The Country 09/06/26: Shane McManaway talks to Jamie Mackay

A high-profile Wairarapa farmer, health advocate, and celebrated philanthropist, reflects on 47 years of attending Fieldays.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
One sleep to go. We're off the field days this savo.
See you there tomorrow at the farmland site. One man
who won't be there is Shane mcmanoy. He wears many
hats in a pass life. He was the chief executive
of all Flex. Shane, you've racked up forty seven years
of field days. That's not a bad effort, no, Jamie.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
That's sort of Shane my age. That is for sure.
I had some great, great times there, Jamie. And the
memories that a few of the memories. I just was
thinking about the last few days. You know. Back in
the back in the day there, there there were so
many people that looked like a lot of people, probably
about half of what goes there now. But there was
mud everywhere, cars stuck in car parks at some of them.

(00:38):
But there were companies there back in the day that
really sort of showed the way in turns to how
that merchandise and market stuff in big marquees. One of
those was mon Sando when they launched Roundup, had a
huge marquee there. I remember the magnificent Peter desbro from
down yourway, Jamie. He was the top rep for Monsando
back in those days, selling two hundred lea. The drums
have round up like they were selling candy, and they

(01:01):
had these huge diesel burning heaters in the tent to
try and keep people warm. It was certainly freezing cold,
and they had a wee bit of an issue there
with the heaters because the men to be talking to
Desbra and various other people in the tent about the roundup,
and the woman would back up to the heaters, and
I think they had a couple of situations where the
pandy hose caught on fire because the backside's got a
wee bit too hot there. And I remember, Jamie one

(01:24):
particular memory. There was many, but one. There were banks
trying to sell money at twenty two percent interest by
men mainly in Baroni Italian classic power suits with red
band gun boots on. It was how things have changed,
and tracked the salesman trying to sell all the virtues
of cabs on tractors. But ye know, there was some
great times there, Jamien. One just to finish on which

(01:46):
has never left me, There was a company called Elders
that came into New Zealand to set up a stock
and station company and they had a huge balloon over
the tent over their marquee, saying where the eldest tent was. Well,
some bright spark or not such a bright spark untied
the rope on this mess of balloon and it was
free roaming around Hamilton. Unfortunately it roamed into the Hamilton

(02:07):
Airport space and closed the airport. I believe it was
found in a paddock in Morainsville a couple of days later.
But yeah, no, come a long way, Jamie. Now with
all the technology that will be there this week, most
of it connected to the cloud, and just incredible how
we've moved so far forward and forty eight years.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
I reckon that'd be Graham Smith and the Scalagher days
untying the balloon. I wouldn't put it past him. Hey, look,
I just want to pick up on a comments you made,
and you're probably unaware of this, and I only found
out just recently. You talked about the great Peter desbra
and he was a legend in Monsanto with round up. Unfortunately,
Peter passed away recently after a period of illness, and

(02:48):
he's just a great bloke and there wouldn't be many
farms and the bottom half of the South Island where
he didn't drive down their gate and give people free,
free advice on pasture renovation. So a true champion bloke,
he's gone, hey Shane today. Are you promised that you'd
be home by the sea or near the sea so
you could give me an update on these giant waves

(03:10):
at the bottom of the South Island.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, Jamie. The trucking company rung up and said they
wanted to pick up a mob of deer and that
got on the road to me getting down to the
beach side. But i'd farmer friends not too far from
here that are right on the coast, pretty wild and
mory down there, Jamie. I think there's sort of between
ten and eleven meter waves starting to come in on
the coastline, pretty exposed down there around Cape Palace or

(03:33):
I see the roads closed between basically the Lake Ferry
down to Nawi for anybody that knows the area, and
it's going to be closed for a couple of days
at least by the look of it, would be huge
dammagin and around there because it's already suffering badly from
previous storms. This seems like one out of the bloody box,
this one eleven meter wave, Jamie, wouldn't want to be
out there in a boat.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Hey, just quickly finish on. How's the wire apple looking?
I've got like thirty seconds.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Good, Jamie, Yeah, good. Where it's a bit raveraged, but
ben mild grass is still growing, although it slowed up.
But no, we're in pretty good order. We're okay.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Hey, good on you, and thanks for sharing those wonderful
memories of field days, forty seven years of them. I
can't believe you're not going, Shane, but I know you're
a very, very busy man. And thank you for reminding
me to mention Peter desber an absolute legend. Rest in peace, Peace,
Peter desbra Shane mcmanuay, thanks for your time.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, thank you, Jamie,