Hamish Ramsden and his daughter, Tessa. Photo: supplied
Hamish Ramsden was a 31 year old Hawkes Bay farmer, his wife six months pregnant, when his life changed forever.
While tagging a new calf's ear, it's protective mother charged Hamish hitting him mid chest and knocking him backwards, dislocating his neck.
On that day in 1994, the keen runner, tennis and rugby player and active farmer became a tetraplegic : no feeling from the nipple line down.
Hamish Ramsden went on to develop a sheep stud with one of his brothers, which grew into the largest privately owned sheep and cattle genetics company in New Zealand.
He's a director of several privately owned companies, has been involved in the Burwood Spinal Unit Education Group and is on the ISO Technical Committee for Wheelchair standards.
For the last 11 years he's worked as a teacher aide at a Christchurch school, working with children with learning difficulties.
Hamish has just published a memoir called Dog's Getting Fat with proceeds to the NZ Spinal Trust and the Catwalk Trust.
