Rather than installing curtains in his bedroom, he took a tractor and built "a little bund" outside his bedroom to block the light.
For Mr Monk (63), who has been a part-time resident since he wore "the triangular trousers" and a full-time resident and farmer since 1964, that street light indicated times were changing.
Although Mr Monk's grandmother was born at Arthurs Point, he was born and raised in Invercargill, attending Southland Boys High School, before moving to Arrowtown with his family when his father bought a 260ha farm.
The farm encompassed most of the area now bounded by McDonnell Rd, Hogans Gully Rd and Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Rd - including all the land now owned by Michael Hill and known as The Hills golf course.
Initially, the Monk family farmed sheep, cattle and deer, with Mr Monk taking over the farm from his father and later adding on land now owned by Mt Soho and Wentworth Station.
Now, Mr Monk considers himself a "part-time farmer", with 40ha of land used to farm cattle and 12 sheep.
"I've gone from 12,000 sheep to 12. I don't have enough land around there now for it ever to be considered an economic unit. I'm farming it because I still like farming and to keep it under control and to keep it tidy."
When Mr Monk first moved to Arrowtown it was considered the rural area of the district, he said.
"Arrowtown was a quaint little place. It was two general stores, two garages - both serving petrol - two pubs, the Gold Nugget, which was in the same place then as it is now.
"There were other buildings there, but I don't know what they were used for.
"It was probably a service town for the local farmers and the cribbies. You hardly ever saw tourists then. If you did you'd say, `What are those people doing here? Go away'.
"You could shoot a bullet down the main street and you wouldn't hit anybody or anything.
"Now, its main function is as a tourist town."
Living on the McDonnell Rd Homestead, which is almost directly opposite the entrance to The Hills, Mr Monk said the appearance of the street light one night was a sign "suburbia" was on its way.
However, rather than fighting the growth in the town, Mr Monk has not only accepted it, but is encouraging it in a "controlled" way, through the Arrowtown South private plan change (39), which is still open for submissions.
He is one of a group comprising four other landowners hoping to get the plan change approved and pave the way for up to 215 homes in 17 "distinct neighbourhoods", walking and cycling tracks, a wetland area, a small "village area" and a child-care centre on the 31ha site.
Of the total area, 17ha is proposed for residential development, 12.4ha would be set aside for open spaces and 0.8ha would be used for the village area.
"Things change. There is nothing surer than change.
"You can either get on board with it and make it happen in a way that you want it to happen . . . [or] you tend to get ad hoc growth, which I don't think people want.
"I just have this idea in my head that I'd like to build a quality subdivision that I will be proud of, my kids will be proud of and my grandkids will be proud of."
Mr Monk said the area of land proposed for Arrowtown South was a "natural progression", which provided for growth within the town's natural boundaries.
"It's a piece of land you can do a lot of stuff with and that we intend to do a lot of stuff with.
"We have got to allow for growth.
"I'm certainly not doing it for the money. I think by the time the [project is finished] I will be taking my food through a straw."
An open day held last year attracted about 100 people, the majority of whom "can see that it's quite a logical thing to happen".
However, there were always going to be people opposed to the subdivision, he said.
"I always thought there would be a reaction from people who don't see it my way.
"They are entitled to see it differently, that's fine [but] we're being totally up front and open about the whole thing.
"We have tried to put it all in front of people.
"If they care to read . . . the website, they can find everything they want to find in there, and we're only too happy to talk to them about aspects of it."
Arguably, the most important element of the proposed subdivision was the inclusion of the child-care facility and the "village", which would be the "heart" of the development.
As houses were built and demand increased, the cafe-restaurant, convenience store and child-care centre would be established.
"This thing is a work in progress.
"It's going to be some years down the track before certain things happen.
"The day-care centre is a very important part . . . We've got interest in that now, for someone to run it.
"I'm a father and grandfather five times over; I realise the facilities that people need.
"It's very important to the area."
Mr Monk said there was "quite a bit" of misinformation about Arrowtown South.
For example, that the existing infrastructure would not cope with a development of that size.
However, there was no evidence to suggest that would be the case, he said.
"The infrastructure will cope.
"We've employed probably some of the best consultants. They have been out there, looked at all the figures and the infrastructure will cope.
"There will need to be upgrades of things like pumps, the cost of which will be borne by us.
"Nothing falls on the ratepayer."
He said the subdivision would also not affect the historic area of the town, with Arrowtown South also including some historic elements, which would be retained and become the focal point of the development.
"The hardest message [to get across] is that we will actually do what we say we're going to do.
"Without having it written in black and white and signed by a lawyer, we are going to do it.
"If the demand is still there for the day-care centre [when Arrowtown South progresses to that point], it's certainly a priority."
