Bull in China Shop: Charity Visit Leaves Merchandise Intact

Grant Burnett always wondered what a bull would do in his china shop. Quite a lot, it turned out, but not a single thing broken.

Hikuroa Colonel, a prize Hereford bull weighing more than a ton, stepped into Burnett’s shop in nearby Palmerston North on Thursday for a three-hour visit to raise money for charity.

The “Colonel” was on his best behavior for the occasion and, despite a few anxious moments, left the $70,000 worth of stock--fully insured for the occasion--undamaged.

“It was fairly nerve wracking and fairly dangerous,” Burnett said after Hikuroa Colonel left for home. “But we never lost any china, collected a lot of money for charity and had a lot of fun.

“But oh, the excrement. It’s all over the place, even up the walls. I’ll never do it again.”