For most folk retirement is the catalyst for taking life easy. However, for cattle farmer and former stock buyer, John Gracie, downing tools was never a consideration as HELEN PERRY discovered.
At 90, John Gracie still drives daily from his urban Pukekohe home to his 112-acre Whangarata property where he raises some 100 beef cattle and a few sheep. His several hours per day, every day, make other pastimes look tame.
On celebrating the big “Nine-0” last year, he just laughed when it was suggested he kick back a bit. “What would I do? Hobby farming keeps me young!”
Born and raised in Rotongaro (near Huntly), John’s first job with a stock dealer meant spending many hours on horseback droving cattle. From the start, horses were in his blood and he later became an amateur jockey, maintaining a life-long interest in horse racing.
For a time, John even trained his own horses having wins at Ellerslie, Avondale and Pukekohe. Most workouts were on the farm with John in the saddle except when he took his horses to Pukekohe racetrack for training gallops.
In the past, he served on the former Franklin Racing Club committee and although his riding days are long over, he retains shares in racing syndicates.
However, it was at age 21, John took up a new job with the Vestey Group under W&R Fletcher Ltd at Westfield Freezing works in Auckland.
“I was there 39 years until the 1994 collapse of Vestey’s in New Zealand; just shy of receiving my 40-year gold watch,” he recalls.
While at Westfield John became a bona fide cattle buyer, regularly rubbing shoulders with CEO, the late Lord Sam Vestey – “He was such an ordinary guy who mixed well with the workers.”
“Sam even came to breakfast twice at my Whangarata home and was happy to sit down while my wife, Norma cooked bacon and eggs.
“On one occasion when I was in the UK, he invited me to lunch with the Board of Directors at his penthouse in Smithfield, London.
“He asked me to choose the wine but I had to confess I didn’t know much about wine as I was mainly a beer drinker. I suggested Sam should choose instead. Thank goodness he did.”
Post 1994, John worked independently as a stock buyer in the north Waikato/Franklin region. Today, he remains a regular at the Tuakau saleyards, still buying and selling.
Having also bought and sold property over the years, one of John’s purchases was a five-acre Pukekohe block where he and Norma lived for more than 20 years.
On selling, the couple built a new house in urban Pukekohe with John still maintaining his separate Whangarata beef operation.
Sadly, soon after moving to their new home, Norma passed away – she and John had been married for 59 years. Yet, any thoughts of finally settling to a quiet retirement, were wrong. Farming continued to energise John.
Of course, over the years he had gathered many friends and acquaintances. Growing up in the Waikato, he knew the Topp twins as school girls, meeting them through their dad, Peter Topp.
“Peter and I rode in local gymkhanas and, in the winter, we both rode in the Maramarua Hunt.”
Some folk who touched on his early life turned up unexpectedly years later. For example, while at an Auckland restaurant, John was chatting to the person next to him, a one Bill Buckley.
Raised in Island Block, (near Meremere), Bill discovered John had bought cattle for his (Bill’s) father. It was only later that John learned that ‘Bill’ was the founder of Buckley Systems Limited (BSL), a world-leader in the supply of precision electromagnets used in silicon chips and flat-panel screens.
“It seemed remarkable that we should encounter each other in a waterfront restaurant but had once been young Waikato men from humble beginnings,” John says.
There have been other surprising incidents in John’s life but his role ahead of the Harvey and Jeanette Crewe murders in Pukekawa, 54 years ago, is one less well known. He was the last known person to talk with them.
John had morning tea with the couple to discuss the purchase of a bull then took Harvey Crewe to inspect a prospect at nearby Glen Murray.
“Harvey wasn’t keen on the animal as it wasn’t polled (dehorned) so I drove him home; that was the last I time I saw him or Jeanette.”
When news of the murders broke, John’s encounter assisted the investigation and he was a Crown witness at the trials.
Despite all the publicity, John’s life continued as usual with time for family and community being important. He served on school committees, and is a former patron of the Tuakau Pony Club. He remains a member of the Tuakau Cosmopolitan Club and The Franklin Club.
Of course, there is much more to John’s abundant life, including his unfailing will to continue raising beef cattle and to encourage other seniors to maintain an interest in life. More importantly, he is a rare example that life beyond 65 can be as full and fulfilling as desired.
