Dom 'Furious' George: Heifers and old people bring joy to a cynic's heart

Boyd Ferguson (left) meets Barry Liddle. Barry gifted Boyd two jersey yearling heifers in a story that has melted cynical Dom George's heart. Photo / Supplied

I'm generally not one for an uplifting story - I have a natural tendency to opt for the miserable over the joyous.

I can't be held strictly responsible for this affliction; I was born cynical. But every once in a while you come across something that shoehorns a bit of hope into proceedings.

One such story that's come to light recently involves heifers and old people.

Now, I'm as intolerant of elderly citizens as the next man, what with their appalling driving, general slowness and tendency to stick their tongues out to greet the food on their fork instead of taking the utensil all the way to the mouth.

This is a very peculiar act of oldness that I've instructed my three boys to be on the lookout for and put a stop to immediately if they ever see me doing it.

But I also feel in our society we simply don't value the wisdom and knowledge of our older patrons. In some cultures, the elderly are revered for their wisdom.

It's convention that because they've lived the vast portion of their allotted time on this earth they've probably learnt a thing or two and are able to pass that knowledge onto the younger generations.

For example, instead of putting the elderly out to pasture in hospitals and nursing homes like we tend to do in the West, certain cultures honour old age as a sign of having lived a full and plentiful existence.

In Greece, China, Korea and India the elderly are seen as the head of families and are taken care of in their dotage by family members. In ancient Rome, elders were seen as a precious source of wisdom and were expected to act accordingly to set a good example.

We tend to discard our retirees and groan with displeasure as children when we're forced by our parents to go and visit them on Sundays. Some academics argue modern literacy is one of the main reasons we no longer value the elderly, as we look to books and now the internet to find our information, not by asking older members of society as we once did.

Some of my best childhood memories involve conversations with my grandparents, learning what life was like in different times and, in some cases, different countries; my great regret is not doing it enough.

And so it was both surprising and heartening to read of young 12-year-old Korakonui lad Boyd Ferguson this week who was given two jersey yearling heifers by an 85-year-old Pukekohe man by the name of Barry Liddle.

Barry had noticed young Boyd showing at New Zealand Dairy Events over the past few years and grew to admire the young man's ability.

He contacted the Ferguson family and made arrangements to gift the two heifers to the youngster, citing a desire to emulate the encouragement and kindness he was shown by veteran breeders when he was of a similar age.

Boyd began his interest in cows at age five and has reared a calf for show each year since. None of Mr Liddle's ten grandchildren have shown any inclination to follow in his footsteps, so gifting the heifers to Boyd seemed like a logical thing to do.

But for me, the best part of this story is what the youngster said to a reporter about the gift he received. The Korakonui kid reckons it goes to show you should always put your best foot forward in anything you do, as you never know who may be paying attention.

He says "you always need to look smart, show respect and do your best as you never know who is watching you".

Wise words indeed for a 12-year-old who's not only the proud owner of two new heifers, but also taken heed of the lesson inherent in the old man's generosity.

Maybe there's a lesson in there for all of us.