The popular Central Otago A&P Show returned to the Omakau Domain on Saturday, where pooches won ribbons, ponies and their riders showcased their talents and stall holders offered their wares.
Stu Ide, of Queenstown, was among them, but his talent was of a different kind.
The retired fire investigator spent the day working from his mobile cart where he engraved names on to tags for the various trophies.
Mr Ide was a watchmaker in the late 1960s, but when watches went digital he moved on to other ventures.
Fast forward about 50 years and Mr Ide is back using his watchmaker’s skills.
It was after lockdown that he decided to launch a mobile engraving business, which he operates from a former coffee cart.
The space was perfect for Mr Ide, but the business has had its challenges, due to a Covid-19 world.
Mr Ide sources tags, similar to dog tags, from overseas, but shipment delays mean he is still waiting for an order to arrive.
He engraves the winners’ names on the tags, which are then placed on the trophies.
Due to the delays Mr Ide has had to source stock from elsewhere.
"It is what it is. You can only do what you can."
The business is proving a success, but if that changed there were always other options, he joked.
"If this doesn’t work I’ll go and sell hotdogs and pancakes."
