LIVING THE SWEET LIFE
Meet the cane farmer who has been doing the job for 80 years but still has no intention of retiring
I’VE SEEN SO MUCH IN MY 95 YEARS, FROM HORSE AND WAGON TO ALL THESE FANCY NEW CARS
FARMER RONALD HUTH
RONALD Huth has been a sugar cane farmer for 80 years and, still, life is sweet.
The Beenleigh man celebrated his 95th birthday last month and says he has no intention of quitting the only job he has had since age 16.
Mr Huth started farming after high school.
“I’ve seen so much in my 95 years, from horse and wagon to all these fancy new cars,” he said. “Back then, they cut sugar cane by hand with a huge cane knife and did most farming walking behind horse and wagon.
“It was a different world. You milked the cows then had breakfast, then back to work then lunch, then milk the cows at dusk, seven days a week.”
But he still found time to let loose with his mates.
“Saturday nights were always spent at a dance and meeting your mates for a beer.”
After being denied entry to the Army because he had only one kidney after a childhood injury, Mr Huth decided he was destined to continue his farm work.
“It was very physical. I am still farming but all the tractors make life on the farm much easier these days. We were the first in the area to get an airconditioned tractor and in the early days we farmed mainly small crops such as Arrowroot and had many cows.
“We sent cream to the Kingston Butter Factory and milk and ice cream to Pauls Milk. Eventually we became more inclined to concentrate on sugar cane and now we just have a few cows as pets.”
Mr Huth met his sweetheart, Patricia, during World War II, going to great lengths to woo and eventually marry her.
“I met a nice young girl at the local shop where she sold me chocolate and cigarettes during the war. She was 19 and I was 24. I ended up chasing her all over Queensland as her family moved a lot.”
The lovers married in 1951 and had two boys, Roger and Anthony.
“My youngest son Anthony took over the family farm and is still farming sugar cane with my grandson Justin Huth.”
Mr Huth has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, but sadly his wife passed away before seeing the great-grandchildren grow up.
He still goes out everyday for a walk in his garden and has an exercise bike on his patio to keep fit.
Mr Huth celebrated his 95th birthday with all his “new generations” of loved ones that he is “very proud of”.
“I want to just enjoy one day at a time,” he said, adding he hopes to get a letter from the Queen when he turns 100.