Farm lease ‘end of an era’ for family

Phillip Hunt and Lizzie Carruthers relax before the auction of about 3000 lambs at a clearing sale on their farm near Clinton last week.

The landscape is set to change on a Clutha farm.

Lizzie Carruthers and Phillip Hunt, of Wanaka, have sold the sheep on their nearly 690ha farm, about 12km northeast of Clinton.

The farm, named Mt Joy, had been leased to the Roy family, of Glen Islay Station, for cropping.

PGG Wrightson agent Chris Swale auctions a pen of store lambs at a clearing sale on Mt Joy farm last week.

The landscape would change, Mrs Carruthers said.

"We should take a before and after photo at the top of the hill," she said to a stock agent at a clearing sale on the farm last week.

More than 4000 ewes, 1000 ewe lambs and some rams were auctioned on farm earlier in the month, and another 3000 store lambs were auctioned last week.

Store lambs wait to be auctioned at a clearing sale at Mt Joy farm near Clinton last week. PHOTOS: SHAWN MCAVINUE

The sale of the capital stock stirred more emotions than the lambs, which were always destined to leave the farm, she said.

The decision to lease the farm followed the death of her father, Meyrick, last year, who lived and worked on the farm.

Mrs Carruthers said the history on the farm spanned four generations of her family and the sale of the sheep was the ‘‘end of an era’’.

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