Strong Voices

Despite facing one of the biggest tests of her life, dairy farmer Kaye Quinlan will be on the road again this winter raising money for families living with intellectual disability.

Kaye is one of the top canvassers for the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme. Last year, her first as a canvasser, Kaye picked up 153 pledges from farmers north of Ashburton. But within months of finishing her canvassing her four-year-old daughter Grace was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Grace spent five weeks in hospital in October and November and is now facing two or more years of chemotherapy. The family travels to the Child Haemotology and Oncology Centre at Christchurch Hospital for Grace to receive injections directly into the bone marrow in her spine. If Grace gets a fever, the family has to make a quick dash to Timaru, nearer to their Rangitata Island farm, to get antibiotics on board quickly. There have been three dashes to Timaru so far.

“The whole treatment is two years, two months to be exact,” Kaye says. But this may take longer if the chemotherapy has to be delayed for any reason.

Kaye has all of Grace’s treatments charted week by week and is looking forward to her being able to move from the intensive treatment to maintenance chemotherapy.

“At the moment we need to be seen two or three times a week, depending on the cycle,” Kaye says.

Kaye’s husband Liam manages Island Glen Dairies on Rangitata Island for Spectrum Group. It is Spectrum’s southernmost farm, and is situated between two branches of the Rangitata River and about halfway between Ashburton and Timaru.

It’s low-lying fertile farmland and only an island if there’s a flood. In a big rain, they know they can be cut off from the rest of Canterbury, waiting with their herd of 760 cross-bred Friesians for the river level to drop.

“This is Liam’s third season as a manager here,” Kaye says. “It was a good flood when we first moved here.”

Kaye rears the calves and keeps on top of the farm emails. “I always wanted a career on the agricultural side, talking and dealing with farmers.” She studied animal science at Massey University and worked for Livestock Improvement Corporation and PGG Wrightson before starting a family.

She met Liam, a farm manager from Ireland, when she was working as a technical field representative for PGG Wrightson. “So, he never got to go back to Ireland.”

Liam’s mother and brother travelled from Ireland to help out when Grace was diagnosed last year. They will return in winter this year. By then, Kaye hopes life will be back to somewhere near normal.

Grace and her two-year-old brother Axel haven’t been able to go to their BestStart pre-school at Opihi. Kaye says they pulled Grace out when she was diagnosed because of the risk of infection. Axel will start once Grace goes on to maintenance chemotherapy in the second half of 2024. Grace, who turned five in April, will start at the Southern Health School. “We had a little wee early birthday party with two of her friends because we knew it was going to get hard.”

Even with all that is happening, Kaye is planning to continue as a canvasser this year. “Well, why not? It’s nice to have a wee break and a wee distraction at the moment.” She is committed to supporting families through the Calf Scheme – “because the IHC does many good things to help people with disabilities in the rural communities. We know how hard things can be in the rural community”.

Kaye’s parents had a small sheep and beef farm at Motupiko, near Nelson.

As a canvasser, Kaye’s job is to encourage farmers to donate calves and other stock to be sold, with the proceeds going to support families. “I originally did this because obviously it was a chance to do some good and see a lot of the families I know.”

Kaye and Liam are part of the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme too. Last year they donated three bull calves and say they find it an easy thing to do. “The bull calves run with our heifer replacements.”

She starts calling farmers in May and then gets out to see them on the farms in June and July.

National Coordinator of the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme Lynda Young-Kennedy says Kaye had a lot going on last year. “It was such a worrying time when they first had Grace’s cancer diagnosis, and to be honest I wasn’t sure if she would be back canvassing. She kept me in the loop, which was wonderful, and when we met, to my surprise, she said that she still wanted to continue with her canvassing. I was thrilled, she is a great canvasser and I totally understand why she enjoys it so much.”

Previous page: Five-year-old Grace with the Friesians on the Island Glen Dairies farm managed by her Dad, Liam.

Top: Grace and Axel check on the calves.

Above: Liam, Kaye, Axel and Grace on their Rangitata Island farm.