Front Cover Photo: New member Betty Rae of Nelson leads Bencarri Tana down Spencerville Beach on the Sunday of the AGM weekend.

President's Report 2005

April 29th, 2005

     On behalf of the outgoing and incoming Committee, many thanks to the members who came to attend the AGM.  Also to Fred and Emma for their generous hosting.

    It has been a pleasure to serve and I appreciate the confidence that you have placed in me. I would like to thank the outgoing Committee for the time and energy they put into the running of NZLA for this past year.  I know that at times they have put the NZLA before family, work and their personal wellbeing, what can I say but thank you once again.

   It has been a year that has seen the quarterly Magazine well supported by advertisers and article contributors, this has made for interesting and varied reading that has been well received.  We look forward to your continuing support throughout this coming year, without your articles or advertising it wouldn't exist.

   I am pleased to report that Penny King has negotiated New Zealand lama owners a great opportunity in joining our database with the International Llama Registry.  While the details are still being sorted through, it looks like we have found a safe haven for this valuable information and a great tool for keeping it up to date.  It has been overwhelming the amount of information collected on NZ lamas genealogy going back to foundation stock and I cannot thank the members and non-members enough for supplying this vital resource.

   Although it may not be immediately obvious the creation, construction and promoting of the NZLA website is having positive benefits.  The fact that committee meeting minutes and treasurers reports are posted on the website saves us postage and printing.  It also allows members to choose whether they want to read all of the details rather than litter them with paperwork.  It is paying off for the membership as I know potential buyers and even journalists have used the membership page to contact people.

   Now the fun part of the year was the creation of the NZLA Calendars which we have Penny and her friends to thank for.  I enjoyed all the correspondence it created with the membership and the outcome was stunning and something to enjoy every day.  I look forward to members input into the construction of the 2006 version and hope it will be well supported.

    I am fully confident that the incoming committee will be able to build on these successes. The Committee welcomes your thoughts - keep them coming! Indeed, I encourage all NZLA members to be active in the organization - volunteer for a sub-committee, write an article for the Magazine, organize or attend a regional gathering. You are the heart of NZLA and without you we don't exist.

    And the last word is for our outgoing Vice President Penny King, how can I thank you enough for your strength and determination in forming the NZLA.  Your support, advice and levelheadedness has been invaluable to me and I have learnt much from you.

Sincerely yours,  Julie Insley

NEW ZEALAND LLAMA DATABASE

by Penny King

      I am thrilled that at the recent AGM it was voted unanimously to support the motion to have the International Llama Registry (www.ilr.com) host our llama database!

      As we work through the last details to make this a reality, there is a small window of opportunity for those of you who would like to add your llamas.

      Remember that up until this information is sent to the International Llama Registry this is free!

      You can download the forms off the NZLA website by printing the PDF files available on the Why a Database page http://www.llama.org.nz/database.htm

or contact Julie@llamas.co.nz for copies via email or post.

This is the last chance to do this at no cost!  Grab it!!

      This is open to all New Zealand llamas dead or alive, belonging to members or non-members alike.  If you know of llamas and llama owners who may not know about this free offer please pass this information onto them now.

      Also for those who have already sent in their forms THANKYOU – and if you are in the category of needing to add some more details or organize the photos – now’s good!

      If you would like to discuss this free offer in more detail please phone either Penny King 09 810 9995 or Julie Insley 09 4077 107 they will be happy to explain it for you.

Or simply return the completed forms to

Penny King PO Box 99 Waitakere

FROM THE LLAMA’S LIPS

By Percy Llama

PercyLlama@xtra.co.nz

For some time now I have read the NZLA Newsletter.  My minders bring it down to Llama Lodge as they know that I enjoy reading what our two-legged friends are saying about us llamas.  It’s always good to see if any of my relatives have just given birth, to get the human view of what’s new in training us to do things your way, and to read about other llamas who are for sale.  It keeps me up-to-date with llama living in NZ, and it usually gives me a few good laughs too.  But what’s been missing are tales from the llama’s mouth, the insider’s view of life with the humans.  So when Julie asked if I’d like to contribute regularly to the NZLA Newsletter, I talked it over with my herd and decided to give it a go.  Now, I won’t be giving everything away in these articles, but hopefully some of my writings may just increase understanding of llamas everywhere, and give some mutually beneficial insights into the llama psyche.

Llamas are individuals, each with his or her own personality, likes and dislikes, depending on temperament, age and sex (whoops, I promised my minders I wouldn’t mention that!).   Although we love being part of a herd, each of us wants to be ‘special’.   This is never more apparent than at our daily feeding time.  It’s not just about greed and attention-seeking. Oh, no!  It’s these and our individuality that you must appreciate.

At our place we have our minders pretty well trained, so they usually appear in the late afternoon carrying the big green crate of our daily tucker ration. Around this time we all saunter up to the top fence in anticipation and hang about feigning signs of hunger and pretending to nibble on what is, in consequence, the most eaten-out pasture on the property.   As soon as our two minders appear on the ridgeline our sentinels, Julius and Mr. Bojangles, alert us all.  Julius squeaks loudly and Bo races Julius to the gate.  Often, though, Argyll gets there first, ‘cos he’s a cunning blighter and seems to have a sixth sense of when the food train will arrive.  All three are the teenagers in my herd, rumbustious, pushy and self-seeking, so they always compete to get their heads over the gate and ambush the minders.  As herd leader I always stand back maintaining a regal dignity befitting my status.  I know that once the minders have negotiated their way through the straw-grabbing posse at the gate, one of them will approach me so we can exchange greetings and I can check the goods.  We make eye contact from the start, as this is very important to me.  It acknowledges that they are now in my territory and that we have mutual respect.

The differing responses of the eight members of my herd now really show.  The three teenagers set off at once for the nearest poo patch to get in a quick one before dinner.  The two young yearlings, Maclary and Montrose, having tangled too many times in the past with the gannet-like teenagers, troop off sedately towards the Lodge following their mentor and surrogate parent, Amadeus.  However, they have to watch their following-distance pretty carefully as, like the rest of us, Ame gets tetchy if anyone gets too near his rear end.  This is the first of many potential flash points that can ruin our mealtime.  Follow too closely behind, or worse, bump into him, and Ame will blow.  On a good day he will just give one of his deep, throaty camelid roars in warning, but on a bad day he will turn his head and coat the little boys’ necks and faces with the remains of his afternoon tea.  Not a pretty sight, but it does mean that the young lads know their place and they behave accordingly.  

By the time that the tucker bearers get about half way down the path, a thunder of llama feet is heard and a tangled mass of bucking, tossing, pronking teenage llamas streaks by the minders with laddish exuberance.  Argyll, who has grown much too quickly for my liking, goes by the minders in a blur of white so fast that only a speed camera would catch it.  I’m still standing regally, of course, watching developments.  I’m too large and stately to hurry, and besides I need to make an appropriate entrance once the minions are at their eating troughs.  Ollie, my old stable-mate, is equally canny but for different reasons.  Ol’ has been less sure of his footing since the day a year or so ago when he fell ignominiously in full view of the entire herd whilst competing in the mealtime stakes.  So now he keeps well clear of the teenage hordes and picks his way carefully down slope by a different, more circuitous route from the masses.  Smart lad that Ollie!  He knows that his dinner will not be served until he arrives so he even has time for a pit stop on the way down too.

After a minute or so our minders reach the comparative safety of the yards by our Lodge. By now, though, any morsels of lucerne protruding from the tucker box have long ago been raided.  There is usually a hum of excitement at this time as the early arrivers jockey for positions and mill about near their favourite troughs.  (Yes, our minders taught each of us long ago the virtues of separate place settings – easy to defend and, in the beginning at least, ensuring fair portions.)   One of the minders then spins, twirls and gyrates through the excited herd, doling out dinner whilst using deft movements of the tucker box, arms, legs and posterior to guide my boys to their favourite troughs and to fend off impatient raiders.   I have usually made my way sedately down to the Lodge by now, and I love to stand outside watching this extraordinary ballet from the yards. Boy, have we got the measure of these humans!  Plenty of tucker, on time when we want it, and they dance for us! I suppose that some day the young boys will become as wise as me and realise that waiting your turn still brings a fair serving.  But if they do, I will miss this silly ballet by the minders.

Every time the ‘White Blur’ cuts up the nearside to get the very first offering available.   If another llama should somehow prevent this, his loud grunts of exasperation ensure that his lucerne is not long in coming.  Next Julius demands service. One quick mouthful, however, and he is off to check out what everyone else is getting in case it is better.  Bo is already pacing impatiently by his trough and looking increasingly excited so gets his next, but by now the first of the heavyweights is demanding service.  Amadeus really wants the green tucker box entirely to himself as he is the original dustbin llama who is now just marginally less greedy.  He circles with his adoring young shadow, Montrose, close by and buries his head deep into the tucker box carried by the minder.  Totally unwilling to relinquish this advantage, he follows the moving box until part of it is emptied into his favourite trough by the open window.  Young Montrose quickly follows the bundle of grub hurled into the adjacent trough. The tucker box then becomes the means of leading the marauding Julius back to his trough and for guiding the patiently waiting hairy young chap, Maclary, to his special place.  All this takes only 30 seconds, but to the impetuous teenagers and the young boys it seems like an age.  Argyll by now has eased himself down into a relaxed kush in front of his dinner.  Vast reams of lucerne already trail from his mouth and he looks about him as if waiting for the cabaret to start. 

There is now a momentary lull before Ollie appears around the corner of the Lodge. It’s been another safe journey to the dining room but he is still cautious.  He stops, looks anxiously over the window sill and checks that there are no nasty hypodermics in sight, and that his trough is still vacant.  The relief is palpable (big word for a llama, but I learn a lot from the Internet), so he trots forward to claim his meal.  It’s now time for me to make my move.  I approach the Mess and announce my arrival by rubbing my body along the full length of the rear west wall of the Lodge making it creak and shake.  By the time I appear in the doorway, I have the full attention of the minders. I smile a wry smile, sink my head deeply into the lucerne to check it is uncontaminated by others and swing myself round to face my trough by the door.  This is the prime spot, close to the pellet boxes and with the best view in the house. Ollie knows not to kush yet so he can move aside a little when my massive rear end swings around as I sidle into position.  Once settled, I exchange adoring stares with my male minder between mouthfuls. It’s an alpha male bonding thing.  Life is good for all of us at this time, and I turn a deaf ear to the mutterings about ‘prima donnas’. 

I eat my dinner with gusto, often sitting down for total relaxation.  Later I get up and snuffle around for any bits I’ve dropped.  There is no way I’d eat food left by others or threaten younger boys.  You don’t win respect like that, and besides who knows what germs it might contain. Then, as soon as I have finished I always walk over to each of the minders and give them each a big huggy push and rub to show my appreciation of the meal before strolling out to enjoy the evening.  But the other guys do things differently.

Bo often demands a picnic.  Sometimes he skips off part way through his dinner and stands outside in the yard.  The minders read him like a book and take his trough out to him.  It may be that Julius has burped or just that Bo wants some fresh air, but either way he sure enjoys the rest of his meal outside. He too, would never clean up the scraps left by others, so once he’s done he’s off to graze.  Not so the gannets!  Julius, Ollie and Ame play musical troughs well into the evening, eating from each and every one and puffling about searching for undiscovered morsels until not a straw remains.

So dinnertime is a highlight for the minders and for us.  Just occasionally, however, one of us does something silly that spoils it for everyone.  If for some reason one of us gets bumped on the way to the restaurant, or finds the service slow, or the folks at the next table are served first or they steal our sauce, there may be an ‘oral geyser’.  Once this happens I call “everybody out”, and we all stop eating.  Sometimes a lingering aerosol resulting from a breach of herd protocol on the trek to the Mess even prevents us from coming in and starting our meal.   Lower lips on the perpetrators will hang and green saliva will dribble.   Don’t worry about this, it’s nothing that half an hour and a quick chew on manuka branches won’t fix.  We’ll eat later when the air has cleared and you guys have gone back to your shelter.  But most days all goes smoothly and the sounds of contented munching are broken only by Ollie muttering to himself from the depths of his trough, or the grunts of the minders as they have to leap across an immovable Argyll kushed in the doorway eating.