A FARMER has spoken of his near-fatal accident and how it has changed his life.
The FUW attended a farm safety talk with Pete Gohery in conjunction with the Wales Farm Safety Partnership.
It took place at The Eagles, in Llanuwchllyn, with County Galway farmer Pete keeping all enraptured with the harrowing tale of his 2009 farm accident which saw him lose one leg, strip the other to the bone and also break two bones in his arm due to an unguarded PTO shaft.
Such an account in anyone else’s hands would be the stuff of nightmares and not your average night out in your local.
However, Peter Gohery is not your average man.
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Those present were held enthralled by his Gallic wit, his sincerity and his honesty whilst recounting the events building up to his near-fatal accident and of his life since.
Choosing to take an incredibly positive slant on what happened to him and his family, Pete turned an adverse situation into one that now sees him travelling around the UK, speaking about his experience and the importance of farm safety as well as the unspoken ripple effect that such an accident has on the family and community that surrounds the victim.
His innate belief that farmers listen to farmers has seen him deliver his presentation to those young and old and he strongly believes that by talking openly about what happened to him - an experienced farmer with over 30 years’ knowledge of using machinery - that the message will get through about the dangers of taking shortcuts, trying to save a few pounds or just sheer ignorance when using and being around potentially life-changing farm implements.
Speaking in Llanuwchllyn of the reaction from his peers following his accident, he said the overwhelming response was: "He worked all his life with machinery - what the hell's the matter with him!"
Their reaction demonstrated succinctly the underlying issues with attitudes towards peoples' own safety, with the tendency to be far more stringent and mindful with the safety of others, than your own.
He strongly believes that a greater level of training should be offered by relevant bodies and that more should be done in the way of addressing farm safety with children and agri students in particular.
He stressed the need to both empower and educate - particularly young men, who he sees as being the most vulnerable demographic.
Working now with Embrace FARM, the farm accident support network, he delivers his life-saving message across his social media accounts and in his talks.
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