Dear Editor: Two years ago my Grandad, Jim Tunstead, died from cancer. He farmed dairy and sucklers. He also contracted in tillage, silage and digging.
His farm was in Kilkenny and he loved Kilkenny hurling and he only ever missed going to one All-Ireland.
He loved spending time with his family and grandchildren and enjoyed playing golf and was a member of the Castlecomer Golf Club. He also liked going to the mart to buy and sell cattle.
My favourite jobs to do on the farm with him were raking silage, spreading slurry and feeding cattle in winter. I loved helping Grandad to make the silage too in summer.
A while after Grandad died, it was decided to put on a tractor run in memory of him and a contractor friend of his. The tractor run was on 31 October in Paulstown, Co Kilkenny. There were tractors, cars and trucks in the run.
The tractors went one route and the trucks and cars went another one. I also got some of my friends to bring their tractors in the run. On the morning of the run, I was very excited. I couldn’t wait to get going.
A while after we came in, a few other tractors also came in to the field to park up. I thought I was in heaven with all the tractors there. There were 176 tractors in total.
After a while, a few of my friends came in. Everyone registered their machines and then the run started. I went on a Deutz Fahr Agrotron 150 with my cousin.
My little sister went with my Dad on our farm JCB 412S loader.
The run took about two hours.
On the run we passed Grandad’s farm. After the run, there was food and a raffle in the hall.
I stayed in the hall for a while and then I went home with my friend in his tractor. In total, the event raised €20,000 for Carlow/Kilkenny Homecare.
SHARING OPTIONS