We’ve said it before and no doubt we’ll say it again: the fortitude of Union Homestead lies in the diversity of interests, talents and strengths (and conversely boredom-inducers, ineptitudes and weaknesses) of the six of us. Like Captain Planet, it’s a case of Our Powers Combined. With this in mind and hot on the heels of The Renovators triumph, we are basking in the rosy glow of another Homesteader’s success which has nothing to do with donning cap and gown after a lengthy period of classroom based learning. That path was never one The Farmer would have chosen to tread.
Classrooms and The Farmer never really saw eye to eye. No one is at fault in this, it is just a simple fact. He found the speed each topic was introduced, explored and dispatched bewildering and frustrating (no sooner had his interest been piqued or a formula decoded than the class was moved on to educational pastures new) and even if class numbers had allowed for more student-teacher interaction, he has never been one to draw attention to himself. In a world where success is measured by academic prowess, much Homestead midnight oil was burnt helping him plot his course.
Home Schooling and then the wonderful Te Kura o Te Pounamu (New Zealand Correspondence School) saw him gain adequate qualifications to set off into the world, but it was undertaking a short course in Animal Care at Academy New Zealand that firmly pointed his career compass. The guy has a way with animals.
- The Homestead resident Chicken Whisperer
Now after a six month starter course followed by a year spent gaining his National Certificate in Animal Care and countless hours volunteering and then working on a casual basis for Arion Farm Education Park, his tenacity and hard work has paid off. This week he signed a full time work contract in an occupation he loves and The Farmer is now farming for real!
- It’s all in a day’s work…
Union Homestead 
What a wonderful story, congratulations all round and good luck to the new farmer for his future success in his chosen occupation. You must be bursting with pride!
Happy Christmas to you all
Thanks for your kind words. The Farmer is certainly basking in the glow at the moment 🙂
Pretty awesome Christmas present…though there’s not much gift about it as the outcome of such long hard labour is a well deserved reward, plain and simple. WELL DONE FARMER.
The school system is hard on kids who don’t learn the way they teach, and I think particularly so for boys who want to burn energy just when they are being asked to sit still for longer. I could go on for quite a tirade about this, as we’ve had our struggles with the system too, but I won’t, because – this is about FARMER achieving qualifications and skills to work in a job he loves. Way to go!
Yes, I feel we could work our way through several cups of coffee chewing over the education system. Hopefully The Renovator can do something from the inside 🙂
Thanks for your kind words.
A good result for you and the farmer.
Whether by luck or good management…:)
The latter I would think.
What a fantastic week you have had. You should be so happy and proud of the boys achievements and of course the girls too 🙂 we had a very proud moment last week too. Patricia graduated from her Pharmacy degree and has had her first pay cheque 🙂 Love to you all at this special time. We will have a drink to absent friends and hope that sometime soon we will see each other either here or there.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Congratulations, albeit belated, on Patricia’s graduation …proud parents unite! Sending you heaps of love xxx
Congratulations to the Farmer and to all of the Union Homestead family. Yet again a dashing young fellow who is finding his place in the world and what good he is spreading and what promises he still has. Pah, to school or not to school??? I’d say and actually know from looking at my own dashing fellows that letting children develop their talents in their own creative and intelligent way, is always the best way. And those kids make the most tolerant and interesting people! So hats of to parents too! hugs for all (if I am not embarrassing the menfolk that is..maybe better a firm pat on the shoulder) from Johanna