Newspaper Article – M Turner-Williams

Hawke’s Bay Farm Information Centre officer Miss M. Turner-Williams is retiring after developing the organisation which co-ordinates farm employment in the province.

Miss Turner-Williams has been matching farm-job seekers with farms since the centre opened its office in Hastings 14 years ago.

Yesterday at a surprise function following the Federated Farmers provincial executive meeting Miss Turner-Williams was officially given a send-off by the region’s farmers.

She took the job on with no training, except family ties to the farming community.

She said she literally followed a farmer’s instructions to the T in one case.

A farmer said he wanted a shepherd with three dogs who could shear and fence.

“I advertised exactly that.”

A reply came from someone who said he had two dogs who could do the job. He had a third dog but it had gotten into a shearing shed very young and at the wrong time and would not go near the place again.

However, the applicant asked if it was all right if the wife did the shearing for the third dog, Miss Turner-Williams recounted with a smile.

Since then Miss Turner-Williams has placed more than 3000 applicants.

However, Miss Turner-Williams said she left the job with much still to be done.

She had 490 clients. The number of unemployed on her books was more than 100.

The biggest problem was finding a place for the young with little experience but with the inclination to be farmers, she said.

“There are plenty of young boys wanting to go into the farming industry and the industry needs them.

“But I can’t get the farmers to take on green boys because of wages today,” she said.

Miss Turner-Williams said she would be relaxing for a time and then maybe taking a trip back to England.

Taking over the one-person post is Mr Bill Williams, manager of Netherton Station, Elsthorpe.

Above: Mr Tony Connor, chairman of the board of management of the Farm Information Centre, congratulates Miss M. Turner-Williams on her service at her farewell.