Blair Smollett and his wife Valerie are set to celebrate his family farming the same land for more than 100 years at the New Zealand Century Farms and Station Awards in Lawrence on Saturday. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Blair Smollett and his wife Valerie are set to celebrate his family farming the same land for more than 100 years at the New Zealand Century Farms and Station Awards in Lawrence on Saturday. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
The wait is over for the hard work of generations of a South Otago family to be honoured at the New Zealand Century Farms and Station Awards on Saturday.
Glenesk sheep and beef farm owner Blair Smollett said the impact of Covid-19 had postponed two ceremonies to celebrate the centenary of his family farming the same land.
His wife Valerie said it had felt as if Covid would never end and she was looking forward to celebrating with the more than 40 families being honoured in Lawrence.
“It’s going to be a big night.”
Glenesk lies in on rolling to steep country in Awamangu, about a 20km drive northwest from Balclutha.
The partnership broke up in 1911 and David bought the farm in his own name under a deferred payment system with the Begg family.
He then married Jessie Parker, who had two children, before dying during childbirth with their third child.
The land title for Glenesk was issued in 1921, the same year David purchased a neighbouring farm of more than 70ha and secured a commercial mortgage.
Ivan Smollett talks to his son Alan on the first tractor on sheep and beef farm Glenesk, a Case DC 3. Alan is the father of current farm owner Blair Smollett. Photo / Supplied / ODT
He developed and improved the property until his death at the age of 51 in 1931. He died in Balclutha Hospital, after being crushed by his horse and dray.
After David’s death, his son Ivan returned home from working in the Maniototo, to take over the farm, aged 19.
He married Maisie Cuthbertson and they had three children. The family added to the farm, including the Awamangu School ground in 1958 and built a new brick homestead in 1960.
David and Jessie Smollett on their wedding day. Photo / Supplied / ODT
During Ivan’s tenure, horses gave way to tractors.
The farm’s first tractor was a 1943 Case DC, purchased in 1953 for £573.
Blair had the tractor fully restored as part of the farm’s centenary celebrations.
Blair Smollett drives his grandfather’s first tractor, a 1943 Case DC 3. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Son Alan bought the farm across the road, daughter Margaret married John Deans, of Ettrick, and son Russell, who married Vera Gibson, took over Glenesk in 1979.
Russell and Vera oversaw plenty of development on the farm, including the building of a large wintering shed to house 1200 ewes, adding a second storey to the homestead and buying 100ha from a neighbour.
Glenesk was sold to Russell’s nephew Blair and his then-wife Melinda in 2003.
Blair, a son of Alan and Lois, was farming nearly 400ha across the road and combined this with Glenesk, although more than 130ha was sold to help finance the sale.
Now the farm was more than 600ha, with the original 80ha block at its centre.
Blair and Melinda have two sons, Jared and Callum.
Blair and Valerie Smollett share a joke in an old barn on Glenesk sheep and beef farm. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Blair married Valerie and their combined families continue to winter about 5000 ewes and 150 Friesian bulls.
Attending the ceremony on Saturday would be Blair, his wife Valerie, his mother Lois, aunties Vera and Margaret and his sons, Jared and Callum.
The ceremony would be a way to honour all the people who had done the hard work improving the land and raising families on the farm since the start of the 20th century, Valerie said.
“They must have gone from dawn to dusk and beyond - it’s just incredible. "
