Likely to go south

Press, 10 November 1978, Page 8

Likely to go south

For some reason farmers in Southland and Otago if they leave their district seem to go north. It is something that often seems to apply in industry, too,

unfortunately. But it looks as though Mrs Frank Chittock and her sons at Lincoln are going to be one of the exceptions to what seems almost a rule. Mrs Chittock says that they are looking to going

south seeking more scope for her sons, Richard and Austen, but perhaps it is not so surprising in their case lor Otago is Chittock country.

The late Mr Frank Chittock. who is well remembered as a stud Romney breeder, moved up to Canterbury in 1954 and set up just outside Lincoln where he established his Rose Romney stud.

Mr Chittock come from Kelso in West. Otago where he had spent all his life up to that stage. His express purpose was to breed Romney sheep as well in Canterbury as he had done in West Otago and Southland, and from the attention that his sheep always commanded there must be little doubt that. he achieved that objective. Up to that stage, however, he had not had a stud. The name he gave to his stud was an abbreviation for his West Otago property Rosemerryn. because he felt that Rosemerryn would be too long for a prefix.\ Mr Chittock, who was an essentially practical man with some very strong views — one of his loves ■was deep ploughing — died in 1974. Now Richard and Austen are at. home on the 82 ha property just on the outskirts of Lincoln and the decision has been taken to sell the property to facilitate a move to a larger property where the two boys will farm together at least initially. Another son is still at Medbury preparatory school in Christchurch. The move, as already mentioned. is likelv to be south. Five of Mr Chittock’s sons are still farming in West Otago and one married daughter is also living in the area. All of these sons were stud breeders but now only one is so engaged with a Poll Dorset stud.

Although Mr Chittock held a dispersal sale of his Romneys in the early 1970 s there is still a Romney stud on the property at Lincoln and also an Angus stud.