Surfer on board with stress aid
Farmers around the country are swapping their gumboots for wetsuits and hitting the surf as part of a mental health initiative.
The Surfing for Farmers group launched in Gisborne last year to offer farmers surf lessons and a healthy outlet for stress.
It is the brainchild of Gisborne real estate agent Stephen Thomson, and has since spread to Mt Maunganui, North Canterbury and Christchurch. A fifth group will launch at Waihi this week.
The groups meet once a week during summer, with an average attendance of 25 farmers at each.
Thomson said he felt compelled to introduce farmers to the sport after working as a farm consultant in the Gisborne region.
‘‘I was very much dealing day to day with farmers who were experiencing the stress and demands that their business brings. Seeing the statistics about farmers’ mental health, which are not good, got me fired up to thing there must be something I could do about it.’’
Working with the Gisborne Boardriders’ Club, Thomson found coaches, boards, wetsuits and sponsorship for the meetings, which finish with a barbecue.
‘‘I put a few feelers out and knew there were some older farmers out there who had surfed and maybe lost the passion or time for it,’’ he said.
The first meeting drew a crowd of 25, including Sam Hain, who farms in the hill country 50 kilometres west of Gisborne.
‘‘My wife thought it would be a good thing for me to do. Often when you live somewhere like this, you don’t always do the things that are on your doorstep.’’
A year on, Hain said his skills had improved, although he would never claim to be a competitionstandard surfer.
‘‘I absolutely love it and feel more confident about going out. It’s a great thing to do.’’
As well as the chance to learn a new skill, the surf meetings gave farmers a chance to socialise in a different environment and get their minds off the demands of farming, Thomson said.
‘‘That is even more so over the summer when things have been so dry, and you’ve got that extra level of stress dealing with keeping your animals well fed. Right now it’s pretty dry through much of the North Island. So for some of the younger farmers, who have just started their careers, it’s a chance to talk to a few older guys who have been through it and pick up ideas on coping with it.’’