Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 55

interview

Island Life - October/November 2010
Ron pictured
working in the
Everglades 1968

First days hunting for
a young horse bred
on Ron's farm 1970

horse just for that.”
With the purchase of Kemphill Moor, and the subsequent
track clearance to encourage wildlife, Ron, and son Jamie,
now find themselves in the fire wood business.
He added: “The first year we sold only ash, now, one year
on ,we are selling all the other hardwoods, because they
needed at least twelve months to dry out. The conifer wood
is a problem, because no one burns it. Yet on a recent trip to
Finland I noticed they use nothing else. So we are now fitting
a bio mass boiler purely for the conifer. This will heat the
letting properties by pumping the hot water underground to
all of them. It will be expensive, but it will help save on the
£4,000-a-year gas bill.”
WORDS: PETER WHITE - MAIN PHOTO: MARTIN POTTER

before being sold.
The turnover has grown to four cattle a week for the
past two years, with Kemphill beef sold in many hotels,
restaurants and pubs across the Island.
Ron buys 200 beef cattle a year, grazes them and finishes
them. He reflects: “The dip in the dairy farming industry
turned my life upside down, and it is a different lifestyle. I
call myself semi-retired because I get up at 8.0am and start
work at 9.0am.”
Away from farming Ron used his early hunting experiences
to become involved with the Isle of Wight Hunt, and was
chairman for 18 years. “I actually hunted for 50 seasons. I
started back in Thame when I was eight or nine, and hunted
to within a month of my 60th birthday when my last horse
died – a month before fox hunting was banned.
“I have not sat on a horse since then, and for the last 20
years I only kept a horse to hunt; I never rode at any other
time. And I don’t think I will ever ride a horse again. Yes, I
would like to go once more, but I am not going out to buy a
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Family ride. Brother Chris has
qualified for a saddle. 1954
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