| 93 nzdairy NZ CENTURY FARM & STATION AWARDS » Hamish Vogan Tailing with the family on the historic farm at Devauchelle’s Bay. Pushed on through triumph & tragedy Karen Phelps Over the course of five generations and through triumphs and tragedies, the Vogan family farm in Devauchelle’s Bay, Canterbury, has grown and thrived. The farm has just been recognised in that New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards and current sharemilker Hamish Vogan couldn’t be prouder. “I wasn’t that interested in the history originally to be honest but as I’ve got older it’s meant more. Dad’s cousin Graham Rogers should be credited as he put together most of the application for the awards and it was neat celebrating the farm, family and our forebears.” Hamish’s great great grandparents George and Margaret Vogan arrived in Lyttelton from Ireland in 1862. George contributed to the Lyttelton Tunnel and spent time working on another station and in the West Coast gold mine frenzy before purchasing the farm, 40 acres at the time, in 1867 and began dairy farming growing the farm over time. George and Margaret exhibited their dairy produce and received many awards over the years for their cheese, butter and bacon. They had eight children with eldest son William George taking over the farm. William George’s only son, Larry was shot down without trace into the North Sea in 1942 and the farm passed to Donald, the nephew of William George and son of George’s second son, Sam. Sam’s three sons including Will and Jim expanded the property. Neither Don nor Jim had family and in time their properties passed to Keith, the son of Will and Hamish’s father. Hamish grew up on the farm, completed a Diploma in Farm Management at Lincoln University and has worked on the farm pretty much ever since. Today the farm is split into two adjacent dairy units with their own 14 aside herringbone sheds: 180 Friesian and Kiwicross cows is sharemilked by Hamish on 90ha. The other block milks 145 Friesian cows on 70ha with sharemilkers Jon and Jenny Clark who have worked for the family for 40 years. There is 200ha of higher altitude land that is used for sheep, beef and dairy support. It runs 350 romdale ewes, 100 trading cattle reared on the dairy farm then raised to 30 months targeting 300kgs carcass weight and dairy support is used for winter grazing and making baleage for the dairy farm. Another 120ha is leased and used for making baleage for the dairy platform and dairy support. The friesian heifer calves also head here when they are six months old. With no irrigation the weather is the biggest challenge with silage used as support. The farm does receive around 950mm of rainfall each year, which also helps. This year the first calvers were dried off the autumn and sent to the run off block to reduce the load on the dairy platform. The original two-storey colonial style homestead named ‘See All’ for the view down the length of Akaroa Harbour and out to the South Pacific still stands despite the earthquakes. Although no longer habitable Hamish is currently renovating it to make it weathertight to preserve it for the future. Transport (2006) Ltd BANKS PENINSULA SPECIALISTS IN Call Rex now on 03 3251 024 Mobile 027 473 0172 Freephone 0800 662 344 • Livestock Cartage • Hiab & Bulk Freight • Ready-mix Structural Concrete • Fertiliser Delivery • Shingle Supply & Delivery (All Grades) Ask the people who know the peninsula Kay-Annon Contracting Balage | Drilling | Fert Spreading Proudly Supporting Hamish Vogan GET IN TOUCH 027 275 0376 stshannon15@gmail.com
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