Six months after his dad bought him the farm, he and Joan were married. Farming did not go too well with singing so Rick had limited success but they joined the Otamatea Repertory Theatre, which had begun in 1955, and got involved in play readings.
"Betty Shepherd from Ruawai wanted to do a musical. She spotted Joan and me as leads and that's how we got started in about 1967. We did about five musicals with Betty and then when she moved to Whakatane, Lachie McLean from Waipu showed an interest in being a director. He kept on for the next 20 years."
Rick and Joan joined another group, The Maungaturoto Entertainment Group, as well as the Whakapirau Cruising Club and the PTA as their two daughters began school.
"I had chairmanship of the four different groups for a while and Otamatea Rep for 20 or 25 years," Rick said.
He was keen on the Entertainment Group, which did excerpts and sketches amalgamating with ORT, which eventually it did.
When Otamatea Repertory needed its own home (having toured shows for many years), Rick approached the chairman of what was then known as the Maungaturoto Recreation Farm (now the Maungaturoto Country Club), Halley Roadley, and asked if they could build beyond the squash courts, to which he readily agreed.
Hundreds of hours of volunteer labour ensued, including felling pine trees from the side of the roads and having them milled in Waipu. Rick reckoned they processed enough timber for six or seven houses - nearly 54,000 super feet.
"It took up a tremendous amount of time - two days a week. I'd call working bees and we'd work at our builder's hut at Matakohe beside the museum. We had help from members and non-members. At least 90 per cent was done by voluntary help.
"They called it the Kennaway Auditorium, but others spent a tremendous amount of time too, like Lachie McLean, Sandy and Lloyd Newitt and the Dalebrooks."
It was a proud evening in October 1983 when the Governor General, Sir David Beattie, and Lady Beattie came up and officially opened the theatre.
When time came to retire from the Maungaturoto sheep and beef farm in 1996, Rick and Joan moved to Glenbervie and bought an avocado orchard.
"We love our opera so Operacado seemed a suitable name for the place and it's been a wonderful life," Rick said.
"Joan has benefited from a much fuller life here - even her health improved. She has had a tremendous number of very successful pupils and with Opera in the Garden, we've grown to 60 people in our chorus."
This year, the 19th year of Opera in the Garden, was another resounding success, despite the threat of Cyclone Pam. Only once, four years ago, had the event been rained on and people still came and sat under the giant marquee.
Rick is chairman of the organisation, and at nearly 80 still does as much of the physical work as he can. It has a wonderful committee, including volunteers from North Haven Hospice to whom a donation is given each year. With sponsorship from ASB Trust, WDC and the Oxford Trust plus its corporate sponsors - 13 this year at $500 per tent - the event has become a day much of Whangarei is proud of with homegrown soloists and many of the chorus members being Joan's students from Opera North and friends from across Northland.
After all these years, Rick's favourite role? Teyve in Fiddler on the Roof.
Rick and Joan continue to criss-cross the district to participate in and support their dramatic friends. If you are lucky you may get to sit next to them sometime when they sing. Joan has a rare "freaky" soprano voice that can reach tones in the whistle register and Rick a glorious deep bass.
These two have decidedly been gifts to Northland - and they have worked hard to give so much pleasure.
