Thread: Molesworth the beginning

Came across this video on Youtube, thought it might interest a few on here.

Good vid HJ,4600 deer in 6 months good going,no choppers then either.Only fit hunters around in those days.

Watching thunder and lightning rolling around the hills over towards Molesworth right now as I'm cooking dinner ready for my wife to arrive home from work. Impressive thunder and black real black outside.

I was shooting for living up there in 1965/66. I got a lift back up the valley from Blenheim one day by Bill Chisholm and his wife. He was wearing a suit which was most unusual and refused to talk about it when I asked him, then Mrs Chisholm handed me a little cardboard box and said "We are on our way back from Wellington where the Governor-General just presented Bill with this OBE"! "A lot of bloody rot!" said Bill. Good memories from those days. Looking at the pictures of the hills I worked in reminded me that I am far from the lean fit bugger I was back then!

that is a story not often heard...Im 50 and grew up in a hunting and farming family...for sure Ive heard the high deer/chammy/thar/rabbit/goat/pig numbers being blamed for the erosion issues...but that is the first time I can recall seeing a government produced video of the farm stock and slash n burn policies getting a fair share of the blame.
should be compulsory viewing for our current batch of handwringing lefto pinky greeny commie pillicktitions....but unfortunately they would dismiss it as propogander as it doesnt fit the view of world they believe in,other than its all the fault of cows farting.

I thought it underplayed the impact of releasing rabbits for the fur trade. I seem to recall the run holder when realising it hadn't been such a great move took to paying kids in Christchurch to catch cats and ferrets which were shipped up to molesworth and St James for release.
That didn't work so well either.

I poached on there coming in from Quail Flat via the river wire fox. Early 80s, later on in the mid 80s I was back there legit, tuning RF aerials for hut to base coms. Went in from Awatere and out through Hamner that trip. Also got to take my old man through when it opened up to public, was great to finally show him proper 'big country '.

Good video, as mentioned above; the practice of burning wasn’t such a good idea.
Who would have thought that planting pine trees could go so wrong.

Yep the wilding pines are now a major issue over the back.

Epic video, will bring it up with our local council to be shown in our public museum.

1 of my old neighbours was an old boy that helped break Molesworth in. "Dick" Bright was his name.
He had some very cool stories of the place.
He also was selected as an All Black to play against South Africa pre apartheid days. Never got his cap though as he broke his leg the day before the game.

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Yep the wilding pines are now a major issue over the back.

Ringfence it and call it a Carbon Sink, and make shit tons on the carbon market!

"Oh thats right. Pinus Contorta bad, Pinus Radiata good"