Business Rural Winter 2021

| 11 Award win caps long struggle following crash Gary Sunshine-Tervit was named Dairy Manager of the Year in the 2021 Otago- Southland Dairying Awards. The award capped a long struggle back to full health after a serious trail-bike accident left him with a brain injury. Hugh de Lacy DAIRY AWARDS » Gary Sunshine-Tervit T he long struggle back from a bad motorcycle accident was capped for contract milker Gary Sunshine-Tervit when he was named Dairy Manager of the Year in the 2021 Otago-Southland Dairying Awards in March this year. The accident happened in 2015 when Gary was trail-riding: his bike malfunctioned as he came round a corner and he shot over a steep bank, landing on his head. He understands he was out cold for 40 minutes, and the impact left him with damage to his left frontal lobe. As a result he entered a long period of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in which he battled severe depression. Recovery was slow, taking two weeks off work and three months restricted to light duties, before he started back at work for just an hour a day until, after a year, he was largely over it. And this year he entered a fixed price contract with the owners of the farm he’s now working on – a step up from herd management – and he aims to upgrade that to a 50/50 share-milking contract- ing about five years. The ‘Sunshine’ is not a nickname, but was Gary’s wife Daniella’s surname and, keen to keep it alive, they chose to hyphenate their surnames when they married. Sunshine-Tervit grew up on his parents’ dairy farm in Tokoroa, and moved south with them to a farm near Drummond, Southland, when he was nine. He started working full-time for his parents in 2007 before moving with them to another farm they bought near Fortrose the following year. Then from 2011 to 2013 he worked as herd manager at a Wyndham farm before returning to his parents’ property as herd manager, and he was with them when the accident happened. Back on his feet, Gary moved in 2019 to Shane and Vicki Murphy’s 270 hectare farm at Winton as manager of their 780-cow herd, which led to the contract offer. He attributes his prestigious industry award, and the $8700 in prizes that went with it, to what he’s learned from the Murphys – and that’s not to be blinded by a focus solely on production. He has three staff under him and his bike accident has made him especially aware of their mental well-being under the stresses of day-to- day dairying. He has an open-door and open-phone policy of accessibility to his staff to discuss and deal with any problems they might be encountering, personal or otherwise. “It’s not a weakness to open up and talk about problems, and I don’t care if it’s one o’clock in the morning, I’ll be there to listen.” And every month Danielle will put on a big breakfast for the staff and their families where “we talk about anything and everything but farm- ing.” He will also be introducing staggered working hours for his staff to promote a healthy work-life balance. Staff training’s a big thing with Sunshine-Tervit too, and he sees attending field-days and discus- sion groups as vital. Trail-biking no longer features among his past- times: he’s taken up clay target-shooting instead after his doctor warned that if he had another accident like the one six years ago he’d be dead. And with Daniella and his two daughters, Pippa (5) and Lucy (2) to care for, and the goal of a 50/50 contract on the horizon, he’s got a lot to live for. “It’s not a weakness to open up and talk about problems, and I don’t care if it’s one o’clock in the morning, I’ll be there to listen.” DAIRY SHED SPECIALISTS OF THE SOUTH DEDICATED TO HELPING INCREASE EFFICIENCY PRODUCTION PROFITS WINTON 189 Great North Road 03 236 8324 GORE 50 Ordsal Street 03 208 8324 WWW.DAIRYTECHSOUTH.CO.NZ    Complete Silage, Baling, Cultivation, Effluent, Spraying & Excavator Contracting Service Mobile: 021 362 766 Rabco Ag Ltd Tel: 03 225 8488 E-mail: admin@rabco.nz Web: www.rabbitt.co.nz Kelvin Murray - kelvin@sinclairtransport.co.nz - murray@sinclairtransport.co.nz PROUD TO SUPPORT GARY TERVIT Ph: (03) 236 0466 Fax: (03) 236 0467 LIVESTOCK, GENERAL CARTAGE & FERTILISER SPREADING