Making the most of a bonus 48 years

It could be said that 86-year-old Bevan Bodmin has enjoyed half his life “on borrowed time” – because at aged 38 he was given just three month’s to live.

“I was told I would probably not last long but I’ve lived to prove cancer is not always the end,” says Bevan, who with wife Jean, owns a kiwifruit orchard near Katikati.

Bevan Bodmin with his new 9095 Landini equal wheel tractor which he says is ideal for orchard work.

“My cancer was in the pituitary gland so I had an immediate operation and then eight weeks of radiotherapy. This knocked me about quite a bit. I still had to milk cows twice a day but rested in between times.”

The surgery and cancer affected Bevan’s hearing but apart from that he has continued to live life to the full, including well past the age when many people retire; and despite having a pacemaker fitted in 2007 to regulate his heart beat.

Jean and Bevan married in 1955, moving into the old house on the Bodmin family farm near Morrinsville, going on to purchase the farm. In 1984 the couple planted two acres of kiwifruit and despite problems with pollination, the orchard’s 1986-87 fruit returned $8 a tray, not that there was a lot of them.

“In 1994 we decided dairy farming was not paying for the money invested and put the farm up for tender, not without a lot of misgiving, because of the family connections,” says Bevan.

The following year Jean and Bevan bought an orchard in Matahui Road, Katikati and called it Hangawera in memory of the former Bodmin dairy farm.

Orchard improvement

Since then they have not only built a home positioned to enjoy the land’s stunning views, and planted an extensive garden, they’ve also made significant orchard improvements.

It’s true to form that Bevan hasn’t let old age stop him working – after all cancer treatment didn’t. Bevan and Jean’s son Ian carries out the orchard management but it’s Bevan who does most of the day to day jobs.

For 13 years he done these with the use of a Landini orchard tractor, until he decided this year to upgrade to the latest model – a 9095 Landini equal wheel tractor from Bay of Plenty Tractors.

“It’s ideal for orchard work as I can select a speed and the tractor will maintain it no matter what the contour, which is what I need for orchard spraying or mowing.”

Rotating station

Bevan has a range of implements he fits to the tractor, including a grader blade so the Landini’s rotating operating station is a bonus.

“It means I can turn the station around and in effect face backward, to see exactly what I’m doing with the grader blade,” says Bevan, who has praise for the service and support he receives from the team at Bay of Plenty Tractors.

Shaun Hurst, sales manager for Bay of Plenty Tractors says the 90 hp, 16 gear Landini 9095 orchard tractor has the power and the low profile Bevan and other orchardist need for working under kiwifruit canopies. The ability to fit a range of implements and turn the operating station around adds flexibility to the tractor’s operations.


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