The Country 07/03/25: Peter Walsh talks to Jamie Mackay

We chew the fat with an iconic livestock agent who has been in the business for 60 years. On the eve of his retirement, we discuss the changes he's seen in the industry in over half a century. He's also the father of Olympic shot putter Tom Walsh; competing at the National Athletics Championships in Dunedin tomorrow. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All the big guns athletic guns that are going to
be in Dunedin this weekend or are here already for
the New Zealand Athletics Champs. You name it. Hamish Kerr
gold medalists at Paris. Zoey Hobbes, our greatest female sprinter,
Tom Walsh up against Jack O'Gill and the shot pot,
many many more to talk about, but I thought i'd

(00:22):
make the farming connection.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Of course.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Zoe Hobbs's father Grant as a stock agent. Tom Walsh's dad,
Peter Walsh, is a bit of a legendary stock agent,
if you don't mind me saying so, Peter, You're going
to retire on the first of April, after wait for it,
sixty years in the business. Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, and I only know half of it.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Still a bit more to learn, you know, spring chicken.
If you've been in the business for sixty years. But
tell me how you got into being a stock agent
and tell me about your exit.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, I went to beat and Christ when I came home,
and I lived on the West coast, a place called Croninden,
And when I got back there, I started scrub cutting
and my father thought that the last four years. I've
been spent all this money to educate me to become

(01:16):
a scrub cutter. So he got me an interview with
Pinel Guinness Limited John Hamilton, and we had an interviewer
and I got a job at Pinegal Guinness on the
way to New Zealand Athletic Championships Den and Dene so
and when I got back, I fairly had that employed
and so basically I became part of the part of

(01:38):
the Iigel Guinness team.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
You know, so were you Were you a shot putter
back in the day Peter liked Tom Oh, I.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Was, yeah, nothing. I always tell him I was a
bit better than them, but of course he looked up
the records. He's considerably bill them and I was. But
I did win a New Zealand junior title. I think
I became theater third one time in the senior. Uh
the those of the days of Robin Taton and they
sort of people said, anyway, that was just part of

(02:09):
then I went on to play rugby rather than athletics. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Well yeah, if you were a good rugby player back
in those days, the stock firms would normally lap you up.
And you were a good rugby player, too, Peter Walsh,
because you were in that famous nineteen seventy four South
Canterbury side that beat Marlborough for the shield and I
know you had your big fifty three union last year.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's right, yep. No, that was just incredible really to
to be part of that and the rugby history of
South Canoby. Of course the second time we'd won the shield,
but this time we defended it against North of Target
only just and of course Wellington came along and two
or three days later and took it away from us.

(02:51):
But that was a special time and special memories. Of course.
In those days I ran for the shield. He was
the big thing and Marlboro was a terrific side. They
took it off Canaby, which was no mean effort, and
they're famous players, the Marthl's of course, in the Joseph
and that Jimmy Joseph. I make that Jimmy Josh and

(03:13):
he was Mary all black and he should have been
in all black. But he was a great Marlborough marlbur Man.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Of course, the father of Jamie Joseph. There was a
guy Ford on the wing for Marlboro who was quite
useful as well. Hey, And of course he scored the
try and get to take the shield off Canterbury. Talk
to me about sixty years in the stock and station industry,
Peter Walsh. The changes, Ah.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, it was in changes like in all industries is
and it modernized, modernization and that sort of thing. So,
but just recently, of course, over the last five or
teen years has been technology and in the younger generation
coming through, they're really using the technology and you've got

(04:01):
to be and that leaves a few of us old
steps behind, you know. But there again, information availability now
is everything and you know, some very good young farmers
out there, and even though they mightn't have as many
sheep as what the old time has had, their landing
percentages and weights are significantly better than their past is

(04:24):
significantly better. So the efforts are we're producing as much
lam now, there's quite a less numbers of stock, so
that it's down to the farmers themselves producing the goods.
It's it's an exciting game and it's it's the backbone
of the country as we know, Peter.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
The greatest invention for stock agents must have been the
mobile phone.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, that was terrific, terrific than we had those things
that adding a car, so they you knock a donkey
yet whether you them on the heir of it. But
these ones in there, of course a two prong thing,
aren't they If you use them for the right reasons,
they are good. But you see a lot of people
walking around in a trance talking on the phone, and

(05:11):
I don't, and you don't realize how much time they
do take. And you're accessible, of course, And farmers have
got them up the top of the hills somewhere, and
that they can ring you and find out something about
markets or prices or whatever while they're walking along, mastering
and thinking. So now it's technology is a big thing,

(05:35):
and farming practices have improved, no end.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Okay, you started on the first of April nineteen sixty five.
You're going to finish on the first of April twenty
twenty five, sixty years in the stock industry game. What
does retirement mean for you? You're going to be following,
no doubt, your kids time with the shot putting grandchildren,
no doubt.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yes, that's what will be new. The grandkids are coming along,
and I've got a little fan myself, and of course
I can fam away here and fix fences and things
like that, and so I'll have enough to do and
you get to my age, of course, and I think

(06:16):
you've got to accept at that stage that the younger
generation's coming along and just move out of the way
and let them get cracking.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Are you going to make it down to Dunedin to
the Caledonian for the New Zealand Athletics Champs? Of course,
time up against Jacko girl, that's always been a good rivalry.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Ah, yes, that's been there for a long time and
and Jacko's in pretty good form at the moment. Of course,
Tom won twelve or thirty in a round, then Jacko
started to win, so that'll be a rivalry and they
boat who It's great to see New zum with two
world class athletes in one event and absolutely fantastic.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
And to see Homer Shaker an Olympic gold medalist in
a track event or field event, should I say, is
absolutely wonderful. I know Tom's got a couple of bronzes,
but that is magnificent, isn't it. Peter Walsh, Hey, thanks
for your time. You've been a wonderful contributor to the
stock and station industry. You are a legend, especially from
that nineteen seventy four South Canterbury rugby team enjoy retirement.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yeh, there's note ever that thank you very much for
the opportunity to have a chat.