Mentor contributed to agricultural industry
MURRAY Stockdill will be remembered for his contribution to agriculture and the Palmerston community.
He died in Timaru on August 12, aged 94.
Among other things, he researched and promoted the beneficial effects of earthworms on pasture. His expertise was recognised widely, and he was even invited to Australia to give advice.
Mr Stockdill was involved in developing machines to cut and spread turf, containing worms, to wormfree areas. He wrote many scholarly articles about earthworms, particularly the species allolobophora caliginosa.
His research also included trace element trials, especially molybdenum, which dramatically improved pasture growth, while he discovered grass grubs with a twoyear life cycle at Macraes Flat — something that had not been seen before.
Mr Stockdill had a big input into the Palmerston young farmers group, and he enjoyed mentoring many inexperienced farmers new to farming.
He was instrumental in establishing a weather station in Palmerston, and also served on the Noxious Weeds Committee for many years.
Mr Stockdill was on the Palmerston District High School committee for several years, and later the East Otago High School board. He was a keen advocate of the change to a Form 17 school at Palmerston, having spent many hours researching the options. He also spent a lot of time negotiating the change with the other schools in the area.
While on the Palmerston District High School committee, he was heavily involved in instigating, and collating and printing, the school newsletter, Puketapu.
He recently donated his collection of these newsletters to the Palmerston Public Library.
He spent time helping run evening sports, an athletics group for Palmerston primary children.
Later, he was on the committee that arranged for the sports hall to be shifted from Roxburgh hydro village to Palmerston. While many in the Palmerston community were less than supportive, the sports hall has proven over many years to be an asset to the community and sports clubs.
Samuel Murray Jack Stockdill was born at Mataipuke, near Rangitata, on June 11, 1925, the middle child of three to Haras and Irene Stockdill.
The family shifted to Amberley when he was an infant. He was homeschooled by his mother with lessons from the correspondence school, and attended Rangiora High School for his secondary education. He worked at Kowhai County Council on leaving school before going to Lincoln College in 194445, studying for a Diploma of Agriculture.
As his father had sold his farm, Mr Stockdill joined the Department of Agriculture with postings to Oamaru, Wellington, Dunedin and, in 1957, to Palmerston.
He had always wanted a farm of his own and wasn’t ready to retire. In his retirement, aged 65, he went farming at Waihao Forks for 13 years before shifting to Timaru.
He enjoyed his time farming and continued to contribute to local farm discussion groups.
His wife Brenda was a strong support to him at home and on the farm. In earlier years with the Department of Agriculture, when he was required to prepare talks and travel to Dunedin to present them on the radio, she also helped with his typing.
Mr Stockdill was the loved husband of the late Brenda for 65 years, and he is survived by Peter and Lineni Stockdill (Perth), Linda and Les McCracken (Ashburton), Barbara and Kevin O’Connell (Timaru), five grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. — Bill Campbell