Bob Morris reckons he will keep farming as long as his body holds out.
Two hip replacements and a shoulder reconstruction haven't kept the 65-year-old Otago Peninsula farmer from the job he loves on a property that is steeped in family history and set against a spectacular backdrop.
On Saturday night, the Morris family will gather in Lawrence for the New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards, where they will be recognised for the family's 150-year ownership of the land.
That association began with Mr Morris' great-grandfather, Samuel Morris, who came from England with his family in 1858.
His father, Thomas, began a farm and market garden at Highcliff and Samuel obtained land when the Sandymount area was subdivided.
He applied to the Waste Land Board in 1863, just before his 18th birthday, and bought just over 23ha next to Sandfly Bay, 15km east of central Dunedin. He created a dairy farm from standing bush, and more land was later acquired.
Subsequent generations also enlarged the farm. The 1950s saw the transition from cows to sheep. Bob Morris bought the farm in 1978.
It now comprises about 226ha and includes a Hoopers Inlet block.
The sense of family history is something Mr Morris and wife Sharron do not take lightly. ''You think you can never sell the farm,'' he said.
''To that end, you try a bit harder to make things work. You definitely do have that affiliation with the land. It's quite a strong bond, really.''
While the farm boasts a spectacular vista, the steep property was not easy to farm, although it was quite fertile and stock thrived.
There had been difficult years farming through times of high interest rates, low prices and droughts, but they ''managed to persevere and come through the other side''.
Mr Morris said he was still fit enough to handle sheep and he reckoned he had ''a few years yet'' farming.
Modern technology helped, with quad bikes making life easier. Mrs Morris said they were close enough to town but far enough away for peace and quiet.
They had the ''best of both worlds'', her husband added.
It was a true family farm, with the couple's son, Tim, and daughters, Kerryn and Sarah, all helping out in their younger years.
Their six grandchildren all loved visiting and shared an affinity for the farm, they said.
Hopefully, Tim, a Christchurch civil engineer with an interest in water conservation, might buy land from them, continuing the family association.
