Friday, March 29, 2024

Muddy boots man gets reward

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Geoff Yule has been dabbling in deer for close to 40 years. Described by his colleagues as the unsung hero in their industry – deserved recognition has totally taken him by surprise. Annette Scott spoke to him.
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For the past 40 years Geoff Yule has quietly gone about his business following his passion for deer, first as a farmer then as a transporter.

Behind the scenes he can tell many a tale but the tail turned on the muddy boots at the New Zealand Deer Industry annual conference in Timaru where he was named the Matuschka Award winner for 2018.

It is presented to someone who has made a significant ongoing or lifetime contribution to deer farming and the Deer Farmers’ Association.

The award recognises the grassroots farmer and unsung contributor to local activities, functions and the core spirit of deer farming.

The judges said Yule fi every criteria of the award – typically unheralded, never seeking recognition, consistently supporting branch activities and targeting fellow deer farmers’ enjoyment, comradeship and value in being involved in local and regional activity.

“When I first thought about the award and why we should have it this is just the sort of bloke that we were seeking to recognise,” judge Murray Matuschka said.

When nominator Tony Gray phoned to break the news of his win, Yule was totally surprised.

His response? “I don’t deserve it.”

Gray said “He’s truly deserved, a muddy-boots man who always just got on and did what he did, never one for the limelight – I can only wish you luck getting a story out of him.”

That was challenge enough, persistence paid off and despite Yule being as modest as they come he did open up with a few hearty tales.

Initially a deer farmer Yule got off the farm when the going got tough after the 80s.

Not sure what he would do his deer agent and close friend made a suggestion.

“He suggested perhaps I could buy a truck and cart some deer for him.

“So I did buy a truck and 27 years later I had carted more deer than just for him, I carted deer all over the North Island.”

The beginning of Geoff Yule Transport was a trailer with a crate in 1990.

“Of course, a truck to tow it before the truck and crate came along.”

Based in Manawatu with no processing plant in Feilding in those days Yule would cart to Rotorua, then it was Hastings when a plant opened there and eventually to Feilding.

“I still had interest in some deer and a few of us were talked into becoming shareholders (of the new Feilding plant). At first we were paid cash rebates then they gave us shares.

“Then it went broke so I toddled on with the trucks.”

Over the years Yule’s business grew in line with the industry.

“I got to four trucks but just one permanent driver. Drivers were hard to get for the deer so the rest were casual.

“I’d round up some deer farmers and when one couldn’t drive I’d just ring another, if he couldn’t do it I’d just keep ringing until I got one.”

Yule lent his trucks to farmers at times and they repaid him by driving for him when he was caught short.

“It was like that back in the day. We did favours for each other.”

Yule has a reputation for always doing his best to accommodate farmers and agents – he knows the region and its farmers inside out.

Sometimes farmers found it easier to get information from him than from their agents about when and where their deer were going to slaughter.

He carted hinds and stags all over the North Island and even the odd trophy stag to Marlborough.

“But my trucks never went further than Marlborough.”

And it wasn’t all smooth trucking. 

“We had some bloody dramas I can tell you. 

“When the industry perked up everyone wanted to try a few deer. 

“They were always put at the back of the farm, the yards would be at the back of the farm too and usually there wasn’t a real track.

“We would get stuck many a time and the tractor would have to come to pull us out.”

And the loading ramps were doozies.

“We had a lot of makeshift from anything possible – many were just hay bales and it’s not that long ago that the last of those went.”

Health and Safety has smartened up farm practice in more recent times.

“Even so, over all my years with the deer I have had only three lots of stiches and they were all from hinds. You do tend to take the hinds a bit more casually.”

The stags were treated with more caution.

“You were always suspicious when you arrived at a cockies yards and there was one stag in each pen and not a person in sight.

“You knew what a fiasco that was going to be.”

There was many a job that cost Yule more in time and money to pick the stock up than he made in carting them.

At the peak of his business in the late 90s Yule carted 40,000 head of deer one year but from then there had been a gradual industry decline, last year he carted 28,000.

“It’s a good industry. It’s been all over the place but it’s survived.

“It’s on a high now and God knows where it will go from here but if they have got the markets and don’t get overpriced it will always be a survivor.”

Yule sold his business because of ill health last November to South Canterbury-based Downlands Deer.

“So what now? I’ll go out and scratch in the garden then light the fire and put my feet up.”

A keen supporter, firstly of the Manawatu branch of the DFA and latterly the Central Regions branch, Yule sponsored velvet competitions and provided the wine for the Christmas and mid-winter functions.

He will be officially acknowledged for the award by the branch at a function on July 20.

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