2 October 1984 Pat Fox retires

Days when 150 strawberry pickers -  most of them school children -  were at work in the Horticultural Research Area at Lincoln College were recalled by Mr Pat Fox, who retired earlier this month, looking back on his 16 years at the college.

Mr Fox was assistant manager of the horticultural research area, and in recent years has worked mostly with tree fruit.

"Lately I have concentrated on tractor work, mowing and spraying, maintaining apples and peaches," he said.

"When I came here in the first year of the horticultural research area the plan was to grow quick-maturing crops, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants.

"Later tree fruits became more important, and the strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants were phased out,"

Mr Fox has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Zealand; he graduated from Canterbury College in 1945.

Before working at Lincoln College he had worked with the Soil Bureau, and later had a farm near Waimate.

As he puts it: "I got restless with farming, because of the long hours, so I decided to give up and try something else."

So he spent a year in England on a working holiday, where he worked at the internationally-known Rothamsted Experimental Station, just north of London, as a field assistant.

He then joined Lincoln College in 1968 on his return from England.

Mr Fox has watched with interest the development of mechanical harvesting of tree fruit by the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Engineering.

"In my early days here the crops we grew were much more labour intensive," he said.

On the growth of the college during his 16 years there, Mr Fox said this had both good and bad effects.

"There has been a gradual erosion of personal interconnection between the departments, but this was more or less inevitable," he said.

"There used to be a family situation, with people taking interest in other people.

"There is no time for that now; the college has become much more departmentalised."

His decision to retire at 60 had come about partly because of a mild coronary he suffered not so long ago, he said.

He will be spending much more time in the vegetable garden and hopes to make he and his wife self-sufficient in vegetables.

When his wife Frances, who works in the Soil Science department, also retires he will be able to make more plans.

Mr Fox said that he had no single project planned for his retirement; his only intention was to enjoy his retirement.

Later he hopes to become involved in community activities, such as the care of senior citizens.

Mr Fox and his wife have four children, three sons and a daughter, living in different parts of New Zealand, so they are looking forward to seeing more of their grandchildren.