THE WRITE STUFF
Winning MiNDFOOD’s short story competition in 2018 kickstarted Tim Saunders’ writing ambitions, resulting in his first published book.
Our 2018 MiNDFOOD Short Story Competition winner has just released his first book, This Farming Life.
Nana, Grandad … and MiNDFOOD. Those three influences led Tim Saunders from a child listening to stories, to a man who has written and published his first book. Saunders is the fifth generation of his family to farm the Glen Oroua sheep and beef property near Palmerston North, sharing the workload with wife Katherin, brother Mark, and dad Brian.
While the others are out on the land at first light, Saunders writes his poems, short stories and fiction from 6-9am before pulling on his gumboots.
He recalls, “My grandmother – Dad’s mum – used to live next to us in a little cottage on the farm. I would go over there all the time and she’d read to me. That love of reading really kickstarted my writing. Mum’s dad came over from England after the war – he was a designer of the Spitfire – and he loved writing, too. He would have been very proud of what I’m writing now.”
Saunders kept writing through school – “Not to be published, just little poems, little stories” – even when he completed an applied science degree, did film and TV work, then went to Europe on his OE. Working as a tour guide, he met Katherin in Germany and brought her back to the family farm. “It wasn’t until five or six years ago that I turned the corner with my writing. I was looking at everything I was reading and seeing how it was put together, how stories are constructed. I started to get a few poems and a few short stories published.”
In 2018, he won our short story competition. “That was the first big competition that I won. That really gave me a boost. Before that I was sending things out and not getting anywhere, but that gave me the confidence to send stuff out to other publishers.” He’s since come third in the 2019 Flash Fiction Day awards and had poetry published in the Listener and literary magazines. But, he says, “If it wasn’t for the MiNDFOOD competition, I might not have got this book published at all.”
One of the judges was from book publisher Allen & Unwin, and she suggested there was a place for a well-written booking on farming. “I thought, I don’t do anything interesting; it’s just my way of life. I wrote a bit about what we do day to day on the farm and she really loved it.” In This Farming Life, Saunders describes the seasons: summer, with shearing, slaughter, crop harvest and conservation; autumn and its floods, trading stock, drenching and dogging; winter, the maize harvest and lambing; and spring, with docking, pet sheep and weaning. He explains the ways of a farm that has been in the same family for five generations and describes the everyday lives of farmers and their enduring love of the land and the animals they work with.
For Saunders, farming is much more than a job. “Everybody has to eat and I’m producing food. I need to produce the best-quality food that I can – it’s quite motivating for me to think that something I gave life to is being consumed out in the wider world. “That can sometimes lead to inner conflict because I love animals and I’m giving them life, but I’m also taking it away. I find that a huge responsibility.”
He respects his animals. “I know these are living creatures, they are sentient beings, they’re not just a word on an ingredient list. Reducing them to a word on a menu like lamb or hamburger is stripping them of their identity.”
And he is an advocate for New Zealand’s farming methods. “We’re in a unique position because we can produce food ethically, that’s freerange and grass-fed. As consumers, it’s really important that we are mindful, that we know what we are eating and where it’s from and that we give it respect.” That extends to the land. “My great-great-grandfather bought the
“IF IT WASN’T FOR THE MiNDFOOD COMPETITION, I MIGHT NOT HAVE GOT THIS BOOK PUBLISHED AT ALL.”
property in 1906 and it’s been passed down through the generations. This is the same soil that my great-greatgrandfather walked on. There hasn’t been enough time for new soil to be laid down, so I’m literally walking in his footsteps. The technology has changed and the way we farm has changed but it’s the same soil, and with that comes a responsibility to the land and the environment and the family name. I don’t want to be the generation that drops the ball, so there’s a responsibility and pressure to keep things running!”
Now his book is in the shops, Saunders is casting about for a new project. “I’m working on a few poems and I’ve just finished a short story. I’ll see how this book goes and if it’s successful, I might be able to squeeze out a sequel.” And there’s another string to his bow. Saunders, fellow poet Chris Gallavin and musician Paul Turner are the Rouseabouts: “We do a few funny stories, a lot of poetry and some Celtic music.” They’re planning a lower North Island tour in January.
• This Farming Life, by Tim Saunders, Allen & Unwin, RRP $36.99