforcommunities.co.nz.

 

This story appeared in the Kōanga Spring 2022 Edition of Shepherdess.