Reaching 95 has not slowed down Graeme Davis OAM, a Deloraine man with a passion for the community and local history.
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Last week the second edition of Davis' book, In Pioneers' Footsteps, was launched at Seppenfelts Emporium, Gifts and Books.
The book explores Deloraine's history and heritage with walks and drives in the Meander Valley.
The second edition of In Pioneers' Footsteps came after Davis realised something was missing in the first.
"On reflection, I realised there were things I should have put in the book I didn't, for example an article about old country halls which were the heartbeat of more remote areas," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Edition two was started the day COVID-19 was announced.
"I enjoyed writing every bit of it except compiling the index," Davis said.
Book marketer and friend Philip Browne said the book had been a great journey and it was vital to have history and stories shared.
Davis' wife Bev, who is 91, held the book open for her husband so he could manually write the index, but soon Mr Browne came to his aid with technology.
"[Writing this] isn't the sort of thing you wouldn't do for money. There's no sex, no violence in it, and they are the big sellers [for books]," he said.
"[Writing] it was just like a calling I suppose, a labour of love."
Davis joked he had been threatened with divorce several times while writing his book.
He and his wife have been together for 66 years and he said that was down to her patient nature with him.
"I have been involved in a lot of organisations in the area and every one of them Bev has been beside me, supporting me, even when others have doubted," he said.
The life of Graeme
Davis has led an extraordinary life as a farmer, a member of the Rotary Club of Deloraine - as well as the Young Liberals, a church group, sporting groups, farmers federation, the local show society - as well as district governor.
The 95-year-old grew up in York Plains in the Oatlands district, on his father's soldier settlement farm.
When Davis decided he wanted to get married he could not find a property there so he moved to Deloraine.
"From day one I found Deloraine such a remarkable place and it still is today too," he said.
Davis went into farming just like past members of his family had, but noted that times had changed.
"I think, even when I was on my fathers farm, I wanted to do things a little differently to how dad had done them and what his father, my grandfather, did," he said.
The farmer made several changes to farming in the north of the state such as bringing Suffolk sheep and Danish Landrace pigs to the area.
One moment Davis shared with fondness was when his pregnant pigs were due to give birth and he decided to pull a mattress into the stall next to them and sleep there until they did.
His wife came in soon after and got in beside him, saying 'if he was going to be there, she would be too'.
The farmer has not been able to shake his roots and still enjoys spending time in his vegetable garden.
Visiting Deloraine, Davis and his wife can be seen walking the main street together.
He has three daughters, two sons, 11 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
"I've had a very fortunate life, I've just been blessed," he said.
"It doesn't seem fair for one person to have had so many wonderful experiences and to have such wonderful friends too."