They have sold their 500ha sheep, beef and deer farm Kuriwao Downs, about 40km east of Gore.
A recent dispersal sale included Perendale ewes fetching between $184 and $242 each, Cheviot ewes between $212 and $226 each and Cheviot lambs between $210 and $245 each.
The sale ended more than a century of the family farming the land.
‘‘It is a beautiful property,’’ David Mackie said.
A reason for selling Kuriwao Downs was due to their grandchildren forging careers outside of farming.
Mr Mackie, 86, and his wife Ailsa, 84, would remain living in the homestead on the farm.
Many memories, good and bad, were made in the homestead.
‘‘There’s a fair bit of history here,’’ Mr Mackie said.
A good memory was his time spent cladding the interior and exterior walls of the homestead while listening to a Neil Diamond record on repeat.
‘‘I did it all to Hot August Night,’’ he laughed.
A bad memory was battling interest rates rising to more than 20% in the 1980s and a drought biting in the 1990s.
‘‘You could see a mouse running across a paddock from here to Lawrence - that’s how bad it was.’’
A bank manager visited the homestead, seeking money and threatening to stop a guarantee on their mortgage.
Clinton would always be home, he said.
‘‘Why would we want to move?’’
Mrs Mackie has never lived anywhere else than on Kuriwao Downs.
She met her future husband when they were both pupils at Clinton Primary School.
The farm sale had been hard, she said.
Her father, George Copland, was 26 when he bought the more than 3500ha sheep farm in 1919.
The farm was then called Kuriwao Estate.
Her father and mother Mary ‘‘Molly’’ Copland spent the next 50 years on the farm, raising seven children — Guthrie, Betty, Loris, Margaret, Rosalie, Ailsa and Ivy.
At a family reunion in 2020 to celebrate 100 years of family ownership of Kuriwao Downs, Rosalie’s ashes were scattered on the farm as a piper played.
Kuriwao Estate got smaller as blocks were sold to children and neighbours.
George Copland retired in 1974, age 79.
He and Molly moved to Waimate and both now lie in the family cemetery in Chertsey.
The Mackies raised five children -Brent, Copland, Jane, Rachel and Arthur.
Arthur died, age 16, after his gun accidentally discharged when rabbit hunting on the farm.
Rachel died from cancer, age 29.
An oak tree on the farm was planted in her memory, David said.
‘‘All sentimental stuff and that’s why we are staying put.’’
David introduced red deer to Kuriwao Downs in 1973.
‘‘I was the first to start in South Otago.’’
The dining room in the homestead features chandeliers David made from deer antlers.
Other items of his art on the farm includes life-size statues of deer, sheep and a dog.
David created the five Clydesdale statues, which stand in central Clinton.
He was a councillor on Clutha District Council for nine years.
He and his wife Jo ran the farm, with support from his brother Copland.
Brent was pleased a South Otago farmer had bought Kuriwao Downs and would continue to run livestock on it rather than cover it in forestry.
Brent said he realised it was time to consider moving on from Kuriwao Downs about three years ago.
‘‘You run yourself ragged. Farm stress never ends.’’
Farming was not for the faint-hearted, he said.
A lack of holidays was a part of farming on Kuriwao Downs he would not miss.
Jo said in the past 16 years, she could count the number of holidays her husband had taken on one hand.
Brent said they were investigating launching a service where they could look after a southern farm so a farmer was able to take a much-needed break.
‘‘I’ll keep the farm going and do everything that needs to be done.’’
Jo said they were looking at buying a caravan to live in while working on farms.
‘‘There was no-one like that for us and that’s all we needed, probably six weeks off to have a bit of a break,’’ Jo said.
Brent sold most of the Angus cattle on Kuriwao Downs before winter last year.
‘‘The deer, with fawns at foot, were sold by an agent and left the farm last month.
About 400m of deer fencing remains under macrocarpa and pine trees, toppled in the wind event in October last year.
Due to the damaged fences, young deer, which had just been weaned, were sold after the storm.
Brent and Jo would remain on the farm until June and then move to a new property in North Otago.
They would leave with fond memories of living in Clinton and the community, Brent said.
‘‘I’m sad to be leaving this area.’’
His fond memories include being a primary school pupil and driving a truck on Kuriwao Downs with his teacher lending a hand, standing on the deck feeding out.
Brent was a councillor on Clutha District Council for three years.
He is the current chief of the Clinton Fire Brigade and has been a member since the 1980s.
‘‘My identity is in this area.’’
