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A century of effort marked
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 original 80ha farm was subdivided from Hillend Station by the Begg family, as part of the Blackburn Estate, in 1906.
His great-grandfather David Smollett bought the farm in partnership with William Sparks.
Mr Smollett had emigrated from Glenesk, Scotland via the Alaskan goldfields.
The partnership broke up in 1911 and Mr Smollett bought the farm in his own name under a deferred payment system with the Begg family.
Mr Smollett married Jessie Parker, who had two children before dying during childbirth when having their third child.
The land title for Glenesk was issued 1921, the same year Mr Smollett purchased a neighbouring farm of more than 70ha and secured a commercial mortgage.
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 building a new brick homestead in 1960.
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.
Ivan’s children were all involved in farming.
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 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. ”
