Former Clutha District mayor Bryan Cadogan had only been in formal retirement for 10 days when he found himself in his Balclutha bedroom, vacuum cleaner in hand, scratching his head in humorous bewilderment.
Having held the mayoral chains for the past 15 years, and serving a further nine on council preceding that, he could not recall once having vacuumed the bedroom during that time, although he now appeared to be approaching the task with unlikely enthusiasm, he said.
"I thought to myself, ‘just over a week and you’re bored sideways. It’s time to get a job’."
A few days later he was back in harness, managing an 80ha cherry orchard in Cromwell.
"It’s great. I’m overseeing about 400 pickers and, in theory, doing a few mechanicals on the side. Although, as anyone who knows me will tell you, that side of things could be bit of a learning curve."
The former shearer, farmer, real estate agent and retailer said he had planned to take some time off for gardening and "rest and recreation" this spring, before heading to Queensland to visit family during the summer.
However, his "gregarious" nature quickly overcame him.
"In my mind I was prepared for it. I’d talked to others who’d undergone the same transition but, when you’re sitting at home and the weather’s stink, it gets pretty quiet pretty quick.
"Then, before you know it, you’re luxing the bedroom."
He said he and wife of 44 years Allyson were still considering how they might spend their time once she had joined him in retirement.
However, he was eager to contribute to local good causes as a volunteer in the meantime.
"I love vege gardening and I want to use that to supply the foodbank — your pumpkins, spuds, those sort of things.
"I had everything lined up last week and then the storm hit and tore my poly-tunnel to shreds, but we’re getting there."
Having overseen a civic transformation of Balclutha, and set the wheels in motion for an overhaul of Milton’s civic spaces, he was "proud" of the changes wrought in the district since he entered public service in 1998, Mr Cadogan said.
"You can’t rely on ‘trickle-down’ [economics] to lift society. You have to lift things from their base, and the council’s living and working strategy continues to bear fruit in that respect.
"We’ve helped get 850 local people into jobs over the years, through Jobbortunities and other initiatives. And working with community champions, we’ve refreshed and added amenities and public facilities like the new Balclutha hub, new parks, new toilets and now an amazing new pool and library for Milton.
"Taken together, we’ve helped turn around a long-standing trend of outwards migration of the young and energetic, to boosting local populations, and placing Clutha in an economic position that’s balking the national trend during very challenging times."
He said he looked forward to "being a fly on the wall" with the new council, led by his replacement, Jock Martin.
"There are so many critical things that are happening. There has to be a recalibration. Three Waters has swamped all councils with a huge financial burden and now the trick is going to be how we keep the district moving forward under new conditions.
"So I wish them well. It was an immense privilege and the privilege now is to support the next group.
"I’m taking away happy memories."
