Rural folk have Grand Designs on love
FINDING love on the farm can be a tough task in the rugged dating landscape of a Kiwi farmer.
And it’s especially hard for those farming one of the most remote and isolated regions in the country – the Catlins.
That’s where ex- Grand Designs farmer Lachlan McDonald is undertaking his search for a wife.
The deer hunter spoke of his battle to find a family to fill his newly built three-bedroom contemporary home on the rolling plains of the South Island during last season’s show.
A year on, he says he’s had ‘‘plenty of interest from throughout the world... It is an on-going process.’’ He’s not alone in the battle. In the Waikato, Marcella Bakker is also searching for that special someone.
The 24-year-old Hamiltonbased dairy farmer, who splits her time between the milking shed and the gym, decided to hasten the search this month by advertising for love on NZ Farming’s Facebook page.
‘‘I want a kind man with his own ambitions in life, that has respect for himself and women. I love the outdoors and my hobbies include hunting, fishing, a good yarn and going to the gym where I also work,’’ she said.
Suitors have been quick to line up. Since the post on September 6, Bakker said she has received about 500 messages from Australia, Asia, Singapore, Europe and New Zealand.
Yet the lonely heart hasn’t gone on a single date.
‘‘A lot of people reacted to it who were far from my age, between 30 to 60, which was odd – CHRISTEL YARDLEY / FAIRFAX NZ and even a few under 18 who were looking for love. A big percentage also had kids or were divorced but that’s not what I was looking for.’’
All she’s looking for is a man under 30 who’s intelligent and witty, loves the outdoors but isn’t a gym bunny – not too much to ask for right?
She feels for those on the farm though, struggling in an isolated life.
‘‘It gets very lonely on the farm, you’re in the middle of nowhere and the only thing you really get is to go to Young Farmers to see people.
‘‘I don’t go out to town, so I don’t have many places I go to where you would find someone suitable.
‘‘On the farm you meet cows but not much else.’’
Rosie Bowie, owner of Matchcompany Limited, has been a professional matchmaker for 15 years and says she often gets farmers reaching out to her for help finding love.
‘‘I think it is the isolation and the long working hours. With such busy lives on the farm many do not have time to socialise. This means they are not mixing with people their own age and making those important connections needed to build a relationship.’’
Bowie said technology had now significantly changed the way younger generations connect.
‘‘There are a lot more opportunities to find a partner now, of course there are still matchmakers like myself who have been around for centuries, but there are now also datings apps like Tinder, websites, and a variety of other services.
‘‘What we have less of now is connections through social clubs and sport clubs. This seems to come down to people like farmers just being far too busy.’’