Show President

Press, 12 March 1982, Page 8

Show President

The president for the 68th Cheviot Agricultural and Pastoral Show, Mr Ted Burgess, is a descendant of one of the first settlers in Cheviot.

His grandfather worked at Port Robinson in the 1870 s and drew a block of land at Domett (about eight kilometres from Cheviot) in the first land ballot.

Mr Burgess has lived in the Cheviot district all his life and for the last 29 years he and his wife Joyce have farmed a property of more than 120 hectares on Mina Road. The farm supports 1100 breeding ewes, 300 hoggets and 21 beef fattening cattle.

He was educated at the Cheviot District High School and at Rangiora High School. It was at the latter that he undertook a farming course and won the school’s agriculture cup in 1945. “Since then I’ve worked on just every farm in Cheviot either bag-sewing, chaffcutting or working with the hay balers,” Mr Burgess said. Cheviot is one of the few rural areas where the population has increased in recent years—the county population is about 1500.

The stock water supply scheme which was introduced about 18 years ago had been one of the main reasons for Cheviot’s progress, Mr Burgess said. As well, there had been improvements to the medical centre and the district high school had gone from strength to strength, he said. Outside his farming interests, Mr Burgess is a keen indoor bowls player, having held every office except secretary for the Knox Indoor Bowling Club, and is also senior vice-president of the North .Canterbury Indoor Bowling Committee. In addition, he has been chairman of the Cheviot Historical Society and was a chairman of the Cheviot Home and School Association. Mrs Burgess gets involved in many community ventures although mainly in the role of a “behind-the-scenes worker.” She is a member of the Country Women’s Institute and the Red Cross. Mr and Mrs Burgess have i three children. Neil is 26 and works on the farm and Susan and Jennifer, 24 and 21 respectively are married and live out of the district.