Rejects become Wanganui's blessing

NEW PURPOSE: David Howard (left) delivered posts to Hamish McDougall with his children Alexi (left) and Sam to replace broken fencing on their slip-damaged farm. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 170715WCSMPOSTS1

Westmere farmer Hamish McDougall was happy to see David Howard from PG Wrightson pull into his driveway with a trailer load of recycled fence posts on Friday.

Mr McDougall is one of hundreds of farmers in the Wanganui district who is able to repair his fencing with some of the 4000 donated posts that have come all the way from Blenheim.

PG Wrightson's in Wanganui are the final link in a charity chain that began at a Marlborough vineyard, where the posts were collected by Mainfreight before being loaded into containers by workers serving community sentences.

The containers were then loaded onto a Cook Strait ferry and transported to Wanganui by KiwiRail, where they were delivered to PG Wrightson's and distributed to farmers.

The whole idea was hatched by Blenheim Rotary Club member Ron Perano who was whale watching in the Marlborough Sounds when he heard about the devastation caused by the flooding in Wanganui.

"He got on his phone and contacted everyone who could help - Marisco vineyards were happy to donate the posts because they can't use them, and because they are tanalised they are not allowed to burn them," said Blenheim Rotary Club president Tony Smith.

"They use them to support the canopies over the vines and they get broken off during harvesting and, while they can't be reused there, they are still two metres tall so they are fine for fencing."

As a former shearer, who also ran a sheep-dipping business for many years, Mr Perano said he was aware of the severe challenges farmers would be facing after the floods.

"I was a member of the Spring Creek Lions Club and helped out in Taranaki after the 2004 floods, so I had a fair picture of what people would be going through, and I knew everyone would be willing to help," said Mr Perano. "I got such a good response from everyone, and Hirepool helped out by delivering a portaloo on a trailer to the site when the containers were loaded - everyone has been very willing."

PG Wrightson's Wanganui manager Dwayne Bovey said the posts have been snapped up, and Mr McDougall's delivery was the last load from the first container.

"I had just finished fencing that section before the slip came down and buried it so I am really grateful to get this help and I know there are a lot of people worse off than we are."

PG Wrightson's representative David Howard said he has been delivering posts to a lot properties in Waitotara and there are farms up the River Rd and Mangamahu very much in need of them.

"It is a very bad time with lambing and calving coming up and farmers need to vaccinate their ewes so they won't have sick lambs and they can't round them up with fences down."

A second container of posts has now arrived at PG Wrightson's and manager Dwayne Bovey said they will be distributed to those with the most need.

"We like people to come and collect them if they can but it's imperative that they go to those who need them most because we could probably give away another two container loads if we had them."