Olive Love with Bronnie, one of her rescue donkeys. Photo / Talia Parker
Olive Love with Bronnie, one of her rescue donkeys. Photo / Talia Parker
An old barn for rescued donkeys and horses that was in "desperate need of repair" has had a makeover.
Olive Love, 93, has been rescuing donkeys for more than 30 years but the "haven" she housed her animals in was getting to a stage where it needed an uplift.
Sothe Otūmoetai Lions Club came to the rescue and revamped The Windemere Donkeys barn.
Love said she has cared for more animals than she can remember over the past three decades.
Rescue donkeys enjoying their paddock. Photo / Talia Parker
When Love's husband died 35 years ago, she said she "had to do something".
"I thought, 'well, here's my opportunity to have donkeys.' And that's where it all started."
One of Olive Love's rescue donkeys. Photo / Talia Parker
She has more than 10 rescue donkeys and three rescue horses living on her farm, as well as her St Bernard named Frodo.
The horses are retired racing horses, which she said would otherwise have been put down when their careers ended.
One of the rescued race horses, now living out its retirement at the farm. Photo / Talia Parker
"They just don't want them anymore, and they put them in a paddock and forget it. So instead, people like us rescue them," Love said.
Otūmoetai Lions Club member Kelly Cotter said he was contacted about the barn by a friend whose child had visited the donkeys with their school.
Love had mentioned the barn was in desperate need of repair and the friend enlisted his help, Cotter said.
Lions Club members with Olive Love in front of the repaired barn. From left: Lionel Raven, Kelly Cotter, Barry Roberts, Olive Love, Annika Corley, and Love's dog Frodo. Photo / Talia Parker
"I presented it to the club, got a team together, and the rest is history," said Cotter.
