| 7 nzdairy Tharanga Senavirathna with wife Jilani Wijenayake and daughter Ivy Amelia. DAIRY PEOPLE » Tharanga Senavirathna Drive, ambition propel farming dream Richard Loader No matter how big the reach, dreams can come true if you have the ambition and drive to make it happen, as mid Canterbury farmer Tharanga Senavirathna can attest to. When Tharanga was a boy growing up in Sri Lanka in the ‘80s and ‘90s, his dream was to be a dairy farmer, and especially a dairy farmer in New Zealand with its rivers, lakes, the ocean, mountains and bush. Tharanga’s journey to realising his dream began by completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Management degree, specialising in livestock production, the last six months of which involved practical work and research on a large Sri Lankan dairy unit. After graduation in 2012, two seasons were spent on another Sri Lankan dairy operation milking 300 cows through a small 8-aside herringbone shed. During this period Tharanga applied through Farm Source Jobs for a job on a New Zealand dairy unit and was eventually invited to join a team in Oamaru as a dairy assistant on an 850-cow farm. After a successful season there, Tharanga moved to a Collingwood farm as assistant farm manager, but the best part of all was being joined by his wife Jilani. “The next year I went to Hororata as herd manager, working under a Sri Lankan contract milker who taught me a great deal about managing a dairy farm,” says Tharanga. “The following season I progressed to 2IC.” Tharanga’s next step was moving to Mount Summers and a Farm Manager’s role working under sharemilkers Jared and Victoria Clarke. “I spent three seasons on this farm and it was a real turning point for me in my career. I was encouraged to enter the 2021 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry awards in the Dairy Farm Manager category, and achieved runner up.” Now becoming well known as an achiever in the industry, Tharanga was offered a Farm Manager’s role with Williams Holdings, with full management responsibility on Ikawai, one of its Waimate farms. Williams Holdings have a number of dairy units both in Waimate, Ashburton and Ranfurly. “I was given the task of running the farm more technically than it had been previously and also improving the appearance of the property. Bordering the Waitaki River, Ikawai was 360 hectares effective with 1250 cows, and I had ve staff working under me. “During that season I had also been looking at my next step up the dairy ladder, which was contract milking. Pete Williams had been impressed with the progress we had made on Ikawai and offered me a contract milker’s role on one of his large Ashburton properties for the 2022 season, and that is where I am now. That is a 1600 cow farm, encompassing 405 hectares.” Through Tharanga’s company Milkyland Ltd, he now employs six staff and says leadership is one of the things about farming he loves. “I like to plan and implement those plans. I like to use my brain, and bring the staff along with me to achieve those plans.” Doing things the right way, never taking short cuts, working hard, looking after the farm owner’s property as though it was his own, and maintaining good relationships, have all been the keys to Tharanga achieving his dream. Peter and the team are proud to support – Dromore Dairies Hobbs and Banks Ltd T/a Hobbs & Banks Transport 244 Racecourse Road Orari, Geraldine Peter – 027 4373169 Phone : (03) 693 8352
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