Only trees nag this lawnmower vet

BLADE BY BLADE: Masterton man Brian Marriott, 85, has mowed the lawns and playing fields at schools in the town for more than 30 years. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Veteran lawnmower man Brian Marriott has been taming grass at schools in Masterton for more than 30 years.

Mr Marriott, 85, is a retired thoroughbred horse trainer and lifelong driver, who launched his career at the wheel with the New Zealand Army, serving in 10 Company in Korea with the Army Service Corps.

He arrived in Masterton in 1980 after buying and running with wife Hazel the Upstairs Downstairs cafe in the former Centrepoint building. The couple bought land at South Belt and built stables, from where they pursued their shared passion of racing thoroughbred horses.

He retired from horse training several years ago but still owns some horses, he said, and today mows school lawns for almost 30 hours a fortnight "to help his pension" at seven schools in Masterton.

He had also laid down his tools as a school caretaker in 2010 after 27 years on the job but kept on with his lawnmowing contracts that he first started in the mid-1980s.

"I was mowing lawns and training at the same time a while back but handed in my trainer's licence because I got sick of burning the candle at both ends."

He has hauled his rotary mower, which boasts six blades, with an international parade of tractors including a David Brown from Britain, a John Deere machine from the States, a Japanese-built Iseki and now a Kioti model from Korea, which comes complete with cruise control and hydrostatic gears.

He uses his own Massey-Fergusson tractor with a slasher mower attached to handle the rushes at the MIS farm.

"Not just any old Joe Bloggs can do this. You have to be careful on the road and on the job," he said.

"I've never had a single accident and not one complaint in 30 years. Not bad eh?

"The only trouble's been the trees. I don't have my roll bar up on the job because years and years ago, I was backing and a branch got caught on the bar and almost took my head off."

He won permission to lower the bar as a matter of routine and raises it on uneven terrain only, he said. He also had since led safety lessons for some students on the proper use of a tractor - outlining which side to safely exit the machine and using hazard lights on the job - and how to stay safe when a tractor-drawn rotary mower is in use nearby.

"I'm still loving what I do and my health is good - no problems - so I'm not planning on standing down any time soon. You've got to do something. You can't just sit around in front of the TV and wait for God."