No medals for struggling alone

The nation’s most decorated living war hero has something to say about arable farming, and last month, he visited Ashburton to deliver the message.

Willie Apiata, to date the only recipient of the Victoria Cross in New Zealand, was recognised for carrying a wounded soldier to safety under fire in Afghanistan, and now he has delivered a series of talks to Canterbury farmers.

His memo was simple. “Don’t be a dick, ask for help.” 

Apiata was clear. Whether on the battlefield or on the farm, resilience is a skill, and it takes a village.

“Going into battle, dragging soldiers off a field, doesn’t sound all that relevant to a farmer in Canterbury. But resilience certainly is,” said Anna Heslop, communications manager at Foundation for Arable Research (FAR).

Coordinated by FAR, Rural Support Trust, and Ministry for Primary Industries, Apiata visited Dunsandel, Ashburton, and Timaru “in recognition of a particularly difficult season,” Helsop explained.

While many farmers are receiving high prices for milk, meat, and wool, arable farmers are the exception, managing the additional struggles of bad weather and rising costs.

“Everyone is recognising that things are hard right now,” Heslop told the Guardian.

And in difficult seasons, said Apiata to farmers in Dunsandel, “asking for help is about making yourself a better person.”

The event was a confidential service, designed to provide farmers and industry-facing professionals with the space to share and connect.

“A problem shared is a problem halved,” Heslop said.

The first of three evenings, in the Dunsandel Rugby Clubrooms on April 28 Apiata spoke from an armchair, and farmers in attendance exchanged their own stories.

“The event was all about getting people off the farm, getting them talking to their neighbours and the people down the road, and just remembering that they’re not alone. Everybody’s going through some version of the same thing.”

For Canterbury farmers, hearing from someone who had gone through such uniquely challenging experiences, “everybody could relate to something,” Heslop said.

“Everyone was totally impressed by him as a speaker, who was prepared to talk about fallibility.”

From a veteran soldier, to a community of veteran farmers, Willie Apiata has reminded everybody, “be kind to yourself.”