Casual work brings its rewards

• Published date: 05 November 2021

Born and raised on a stud farm near Hampden, Mr Caldwell attained a diploma of agriculture and farm management at Lincoln University.

He then did a year at Glenaray Station, in Southland, followed by five years at Deep Hill Station, at Clarks Junction.

‘‘I was going to head over to Australia and work but then, of course, Covid kicked in and I thought I might go home and give the old man a hand.’’

Mr Caldwell’s father, Neville, runs Moeraki Downs, a Coopworth and Coopdale sheep stud near Hampden.

‘‘I always take two weeks off work to go home at lambing time and give him a hand tagging the stud lambs.

‘‘When Australia fell through, I sort of hoped I might find enough work on the home farm to keep us both busy but Dad’s pretty happy as a one-man band for now.’’

It was while playing rugby for Kurow in North Otago last year that Mr Caldwell met contractor Tim Anderson.

‘‘I got a foot in the door as a dog man on his tailing run last year. It didn’t take long to meet a few of the farmers we were tailing for, and I got a bit of casual work with them and before I knew it, I was pretty well booked up a few months in advance.

‘‘Word of mouth has been pretty much how I have got all of my work.’’

Mr Caldwell’s work now has him travelling through the Waitaki and Hakataramea Valleys.

‘‘I usually get booked for a few days at a time and I will be housed and fed as well.’’

The farm jobs can be anything from picking up lambs in a tailing pen to animal health jobs up...