That glowing testimonial is for Southland farmers Mark and Elspeth Thomson who were key drivers behind their community’s recent purchase of the local hall from the council.
"If you don’t find them in the hall cleaning it up for the next users, they will be beavering away behind the scenes managing the finances or organising the next community event."
The Lora Gorge couple are humble folk. Mark is quick to point out he is only "half a cog" and to heap the praise on both his wife and also the community.
The community involvement began with the local hall committee, then the swimming pool committee and local dog trials and "just ballooned from there", he said.
When they moved to farm a 360ha property at Lora Gorge, of which 90ha is native bush, it did not stop. When the local Otapiri and Lora Gorge Hall was at risk of closure, Mark found himself chairing a committee which called a community meeting to gauge interest in retaining the hall.
The meeting agreed it should be kept so a charitable trust was established to buy the hall from the council. Now a rifle range underneath the floor was being resurrected and more functions were planned.
Both Mark and Elspeth have been heavily involved with the Makarewa Headwaters Catchment Group since its inception in 2019 and Mark is co-chairman.
It was something they felt a real connection to as their farm was in the middle of the catchment and they would like to pass it on in better condition than when they bought it, they said.
Mark is also on the Makarewa River liaison committee, an advisory role working with Environment Southland providing advice around certain aspects of the catchment.
"All of these things, it’s the people contact. The people are all a bit like us ... it’s a privilege to be on these committees and do that stuff," he said.
Mark is heavily involved in rugby and the Drummond-Limehills Star club, working his way through the ranks, and he is a central Southland representative on the Rugby Southland advisory committee.
Mark and Elspeth were recently key instigators of the maintenance and repainting of the Kauana Anzac memorial which sits on the boundary of their property.
The couple have been transitioning into a dairy support model and their nomination said they were doing a "fantastic job" minimising soil impact from dairy grazers, focusing heavily on good management practices and their cropping techniques.
They were also passionate about protecting the native bush on their property and had been working closely with the local QEII representative.
The couple, who have two children — Lachlan, who is studying mechanical engineering at Ara Institute of Canterbury, and Emily, who is studying agriculture at Lincoln — were keen to explore agri-tourism.
Those visiting the farm were "just blown" away by picturesque it was, and there was also plenty of birdlife alongside the scenery.
— Sally Rae
