About Hazel Buckley

The udder alternative

During her early teens, Hazel even assisted with the birth of a cow where the mother was in severe distress.  After many hours of tough labour both mother and calf survived the ordeal.  “It was so interesting to watch and there was so much to learn.”  Hazel recalls. “If a mother happened to lose a calf during the birthing process it was indeed a sad sight to see the look of heartbreak on the mother’s face.  Often, a mother who has lost a calf became very aggressive.  When this happened it was often difficult to remove the calf from the mother’s side – the mother simply would not let go.  Eventually, the calf would be taken away and the mother would be forced to accept her loss. ”  Hazel recounts.

Cattle ‘feeding frenzy’

“Another interesting thing about rearing cattle is the ‘feeding frenzy’ that the cattle went into at their dedicated feeding time after a long day in the hot, African sun.  The cattle were in their element as they drank gallons of water and merrily crunched on their favourite meal consisting of lucerne bales of hay and mielie stalks.”

The scorpion’s sting

Hazel was once unfortunate enough to be stung by a scorpion.  One day when the family had moved into the house and there was still construction work being done, a scorpion found its way into the house and hid underneath the basin in Hazel’s bathroom.  When Hazel was having a bath one evening the scorpion was lying in wait.  As Hazel climbed out the the bath she was suddenly met with excruciating pain in her left foot as it touched the floor.  As she looked down, there was the scorpion with its tail erect and poised to strike its next victim!  Screaming with pain, Hazel was then taken to the hospital since no amount of ice applied to the sting would relieve the pain.  Even though the doctor administered an antidote straight away, Hazel was in terrible pain for the next couple of hours.  

A delicious flow of honey

Hazel’s brother, Matthew, had a very interesting hobbie on the farm.  He was a sweet man indeed, and diligently maintained a number of beehives that for many years consistently supplied the family and close friends with a delicious flow of honey!

Hazel now lives in Johannesburg and enjoys a busy life with her family and friends.