Duane Monkley (left) and Stan Meads catch up at the event in Ngāhinapōuri.
Ōhaupō Rugby Sports Club held their annual calf rearers’ day in Ngāhinapōuri last month a great initiative to raise funds to help keep the club running in the summer months.
Ōhaupō Rugby Sports Club president Campbell Thomas is heavily involved in the event. Photo: Jesse Wood
The day was well attended by farmers from the wider area, as well as rugby royalty – former King Country and All Blacks representative Stan Meads and Waikato
Several calves will graze at Ngaroma in the King Country until they’re ready for sale.
For the past 44 years, the event has been hosted by life member Murray Jess, and his wife Kathy.
“This year was another great event. We had 23 calves on the day, another three in the wings and a few extra donations,” club president and life member Campbell Thomas said.
“It was a really fun day and a good chance for farmers to catch up after a long spring, relax, enjoy some good refreshments, beverages and food.
“We have some farmers grazing the calves for a couple of years.
“We welcomed a couple of new calf donors to the fold this year. Dan Evans and family, as well as Brian Gordon.”
Perez Livestock picks the calves up from the donors to be weighed at the Jess’ stockyards.
Rearers head along to the weigh-in and can guess the weight of an average calf.
Longtime supporter Matt O’Connor guessed one right on the dot at 150kg.
The calf rearers’ day is a great initiative to raise funds to keep the club running in the summer months. Photo: Jesse Wood
The heaviest calf was about 230kg, donated by Julene and Malcolm Fisher – also a life member.
“Murray and I are probably the oldest ones in the club. We took four calves to the Parrott family at Ngaroma [the week after the event],” fellow life member Brian Matthews said.
“They’ll rear them those calves for a couple of years, then put them into a sale. Some might go to the works. It just depends on what the price is at the time.
“The club appreciates what they’re doing for us.”
The Parrott family previously turned $2000 worth of calves into more than $10,000, a great contribution to the club.
“It’s such good money for the rugby club. It’s a good start for the season to have that money in the kitty,” one of the organisers Andrew Young said.
“When you think about how much money we get each year from this, over 50 years, imagine how much us farmers have donated to the club. Without this [initiative] it’s a lot harder.”
Waikato rugby centurion Duane Monkley (left) and former King Country and All Black forward Stan Meads catch up at the event in Ngāhinapōuri. Photo: Jesse Wood
