Long association

Press, 9 March 1984, Page 12

Long association

The Cheviot Agricultural and Pastoral Association president this year is Mr Lionel Wilkinson, who farms a 1050 ha property close to the Waiau River.

The Wilkinson family’s association with the Cheviot district dates back to 1893 when the original “Cheviot Hills” run was broken up into smaller farms as part of the government’s land reform policy. Mr T. H. Wilkinson was one of the purchasers of these smaller farms, and the grandfather of the current president. The property now farmed by Lionel and Shirley Wilkinson was bought in 1922 by Mr Wilkinson’s father and he expects that his two

sons will carry on the family tradition after his own retirement.

In nearly 30 years of farming, Mr Wilkinson has seen many changes. He remembers a time when the land was worked with teams of draught horses, and the property still has the remains of a stable that housed 10 horses.

The advent of aerial tdpdressing and the bulldozer caused the most dramatic changes on farms such as his, Mr Wilkinson says, bringing into production large areas of the rolling hill country that previously supported minimal stock numbers. The tussock hills now cater for 3500 Corriedale sheep and more than 300

cattle, mostly Hereford and Murray Grey. Mr Wilkinson describes himself as a “practical farmer,” preferring the down-to-earth approach to

farm management over high technology methods. Like his faithful old beardie, he is, he says, too old to learn new tricks. Mr Wilkinson had served for three years as a vicepresident of the Cheviot A. and P. Association before taking office as president last August and he is proud of the association’s strength and its support from the local fanning community. Membership exceeds 350 in a county which has a population of little more than 1500.

The Cheviot A. and P. Association is fortunate in having an independent income derived from farming land adjacent to the showground, which it leases from the local Domain Board. This income has allowed a consistent building programme, using volunteer labour, and accounts for the modern facilities at the showground.