The Monday Q&A: Brian Doughty on goats, tramping and fishing

Brian Doughty is travelling light these days but said he is not ready to go tramping in his budgie smugglers. Photo / Bevan Conley

Every Monday, the Chronicle fires 10 questions at a local. This week, Liz Wylie talks to builder, farmer, tramper and local personality Brian Doughty.

Are you still farming goats?

No - there really wasn't much of a market for artisan goat cheese in Whanganui and it is expensive to transport the milk to larger centres when you're a small operation.

I was getting too old for it anyway but I did enjoy it. They are wonderful, intelligent animals to work with. Our goats joined a farm at Sanson.

Do you still live on the farm?

We've retired and moved to a 3-acre block at Western Line in Brunswick. We graze a few cows for the Farming Friends of Hospice programme.

Where and when was your last tramping expedition?

In March I went down to the South Island and walked the Paparoa Trail and did some shorter trails around Takaka. It was great - a really good five days' tramping.

How often do you go tramping these days?

As often as I can. I have to make the effort to keep my weight down these days and carry less weight as well. My son is really good at sending me information about lightweight equipment and I have a pack that weighs just 600 grams.

It is good to travel light but I wouldn't want to get to the point where I was tramping wearing only budgie smugglers and a raincoat.

You got 4701 votes when you stood for Whanganui District Council in 2016 and you campaigned on bridging the rural/city divide. How do you think that's going now?

I still think there could be better representation for the rural sector but I have to give credit to this council for giving the Rural Community Board representative a seat at the table because a lot of councils don't do that.

If you were serving on the council now, what would be your main focus?

Talking to people as much as possible. The art of communication is about listening. Having said that, I took my one shot and didn't get a seat so I'm not interested in standing again.

You have a number of governance roles with local organisations; what do you enjoy most about the roles?

It is the people and the interactions. I really enjoy chairing the Jigsaw Whanganui board because they are a really good bunch.

I have so much respect for the social workers - they're the best and they do so much good work with urban and rural families.

When the borders re-open, where would you like to go for an overseas holiday?

Australia and Canada. I have a Canadian daughter-in-law and it would be nice to go and visit her family in Victoria, British Columbia.

If you had to live somewhere else in New Zealand, where would that be?

Tūrangi. It may not seem to have a lot to offer but it's a great place for fishing and I would love to spend more time fishing.

What would be your alternative career?

I did work for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for a few years specialising in disease control.

I enjoyed that but I would have quite enjoyed a career in Antarctica. I did a couple of six-month stints down there as a builder and I was in charge of maintenance at the Vanda Research Station. They were great experiences.