Wairarapa's oldest school caretaker, Brian Marriott, is giving up his job at Solway Primary but hasn't got time to either "lay down and die, or retire".
Relinquishing his job of 27 years simply means the 81-year-old will have more time to put into his already crowded life as a horse trainer
and the man who steers a tractor-driven mower around sports fields at seven Masterton schools.
For Brian, a working day can easily start at 4.30am when he has horses in work, and not end until 7pm when he finally gets home to put his feet up and enjoy a cuppa with wife Hazel.
To the staff and kids at Solway Primary, he has been part of the furniture, but that will end on December 16 when he hands over the mantle.
Brian - a Korean War veteran - arrived in Masterton having bought the Upstairs Downstairs cafe in the old Centrepoint building. He later sold the cafe.
He and Hazel bought land at South Belt, built stables and ventured into a great love of their lives, racing thoroughbred horses.
Since then, Brian Marriott has prepared a string of racehorses on a permit-to-train and his presence at the Opaki training track has become a foregone conclusion most mornings.
By mid-morning, with trackwork over, he heads off to start his school sportsfield mowing before whipping home for a quick lunch. Then it's off to school to begin his caretaking and cleaning duties.
During his time at Solway Primary, Brian has seen a string of principals come and go. Today's principal, Gail Marshall, has been at the school for 10 years and said she and the staff had enjoyed working with Brian.
On one famous occasion, a visitor to the school mistook Brian for the principal and that encounter led to several occasions when Brian has sat in the principal's chair, attempting to delegate his cleaning chores to Gail.
His favourite work implement is a leaf blower and he has a reputation for pouncing on leaves as soon as they fall. He especially likes being able to blow errant leaves through the fence, on to public land "so then the district council can clear them away".
An official farewell for Brian and the Marriott family will be held in the Boddington Restaurant and Bar at the Masterton Club this month.
