I can never get used to it,
all the travel and great people to meet,
huge amounts of interesting and important to work to be done.
The rural sector has been plodding along for too long
without anyone pulling together the diverse and amazing things
going on out in the hinterlands.
I am doing my little bit to help rural people
increase their skills,
improve their businesses,
connect and communicate with peers more.
I'm not too worried at this stage about telling the townies
about whats going on out in the back blocks,
they have enough going on in their neighbourhoods.
Besides us country folk and I use that term loosely,
are a little bit guarded about what we do.
I was reminded of this last Monday in
Waipukurau in Central Hawkes Bay.
Most places in New Zealand ask a particular question
to help place you in their world,
or at least their neighbourhood.
In Christchurch they ask what school you went to.
In Wellington they ask which government department you work for.
In Auckland they ask you how much you earn
(so unclouth those city folk).
Well in the Hawkes Bay they ask what your family name is,
then clarify if you have a maiden name.
I've only got one last name and
believe me it's mine for life,
no matter what other name may become available for use.
Asked once,
I would have thought it to be a weird pick up line,
but the second time was from a woman and
the third time I was certain this is how they place you.
What family do you belong to?
I think this is considerably better than the main centres
but I'm not used to being placed relative (haha)
to my family.
I mean there is nothing wrong with my family,
in fact my family history on the side of the name I bear
is reasonably illustrious for a bunch of sugar plantation owning colonists.
It's a history that would fit right in with the Hawkes Bay landed gentry
should I need to prove my pedigree.
I'm just not used to being placed by anything other than my own merits.
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