So Who Do I Work With?

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To say that we are a mixed bag would best describe the NZ team.

Amongst the New Zealand crew their is a wealth of experience in truck driving and a host of other life skills. The reason that Todd & Trent Poling emlpoy us has a lot to do with an agreement that was set up a number of years ago, around 10 to 15 years in fact. The greatest advantage to Todd & Trent is that we are reliable and we work hard. Once we are here there isn't much to distract us from turning up for work on time and fit for work. This had apparently been a major problem prior to the arrangement being struck. .

So who is on the Kiwi team?

Brendon.
He is the man we report to . He lives here most of the year and is in a relationship with a lovely woman called Michelle. Brendon is in his 40's and has been coming here for 5 or 6 years. He can turn his hand to almost any machine so he is 2 or 3 cuts above all of us especially when he drives a Chopper. That's when we call him sir! He has the envieable job of hearding this group of cats (Go to Youtube and type in "Hearding Cats" and you will see what I mean. It's really funny).

Phil.
He is one of the most experienced hands here and has been coming to the States doing this sort of work for about 10 years. Phil heads home in a couple of weeks having completed the wheat harvest. When we need to know what to do and where to go when we are in the field he is the man who steps up. He has a wit that is as dry as a bone and is known for his consumate interest in reading books. He is currently reading "I Left my Heart at Wounded Knee". He is in late 60's and a fellow who doesn't find the need to say a lot but when does, people listen.

Bruce.
Bruce is one of the "regulars" here and has been doing this for about 6 years. He is about to fly to Europe for the break for a family gathering and will return in about a month for the corn harvest. Like Phil he has a wealth of knowledge about the trucks and what to expect in the field. Bruce took me for my first truck drive and was very good in helping us to get used to the place.

Mollie
Last year was Mollie's first year here. Married to Roger they are the only couple both driving their own trucks. In her late 60's, Mollie is an absolute inspiration to everyone. She is the living example of doing what you want to do without having others put you off. Interestingly she would do the most loads each day. She is not madly compeditive, she simply wants to give her best to Todd and Trent. Unlike everyone else here she is a vegetarian which is little hard for some of the locals to comprehend. That's not Mollies problem and she rises above all such prejudice.

Roger
The deal between Mollie and Roger is that he maintains her truck and his own truck while Mollie does the domestic stuff and provides the meals for two of them. It works so everyone is happy. Roger is a bus driver in NZ and wasn't keen to come back this year until Mollie said "...you can do whatever you want but I'm going back." Mollie had a really hard time with the exams and driving test last year and felt that she wasn't going to do all that for just one years work. Roger knows his vehicles and is a fountain of wisdom to refer to. He also has a great collection of jokes that he drip feeds us throughout the day when things get a little slow in the field.
Mollie and Roger won't return next year because their son has married a Spanish girl and will leave NZ to live in Spain while the harvest is on, so they want to spend as much time as they can with their son and daughter in law before they go.

Kevin
Kevin has been born again! For more than 30 years he nursed his ill wife who passed away a couple of years ago. From Amberley, he came here for the first time last year. He is closer to 70 than 65 and will talk to anyone who is nearby. In fact he started up a conversation with a woman in MacDonalds last year in Dalhart and is now madly in love with her. Kevin is an absolute delight and has the enthusiasm of a young man. It's as if he has been born again and he aint going to miss a thing. He loves his cowboy stuff, boots, hat etc. He started to feel a little out of place when he realised he was the only one in the Los Angeles Airport wearing a cowboy hat. Not to be put off he continued to wear his cowboy boots and belt buckle combination.

Ian
Not sure what to make of Ian. Some days he is this aelderly new age hippie telling us stories of his earlier days. Other days he is consummate professional on sheeps wool. He judges wools and writes for a specialist magazine on the subject.
He has not lived in NZ for the past 20 years and returns here to complete the season regularly. That is when he is not travelling the world with some woman that he has met, driving racing cars, talking continually or trying to give you a hug! At 71 years of age he is the living example of someone who removes all the excuses of those who are old before their time. Without a malicious bone in his body he is great to verbally joust with because he takes nothing seriously, especially himself.

Geoff
Don't know much about Geoff except that he has had a career in shearing in NZ and Britian. Geoff is a bit older than me and hasn't been married since the early 80's. He has an extensive knowledge on motor cycles. In fact he is hiring a motor bike and travelling through the Rockies in late June. With a wonderful attitude he gives back just as much as he receives. We also plan to go to the "Route66 International Festival" in Amarillo on the 9th - 12 th June. I think it will bikie heaven and a good dose of Texas entertainment. Well at least Geoff and I will be going.

Paul & Lynn
In July/August last years I went to a Church meeting hosted by Paul and Lynn in Stoke, Nelson. It's Paul that put me onto this idea. We picked them up from Amarillo without Lynn's backage and drove them for an hour to Walmart in Dumas. I was driving and became increasingly aware of this heavy feeling in the back of the van. I'm sure if Lynn could have caught a plane home that day she would have. Now, I don't think you would tear her away from the experience. Here is an example, yesterday she went and helped with the branding of cattle. Some fantastic photos to show for their efforts. Mind you when a woman looses all her make up, jewellery and personals I'm sure they all go a bit dark for a while. Her bags turned up 36 hours later, delivered by car from Amarillo by American Airlines at midnight. Things for Lynn (and Paul!) improved after that. Paul drives a Swather too so he like Aaron is up the pecking order a little. Great people and great company.

Now to the Young Bucks.

Aaron
Aaron came here in 2010 for the first time and stayed until late December. In his mid 20's he is a keen hunting, shooting, fishing man when he is NZ. This year Aaron is driving a Swather ( a bloody big lawn mower) so in the pecking order of things he has moved up a peg or two! One good thing about Aaron is that he is my house mate and is a great person to live with. His diet is typical of a 25 year old but mostly consists of Pizza and something called "hot pockets". Don't ask! Greens and healthy s**t are something to be avoided at all costs. An avid drinker of Gin, this is one of his redeeming features. Served him up steak and taboulie last night. Even with few gins in him he spotted the green healthy s**t and respectfully ignore as if it didn't exist!. A great guy with a natural feel for machinery. We don't take Aaron shopping with us anymore because we can't get any sense out of the young female shop attendants. The really funny thing is that he oblivious of all the attention which makes it even worse!!

Dan
Dan stands about 6' 2" has a powerful build and tattoos that extend beyond his singlet. An intimidating look in anyones book until you meet him and discover that he is a very special young man. This is Dan's 2nd time here with his dad and mum, Paul & Lynn. Dan has a passion for Haley Davidson motor bikes. Before he returns to NZ I'm sure he will buy a new machine and have it shipped home. There is definitly an upside for him to do this financially I'm sure.
Dan is a very hard worker and great company. We talk about all sorts of things from Nelson, our home town, God, our destiny and real coffee or the absence of it.

Brian
Brian is a very quiet young man in his early 20 who drives a bus back in NZ. He has been quit ill with an infected Gall Bladder. That's knocked him for a six for about 10 days but he is back in the ring now and back to his usual self again. Like most people of this age he is fully conversant with the Internet and technology. A great compliment to this team of extroverts and story tellers.

Peter
Well what can we say about Peter! He is Aaron's and my other house mate. A great guy to live and work with. We seemed to have clicked and get on really well. Soon we will travel to New Orleans together on a road trip which should be great. He has an extensive range of skills and wicked sense of humor. I suspect that Peter would have been a real prnkster in his earlier days. Mind you I'm not sure that he has worked through the prankster thing even now. It turns out that we both played basketball at around the same time plus a whole host of other things. We seem to have developed a relationship where we have each other backs covered. He has been just great for me when I have a down day. At 57 years of age he reminds me that everyone has a storey to tell and each person's life journey includes some tough times and dissapointments. His wife a 2 teenage girls skype him regularly from Palmerston North and miss him heaps.

Me
I would need someone else to write this as I don't know if I could do myself a fair deal. I will need to see who I can rope into the job. Might need blackmail.

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Photos

Brendon. Chief Cat Herder
Checking Innoculant on the Chopper

Comments

[Penny]

Photo
That photo of you on the truck is hot!!!!!