Wairarapa dairy dynasty stays strong | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Nancy and Bernie Patrick have had a big year in more ways than one and - although they are well settled at their Masterton retirement home - the relaxed lifestyle has only come after a lifetime of hard work and dedication.

The Patricks celebrated 60 years of marriage last month and, to top it all off, Mr Patrick was presented with a special award by the dairying industry for his contribution spanning even more years than the couple's long and happy marriage.

A third generation dairy farmer, Bernie Patrick's introduction to owning top quality Ayrshire stock came when his father, who milked a mixture of cows on the family farm at Te Whiti, near Masterton, bought him an in-calf heifer called Ardgowan Bright Spot.

That was before Nancy and Bernie were wed in 1952 but, three years after tying the knot, the couple went farming on their own account when they bought Mr Patrick's grandfather's farm at Pukio, in South Wairarapa.

They established their Ayrshire Stud there, named it Taonui, and soon started exhibiting their purebreds at shows throughout the lower North Island.

Mrs Patrick often inherited the job of milking while Mr Patrick was away at shows keeping the Taonui name to the fore.

The couple moved back to Te Whiti when Mr Patrick's father died and, in those days, were milking 130-140 cows in a walk-through shed. That was before herringbone and rotary sheds were introduced.

Many highlights were soon to follow, particularly in the show ring, with one of the greatest achievements being winning Champion All Breeds Bull and Champion All Breeds Cow at the Royal Show in Hawke's Bay.

This was the only time it was ever done as bulls are no longer exhibited at the show.

The Patricks hosted the Wairarapa Ayrshire club sale for many years with Mr Patrick being a member of the New Zealand Ayrshire Association for 20 years and president for three.

He became a highly regarded judge and officiated at Royal shows, including the Royal Melbourne Show.

In 1984, the couple went to Britain where they saw the Queen's Ayrshire and Jersey herds.

They discovered the Queen's Ayrshire herd included seven daughters from their Ayrshire bull, Taonui National Lord.

Mr and Mrs Patrick sold their pedigree Ayrshire herd at a dispersal sale in 1991 with Taonui Lady Knight fetching $10,000, then a New Zealand record price for an Ayrshire.

Their son, Bruce, took over the farm and continues to milk cows there.

Mr and Mrs Patrick lived on the farm until 2010 when they moved to the Masonic Village with the observation Mr Patrick had lived - at one venue or another - by the banks of the Ruamahanga River for 82 years before moving to Masterton.

The retirement of Nancy and Bernie Patrick certainly does not finish the family's involvement with dairying.

Bruce and his wife, Tina, milk about 2000 cows on four farms near Masterton, including the original family farm.

Their daughter, Carolyn Stevenson, and her husband, Richard, farm at Kokotau in rural Carterton and at Rangitumau, milking 1500 cows.

And the Patrick dairying dynasty in the Wairarapa is set to extend even further as Bruce and Tina Patrick's son, Matthew, started milking 250 cows this season on one of the properties owned by his parents.