Douglas calls it a day
After 25 years of dedicated service to Federated Farmers and the farming community Bob Douglas is calling it a day. Samesh Mohanlall reports.
When Federated Farmers stalwart Bob Douglas started working with the organisation 25 years ago he could not have imagined the evolution he would witness in the farming landscape.
Douglas reflected on the biggest changes and the roles he held as he prepares for the start of his retirement years next week.
But it won’t a be a complete retirement from duty initially, with Douglas expected to continue in a consultancy role for the forseeable future so he can impart his knowledge and experience to those who will follow him.
For the long-standing Federated Farmers regional policy advisor, former executive secretary and farming community staff member at both regional and national levels, rubbing shoulders with those in New Zealand’s corridors of power to having a yarn with a farm labourer was all in a days work and the UK-born South Cantabrian said he will miss every moment of it.
‘‘One of the benefits of the job was that I got a chance to work with everybody from Ministers of the Crown to farm labourers so through the whole spectrum.
‘‘There was a lot of job satisfaction in it. I will miss being able to be a part of decision making and the primary production is still the mainstay of the country’s economy and you just get the feeling that I’m helping,’’ Douglas said.
‘‘On the other hand it’s time for someone else to take over, 25 years of hard negotiation and sometimes you think that’s it I’ve done my bit, somebody else can take over now.’’
The 76-year-old was hired on January 23, 1995, as a secretary in a job that involved a ‘‘little more than just taking notes’’.
Douglas answered a South Canterbury Federated Farmers advertisement seeking someone who had experience in communication and getting out the message about what farmers were doing out.
He credits The Timaru Herald and Farmer’s Weekly for helping him land the job at Federated Farmers.
‘‘I did work for South Canterbury Electric Power Board which is now Alpine Energy and was involved in their communications. There were changes going on in the electricity industry at the time and I didn’t look all that secure so I looked around and for about two years I did quite a bit of freelance writing for the High Country Herald, which was a weekly The Timaru Herald put out.
‘‘I also got quite involved with Farmer’s Weekly, writing about three or four articles a week and
having a few years’ experience in farming publications held sway.’’
Douglas counts the transformation of the national organisation and changes in biosecurity and pest control among the highlights of his days with the organisation.
The transformation of Federated Farmers into a better organised centralised body began in about 1998 when about 24 autonomous provinces were experiencing differing fortunes.
‘‘About 1998, Federated Farmers restructured. There were 23 or 24 provinces all having their own secretary and own field office, and
Retiring Federated Farmers secretary Bob Douglas
this, that and the other.
‘‘It was quite isolated provincially. Some were working okay and some were struggling so the national board thought it would be better to put all the staff together under the one umbrella to help each other when needed.’’
The national board brought all its staff together under one united organisation and Douglas’ job evolved into a national one.
‘‘What happened at that stage was that I became a little more widespread. My job morphed out into more countrywide things that
included the high country and handling resource management stuff and at one stage looking after the whole of the meat and fibre section in New Zealand.
‘‘I became the manager of the bees, the goats and the country and some of that experience I managed to use in South Canterbury. It was just a matter of what I picked up.’’
Douglas remembers his achievements fondly, especially working with biosecurity work in the high country.
The highlights include his contributions to pest control including work on wilding conifers in 2013, rabbits and his recent ‘‘swansong’’ with wallabies.
‘‘One way or the other projects that I worked with have got national programmes now, but wilding conifers in particular has a big national programme . . . now.
His work in helping farmers get funding to help with rabbit infestation also brought him satisfaction after the Government decided to take its share of the responsibility.
‘‘At one of the committee meetings of the high country one of the members brought up the issue his neighbour was spending $100,000 a year on rabbit control and he wasn’t winning.
‘‘We then went and did some door knocking in Parliament. David Carter was the Biosecurity Minister at the time. He actually looked into the whole thing and decided the Government wasn’t paying its fair share.
‘‘It got a national review of how, nationally, pest management is organised. It got changes to the Biosecurity Act which brought a rule which says if the regional council wants the Crown to pay for pest management then the Crown must pay.’’
Douglas believes farmers receive unfair criticism and don’t get enough recognition for the work they do to protect the environment.
‘‘The amount of land that farmers have given back to the Queen Elizabeth Trust is equivalent to three times the size of our national parks.
‘‘The theory that farmers are land vandals can be disproved by the fact . . . I find that 99 per cent are quite happy to protect the environment as long as its not going to ruin their business.’’
Working with farmers regarding biosecurity is probably like working with anybody else, he said.
Douglas was awarded the Federated Farmers provincial service award last year for his services as South Canterbury’s provincial secretary and treasurer.
The award recognises the unsung heroes of the provinces who, year after year, decade after decade, have contributed to the smooth running of the province and provided outstanding service.
Douglas said he planned to work on his three acres in Otipua, play some golf and travel with his wife Marilyn during his retirement.
‘‘We’ll see how things go, but first while the weather is reasonable I’ll get things done around the home.’’
Former Federated Farmers national president Tom Lambie hired Douglas in both the South Canterbury and national Federated Farmers fold.
‘‘One of the main positives was that Bob brought a different background to Federated Farmers from what we were doing and the critical thing we were looking for was someone who could articulate and put on paper what the farming community was trying to express and provide that professional support. Bob certainly did that.’’
Douglas was always open to new ideas, trying out new strategies and had tremendous work and organisational skills with the ability to attract new people, Lambie said.
‘‘We were blessed at the end of the day with Bob’s skills as he was able to plan anything, provide the support the locals were needing but at the same time fulfilling a national role, particularly in the high country.
‘‘Testimony to Bob is that he had been under the employment of Federated Farmers for such a long time. He’s been extremely adaptable, he changed with the structure and been able to fulfil every role that he’s been in.’’
Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Jason Grant said Douglas had made an amazing contribution to the organisation and would be missed despite agreeing to stay on in a part-time role.
‘‘He’s been an asset to the organisation with his knowledge and understanding of issues and he’s been a champion for farmers around the country, especially in the high country which was his latest profile.
‘‘His valued knowledge and skills will be missed. He is going to stay on and help out South Canterbury province as executive secretary which will be really valued. We wish him all the best in his senior retirement.’’
‘‘. . . it’s time for someone else to take over, 25 years of hard negotiation and sometimes you think that’s it I’ve done my bit, somebody else can take over now.’’