A function was recently held to farewell Mr Bissett, whose career at Clutha Vets eventually spanned 38 years.
He and his wife, Julien, are now living in Wanaka, where he will continue to work part-time for Aspiring Vets.
Originally a "city boy" from Christchurch, Mr Bissett had always been interested in farming and, after finishing secondary school, he went to Lincoln to do an agricultural degree.
He became particularly interested in animal science and, at the end of his third year, decided to go to Massey University to study veterinary science.
He graduated at the end of 1973 and started work in Balclutha on January 9, 1974, having never previously been to South Otago.
After getting married at the end of Mr Bisset's final year at Massey, the couple arrived "in a roaring sou'westerly", he recalled.
Mr Bissett spent the first 12 months working in Balclutha before heading to Milton, where he worked as the sole vet, before returning to Balclutha in 1984 to take on the chief executive's role.
The start of his veterinary career was a "fairly big learning curve" for the young vet. "It was always a challenge in those days. No day was ever the same," he recalled.
He dealt with everything from cats and dogs to sheep, cattle and deer in the mixed general practice.
He enjoyed the time working on his own - "you get the bouquets, you get the brickbats as well; you have to deal with both" - and developing relationships with clients, for whom he was their only vet.
While he had always enjoyed working with animals, the "people" aspect of the job was probably as enjoyable, Mr Bissett said.
When he retired from the chief executive's job about three years ago and moved on to part-time employment as a "coal-face vet again", he realised how nice it was to be dealing with people again. It also made him realise the veterinary profession was as much about people as animals.
It took him a while to "become" a chief executive - "I still wanted to be an Indian" - and he spent most of his time in the office "pushing paper", but was still able to fill in any gaps when required.
Mr Bissett, whose skill areas include laparoscopic artificial insemination in sheep and goats, and orthopaedic surgery, had seen immense changes both in his profession and in the agricultural industry.
There had been the expansion of the dairy industry and increase in herd sizes, and sheep farmers had made huge gains over the years.
They had been "hammered" in terms of markets but continued to "peck away" and make improvements.
There were now some very good sheep and only in the past few years had sheep farmers been rewarded and he hoped those rewards would continue for them.
The introduction of farmed deer meant vets had to learn how to handle the animals. Deer farmers, along with scientists, had been "incredibly dedicated" in what was a small farming sector.
When he started at Clutha Vets, there were five full-time vets, the number later dropping to three, before slowly building up again.
The business now employed well over 30 staff, including about 18 vets, he said.
Mr Bissett was full of praise for the support of his wife and family, saying a vet's wife was part of the workforce after hours.
"I always say I'm very lucky to have a wife still," he joked.
Both his children grew up with the job as well - both were chased by cows as preschoolers - and played their role as vet nurses, helping their father when required.
Mr Bissett got involved in the South Otago community, including with sporting and school groups, and also the veterinary industry.
He was involved with the club practice branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, served on the board of the NZVA and became involved with the Clutha Agricultural Development Board.
Clutha Vets always got involved "with the bigger-picture stuff" and saw the importance of the board for the district and for farming and "got right behind it".
Clutha Vets, which had been a farmer-owned vet club since 1947, had always been part of the community.
It had also always been prepared to try new things.
It was probably one of the first practices to employ vet technicians and was also one of the early movers in animal-health retail sales.
The longest-serving staff member at Clutha Vets, Mr Bissett said he always treated it as his own business.
It was also very important the staff were happy.
He also felt a responsibility to the community, to make sure the practice provided the service that was required.
Leaving Clutha Vets was the end of an era and he would miss the work environment and the people, he said.
But he and his wife were also looking forward to a new chapter in their lives and getting involved in the Upper Clutha community.