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An estimated 550 people gathered at the Ranfurly Hall in Kaipara Flats on August 17 to farewell livestock agent Selwyn Rodgers.
In one of the largest funeral services seen in the district for some time, family, friends, clients and colleagues paid tribute to a man who was described as a born stockman and storyteller.
And there was no mistaking that the funeral was for a man of the land – the casket carried a sticker advertising the next Warkworth Rodeo, the hearse was a dust-covered twin-cab ute, some of the pall bearers wore redbands, the Warkworth Rodeo Club formed a guard of honour and the casket entered and left the hall to the strains of The Boys From the Bush and The Auctioneer.
Long time friend Al Mason, who officiated at the service, said the crowded hall and carpark was testimony to a man held in high esteem by the community.
Selwyn Noel Thomas Rodgers grew up in Strafford, Taranaki, the third son of a sheep and dairy farmer.
He showed a love of horses and farming from a young age, competing in local pony club and gymkhana events. He used to ride his horse to school, and started draughting and loading cattle at the nearby saleyards and railway siding while still a student.
After primary school, he attended the Francis Douglas Boarding School in New Plymouth, where he soon realised he was never going to be an All Black so turned instead to a career in farming.
His first job, at 15, was on the family farm where he was milking cows, shearing sheep and docking calves. By his early twenties, he was driving for Douglas Transport, where Whenna (Lynne), the daughter of the opposition transport business boss, caught his eye. The couple recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary and Whenna was described at the funeral as “the love of his life”.
The family, which soon included son Tony and later Rochelle (Roie), moved north when Selwyn was offered a job with North Auckland Farmers in Warkworth. During his 46-year long career as a stock agent in Rodney, Selwyn only ever worked for one company – although its name changed many times due to acquisitions and mergers, eventually becoming Carrfields.
Fourteen years ago, he realised a life-time dream of owning a farm when he purchased 404 hectares in the Kaipara Hills, which is managed by Tony and his partner Krista.
Speaking at the service, Tony said it was only in later life that he realised how hard his father had worked to provide for his family, although he wasn’t sure if this included the frequent “canvassing” he had done in the pub.
“Dad came from an era when things were black and white, not grey, and we knew the rules,” he said. “On life, his advice was just harden up and get on with it; on gardening, don’t plant anything you can’t eat; on work, if you are going to party hard, you have to work hard; on tools, you only need a hammer and a pocket-knife; duck shooting, if there’s lead in the air, there’s hope; on mates, have plenty; on the dole, get a job; on people and clients, treat them how you would like to be treated and give them a chance.
“He will leave a big hole in our small family, especially for the grandkids. But the memories and stories will make it easy to remember what a good bugger he was.”
Selwyn was a life member of the Warkworth Rodeo Club and club member Henry Fletcher said Selwyn could always be relied on to lend a hand when needed.
He recounted with amusement the antics that they had all got up to during the two days that it used to take to drive the cattle from Araparera to the showgrounds for the annual rodeo, the ‘wild cow’ milking events and the duck shooting season when Selwyn brought in an emu.
“There were always lots of laughs and Selwyn was generous to a fault,” Henry said.
Former school friend John Howse said Selwyn was ‘a good bloke’ and in his book, there was no greater honour than that.
“He started with nothing, but got to where he wanted to be through sheer hard work.”
Other speakers at the funeral included Selwyn’s brother Murray, grand-daughter Ella, colleague Ross Nicholls and former employer Stu Chapman.
Selwyn died of heart complications at Auckland Hospital after collapsing at the Wellsford saleyards. He is survived by his wife Whenna, children Tony and Rochelle, and grandchildren Ella, Jack, Baxter and Lily.
