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hello and welcome to Runners only with
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dom Harvey on this episode Garth barfoot
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people older than me or my same age
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they've given away because it's it's not
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not a challenge for them anymore I'm so
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lucky it's a challenge
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you just I like just like finishing
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marathon it's such a big challenge yeah
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yeah Garth is an 85 year old athlete and
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at the time of recording this he was
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about to take part in the 2022 London
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Marathon he's had an epic career in real
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estate working for the firm that his dad
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started in 1923 barfoot and Thompson but
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it's through garth's Feats and running
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in Triathlon that I know him he's a
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regular at endurance events like
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marathons and iron manderson's
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triathlons and as a point of Interest
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he's done the iconic Rotorua Marathon 17
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times and what makes Garth even more
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remarkable I think is his entry to the
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sport he didn't start competing until
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his late 50s now most listeners to this
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podcast will still be younger than Garth
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was when he started and there's
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something about that that I find really
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cool it means that for you and for me it
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is never too late to do something new
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something courageous something that
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scares the [ __ ] out of you all right
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let's get into it Runners only with
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Garth barfoot
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here let's get it started hey hey this
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is
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fast paced slow and steady anyway you
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coming up just wanna connect for
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everyone who loves running this is
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[Music]
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Runners only with dom Harvey and Garth
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barfoot g'day mate thank you thank you
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hi thank you very much for joining me in
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my uh podcast Studio I really really
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appreciate you being here today thanks
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for the coffee how there was the deal
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you said um you come in and do it if I
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make you a coffee I made I don't
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normally make them I prefer to there's a
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cafe just over the road so I generally
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buy it rather than make the Nespresso
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pots so is it okay yeah well I'm a good
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real estate agent when I came into your
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living room I saw the coffee making
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machine so I put my order in and you
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obliged yeah yeah it's a drinkable is it
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okay yeah all right okay we're just
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gonna get nice okay nice and close and
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job you're an amazing guy first of all I
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need to let you know you're not the
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you're not the oldest athlete I've had
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on the podcast so far I think you're
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maybe the um the third oldest uh number
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one at jelly who I spoke to when he was
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99 the second oldest having a um a
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celebratory race for him uh this weekend
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out at pukekohe last year it's going to
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be open right and then got 100 Runners
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uh doing one kilometer each and that's
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full up amazing so we are recording this
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in August 2022 and uh actually the day
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before his 100th birthday
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he's incred he's incredible by the way I
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I spoke to him a couple of months ago
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mentally very very sharp and still
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physically very fed as well I feel like
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you might you might go down the same
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track uh no no I don't think so I think
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my wife forgets a lot of things but I'm
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sure if you asked her she'd say her
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husband forgets a lot of things and
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we're about the same age really do you
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notice that do you think a memory is
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slipping somewhat yeah oh yes yes
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definitely but um then again I've got so
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many more things to draw on well from my
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dealings with you and setting up this
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podcast the last couple of days of um
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you're one of the most on top people I
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know like I send you a text you call
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straight back and you're busy and you're
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active like we we rescheduled this from
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yesterday because you had a dentist
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appointment then you were catching up
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with a mate for lunch you're a very
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active dude yes well I'm just fortunate
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I've got so many things going on in my
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life sometimes I feel like a juggler
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juggling things so do you still work at
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all these days or no you've retired
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completely oh I retired [ __ ] five years
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ago I get consulted but I don't about
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historical things it's got to remember
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but they don't say you know Garth what
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do you think of the idea of Barefoot and
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Thomas expanding into Hamilton or oh
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it's like a fake check from way back hey
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can you remember yes you remember this
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one I remember that and help me memories
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I look at the death notices in the paper
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that tells me the sad thing about
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getting old was the people in the death
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notices that's a that's a part of life
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that wasn't it yeah that's right the
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remarkable thing about you and this is
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part of the reason I wanted you on the
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podcast because I think a lot of people
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that listen to this that maybe aren't
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that active could get a lot from this
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you started Triathlon you came to the
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sport very late like 50 yes I really got
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into sport around the base the younger
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Thompsons if you like that we should do
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around the base as a company social
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event
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and that was my first race and I was a
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rather peeved and I thought I did as
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well as I could I got bitten by my wife
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I got beaten by my brother he's still
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alive it's 91. you know that was my
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first ever race okay so this is
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something for anyone that that doesn't
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know or maybe if it's overseas around
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the bases New Zealand's biggest Fun Run
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it's in Auckland uh just a long Tamaki
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Drive each year it's about nine K's at
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that time it was a very big thing it
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used to be front page it was sponsored
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by the evening paper and
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um it was on a Saturday so that they
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could produce the news of it on the
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front page of the uh Edition when it
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came out in the afternoon it was a very
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big thing you know they gave you I said
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probably do now certificate so I was
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rather peeved when the specifically
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thrived at the the office the Thompson
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people put them in the bin because they
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didn't want to encourage competitors
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amongst the staff
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retrieve them from the bin and they work
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out people's time and I rang up Irene
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Bates who was at Aston Hilly's office at
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the time I was Rich Clark and
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congratulated her time and she said oh
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she said well it's a good time and I
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think it was her husband Gary Bates and
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he said well oh no I I caught a bus to
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Britain Mart you know that states
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started by Victoria Park and she packed
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a card on the uh the rise there by uh
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judges Bay right that's how she got a
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good that's how she beat me so how old
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were you at the time when you started
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running around about 50. so what were
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you like before then were you were you
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reasonably inactive were you just too
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busy working no um
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I had a good um I did rather like my
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parents that they came from England they
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came to New Zealand and they wanted to
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do things and a life that they that was
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new to them so they said that they
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embraced the outdoor Touch of New
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Zealand and with and for this uh he was
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a real estate agent to my father so he
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liked the walk in the active part I mean
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during the war when you couldn't get uh
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petrol he went with my Elder Brothers on
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cycling holidays with the packs with the
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packs on the on the bike so we were all
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very much into that and at the age of
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maybe 11 or something or other I was
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piggybacked by my father through the
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Milford tunnel it was half open and I
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think he found it quite hard because we
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got to lift back in a public works
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so you know it was all in the family
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it's continued in my own family with my
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own three children my wife we were all
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quite sort of athletic or into Outdoors
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things anyway we'll talk about the
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athletic stuff first and then we'll talk
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about business so you start with round
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the base which is a fairly easy run for
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most most people who don't expect too
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much on business because
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hated people even when I was in my Prime
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and the job I said I know more about
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what's happened in real estate than
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probably anyone else in Auckland but as
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to what's going to happen tomorrow I
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don't know any more than the barber oh
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no no I'm not asking you to do any
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predictions or anything but since he is
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60 years 60 years in the family business
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and growing it from a reasonably small
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thing with something like 80 staff to
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how it was when you left it I think it's
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remarkable and it's worth touching upon
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yeah well two and a half thousand I
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think it's growing since I've left we've
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got more branches I just happen to be
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there 60 years in the same in the same
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job as not just being there absolutely
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not okay so so around the base you you
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start with that like which is like an 8K
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9k Fun Run then when did you start
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Triathlon were triathlons even a thing
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but it's a win with us at the late 1980s
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um yes it was then it was a
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demonstration sport in the commonwealth
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games when they held in Auckland
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1990 on the waterfront Road and that was
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before I got into Triathlon so but after
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that I got in right so so you saw that
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at the Commonwealth Games and did you
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think oh well I could no no I didn't no
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I didn't all I can is yeah my son was a
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or birkenhead college are called now and
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the teacher was keen on uh Iron Man and
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they were asked to provide a tent that's
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an alias so I didn't even know what a
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lion man was a couple of years later
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there I am competing in it yeah so how
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old were you when you did your first
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Iron Man oh what would it be uh probably
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late 50s 57. this to me is is
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inspirational this to me says to anyone
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that's listening to this whatever state
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you're in now and whatever you're not
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doing it's never too late to start yeah
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is that saying you can't teach an old
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dog new tricks it completely defies that
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like doing an Iron Man in your late 50s
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seems just mind-boggling so for anyone
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that is not familiar with Iron Man what
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is it exactly it's a how long is the
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swim you get in the water first what is
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that three K's four K's uh almost 4ks
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yeah and then you're on the bike for
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180k yeah and then a full Marathon
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that's right so you're doing that for
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the first time in your late 50s oh well
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when you're not fast but you can get
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there yeah I think that's remarkable how
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many did you end up doing uh oh people
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ask me that question but I said depends
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how you count it count them
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I said there's various ways of counting
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them you can count the number either
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enter the number of times you get the
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start line
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and then um as you get on it's a number
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of times you finish them and then as you
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get on further it's the number of times
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you've finished the bike league and as
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you can come even further it's a number
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of times you finish the swim league
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because all these legs have got time
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cutoffs and I think the last one I did I
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got hauled out of the water oh
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sometimes the conditions aren't easy I
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mean you're out there doing it you're
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out there doing this um incredible
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physical feat that 19 99.9 of the
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population would never even attempt does
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it sort of hurt as you get older and you
00:10:45
realize that you're not going to make
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these cutoffs or is it just something
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that you have to accept sometimes people
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say you should retire when you're at the
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top
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and
00:10:55
that sounds most impressive but of
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course the problem is when you're at the
00:11:00
top or what with hindsight at the top
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you don't know it is a top so you think
00:11:05
well oh one more race I think you can go
00:11:06
faster it's unbelievable that my time in
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that first race when I made a number of
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Errors was my fastest ever time if you
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tell me that after the end of the first
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one I never would have believed you but
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no matter how hard I try I couldn't get
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down at that time again yeah 13 hours 45
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minutes right yeah and you did okay like
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you you won you won some age groups no
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no I went on to do all together about 99
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man and started in about 30. it took a
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long time for it to think in the one
00:11:37
after my first bike accident the article
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on the herald was uh
00:11:41
veteran Iron Man days are over or
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something like that
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not headlines but across double column
00:11:50
and everyone gave you something except
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my son who said dad what makes you think
00:11:55
your Iron Man days weren't already over
00:11:58
so when did you complete your last Iron
00:12:01
Man like at 80 uh oh yes that'll be
00:12:04
about uh
00:12:10
do you know if that's a world record for
00:12:12
the oldest person to complete nine men
00:12:14
uh no at that stays about 84.85 but as
00:12:19
you get on
00:12:20
um it gets very thin and some years
00:12:23
don't even have anyone over 80. they're
00:12:25
complete so just so just by starting and
00:12:27
finishing you win the age group yeah but
00:12:29
but by the time you get to that stage
00:12:32
it's finishing with the time limit
00:12:34
that's why you can say I'm choosing the
00:12:37
London Marathon as my next Big Goal
00:12:39
because this year they're they've done
00:12:41
away with time limits and you've got 24
00:12:44
hours to do it so what was that so yeah
00:12:47
that they wanted to be all-inclusive in
00:12:51
other words to take people in um who've
00:12:54
got physical disabilities and they think
00:12:56
the only way to encourage them is to do
00:12:58
away with the time limits so because I'm
00:13:01
very lucky because you know if if I do
00:13:05
cross the line you know they would I'll
00:13:07
be the oldest person you ever crossed
00:13:09
the line uh London is going 40 years and
00:13:13
the oldest person is crossed the line is
00:13:15
85. do you think that's because they had
00:13:17
um time cutoffs previously well probably
00:13:19
would did and yeah it's not um you know
00:13:22
it's not the Juventus you've got to have
00:13:24
some sort of category to get in yes you
00:13:27
know because we're lucky they they seem
00:13:28
to think because we're visitors we
00:13:30
should be made welcome and it's a lot so
00:13:33
we're allowed to get in if you cross
00:13:35
overseas country oh so your your last
00:13:39
marathon was the 2021 Rotorua Marathon
00:13:43
that was the uh the last one I finished
00:13:45
yes and at that price I was last and it
00:13:48
was about about eight eight and three
00:13:49
quarters of course that's a long time on
00:13:52
your face I got the prize or should I
00:13:54
say I got my name on this trophy for the
00:13:56
the oldest finisher trophy
00:13:59
I don't know whether that's something
00:14:01
I'm gonna answer my grandchildren but um
00:14:04
but I've got to bring you up to date
00:14:06
because that was 2021 and that's 2022 so
00:14:10
I've done uh London will be my third
00:14:13
Marathon that I've entered I did one in
00:14:15
Wellington but I failed to finish that
00:14:17
one and I did one uh two weeks uh taupo
00:14:21
and failed to finish that I failed to
00:14:24
finish that physically or because of the
00:14:26
time cut off no physically right yeah
00:14:28
they had good good time races but um
00:14:31
when you're 80 60 you can't take things
00:14:33
for granted you don't know how they they
00:14:36
will go and people said oh you can't see
00:14:38
your doctor get your medication round up
00:14:40
because I've got on medication after my
00:14:42
heart valve transplant and uh oh I
00:14:45
didn't go into education because it's
00:14:47
not it's not a magic one it's not like a
00:14:50
wound or a boat broken bone yeah uh and
00:14:53
I said no no I'm like Hamish Carter I
00:14:56
can remember the great fuss about Hamish
00:14:59
Carter who was the poster boy for the
00:15:01
Sydney Olympics
00:15:03
and and Trust we forgot that the best
00:15:06
chance we had at getting a gold medal
00:15:08
you know and then on the day uh What's
00:15:12
the phrase he failed to Fire and uh so
00:15:15
they interviewed him to find out the
00:15:16
reason and he said oh when I wake up in
00:15:20
the morning in my hotel room I knew it
00:15:22
wasn't going to be a good day
00:15:24
and the public in New Zealand were
00:15:26
outraged
00:15:29
they didn't demands of Royal inquiry but
00:15:31
it was very close yeah
00:15:34
so when I didn't finish my those two
00:15:37
Americans people say well you must be
00:15:38
selling me out of something's wrong you
00:15:40
know hello you know I'm 86 you've got to
00:15:43
take the good with the bad yeah and you
00:15:44
have good days and bad days although the
00:15:46
fact that you're out there on the
00:15:48
getting getting yourself physically in
00:15:49
shape for these things and making it to
00:15:51
the start line I think is um that's no
00:15:53
mean feat on its own with um the taupo
00:15:55
marathon a couple of weeks ago how many
00:15:57
kilometers in did you get I got to got
00:16:00
to halfway right and then and then did
00:16:02
it was just not feel great or uh well
00:16:04
you sort of get dizzy and you start
00:16:06
getting uncoordinated uh it's just it's
00:16:09
just the risk I take I mean you know to
00:16:11
be on blood thinners you know it's
00:16:14
pretty remarkable I can still compete
00:16:15
with an artificial hip and pins and my
00:16:18
other hip and goodness graciously
00:16:20
everything's fading away the only thing
00:16:22
left is my voice I think that the
00:16:24
loudest voice and I'm not quite as loud
00:16:26
as the guys interviewing me
00:16:29
that's me yeah let's hear me I'm talking
00:16:32
about Dom here when I had Arch jelly on
00:16:34
the podcast uh he he's he's got a
00:16:37
hearing aids like you and um he he said
00:16:39
to me oh your voice is very loud I'm
00:16:41
gonna have to take them off
00:16:44
I'm sorry about that I do have a very
00:16:46
loud voice on this on this desk here
00:16:49
that's your favorite right up to the top
00:16:51
and that's mine all the way down there
00:16:52
oh okay so what does your running style
00:16:54
look like now is it sort of like a walk
00:16:56
would you say it's a walk or is it still
00:16:58
a run uh I call it a a struggle
00:17:04
I struggle a lot so it's uh because I
00:17:08
know the time you know I can walk at so
00:17:10
much but I can't walk fast and uh 12
00:17:14
minutes a kilometer I struggle as I call
00:17:16
it I can get the 10 minutes a kilometer
00:17:19
yeah and if I run uh I can get it down
00:17:23
to about eight minutes a kilometers
00:17:25
right like this morning I went from my
00:17:29
home in Island Bay birkenhead to the
00:17:31
birkenhead wharf which is uh quite a lot
00:17:34
of Hell in it maybe about 100 meters of
00:17:36
climbing or something rather but uh the
00:17:38
I first time in about four months I got
00:17:41
my time below 10 minutes okay that's why
00:17:45
I'm feeling chipper during this
00:17:46
interview full of optimism so
00:17:50
um yes so London's obviously it's a long
00:17:52
way to travel for a marathon so are you
00:17:54
are you determined to finish it like
00:17:56
come hell or high water yeah well I find
00:17:59
the it's like a lot of things the half
00:18:03
of you want publicity because that's a
00:18:05
good means you can't go back and the
00:18:08
other half wants to be under under the
00:18:10
under the headlights you know you know
00:18:14
so that no one knows if you don't
00:18:16
succeed
00:18:18
so I think I've elected to be in the
00:18:21
former category otherwise I wouldn't be
00:18:22
doing this podcast yeah well regardless
00:18:24
of what happens it's like um anyone
00:18:26
would only want the best for you the
00:18:28
fact that you're a man in your late 80s
00:18:30
and you're still out there doing it
00:18:31
nobody wants to everyone's rooting for
00:18:34
you and uh if if you don't manage to
00:18:37
complete it for whatever reason there
00:18:38
would just be sadness from people
00:18:40
um sort of on behalf of you I guess well
00:18:42
I did I don't actually think I made a
00:18:44
good story this is 86 year old who
00:18:47
couldn't finish the first two easy
00:18:49
marathons this is done this year how
00:18:51
would it get on oh no come on come on
00:18:56
doing it for publicity oh no no honestly
00:18:59
when it comes to your modesty you need
00:19:00
to you need to pull your head in a
00:19:02
little bit like the fact that you are a
00:19:04
still alive and B physically able to do
00:19:07
these things that you know many people
00:19:09
quarter of your age couldn't even do it
00:19:11
that's an example it's a bit
00:19:12
embarrassing I was thinking the old
00:19:14
marathon when you have with a group from
00:19:16
out of town and going along the
00:19:18
Waterfront Road there where there's not
00:19:20
you know people calling out and after
00:19:23
all these ladies I was running with us
00:19:25
is oh you seem to be well known guys
00:19:28
I feel a bit sorry for them no one's
00:19:30
dead for them
00:19:33
well you are you are so well known and I
00:19:36
do feel like it's um you had you had
00:19:38
great success in business but I feel
00:19:40
like this is like a completely separate
00:19:42
thing like people are cheering you not
00:19:43
because they know you from as the real
00:19:45
estate dude but because you've just been
00:19:46
a familiar face on these running and
00:19:48
Triathlon events in the circuit for such
00:19:50
a long time yes you can't help but um
00:19:53
get sort of well known because I I train
00:19:57
on roads these days when I was younger I
00:20:00
always used to go on the side of the
00:20:02
footpath which had less people on
00:20:05
um maybe even within the shade but these
00:20:08
days they go on the side of the
00:20:09
footwearth which is more people on
00:20:11
because people talk to are exchange it I
00:20:15
glances with you I'm quite sociable now
00:20:18
it's quite changed so do you think um
00:20:21
London will be your last full marathon
00:20:23
on dull days I think it will be double
00:20:26
days
00:20:28
of course is is I said you never know
00:20:31
when you're on top so oh gee fancy being
00:20:34
the oldest person in you know they've
00:20:37
probably had half a million people do it
00:20:39
they do it and so it's tempted to keep
00:20:42
on but um yeah well I you know I've I've
00:20:45
entered the uh off-road Marathon at
00:20:48
motatapu Queenstown yeah yeah yeah yeah
00:20:51
yes yeah over Shania Twain or it was
00:20:55
tonight yeah yeah I I said what are you
00:20:57
doing there what distance oh before
00:20:59
you're not expecting me to do anything
00:21:02
but the fullness
00:21:05
whatever else I might be I'm not a wimp
00:21:07
yeah I'm not a wimp it's um it's it's
00:21:11
beautiful and it's scenic but it's
00:21:13
horrible it's so steep it's a it's real
00:21:16
challenging that's amazing but I
00:21:18
remember thinking you know golf cart
00:21:19
over it because that's where the first
00:21:20
aid people I should be able to do it but
00:21:23
I'll still try to get my friends to come
00:21:25
with me but yeah they all say oh I
00:21:27
couldn't do that distance guys yeah when
00:21:30
you say trying to get your friends to
00:21:31
come with you what age are they younger
00:21:33
than you same age what I call the
00:21:35
younger people but of course they're in
00:21:37
their 70s right pushing yourself
00:21:39
physically it's been such a big part of
00:21:40
your life since since your 50s uh you
00:21:43
know like Iron Man marathons things like
00:21:45
that so will do you think as you as you
00:21:47
get older and even into your 90s you'll
00:21:50
keep pushing yourself at the distance
00:21:51
will get smaller like say half marathons
00:21:53
or 10 kilometers well it's going to be a
00:21:57
dilemma really you know the marathons is
00:22:01
the one that gets publicity the the
00:22:03
glamor and the half is you know I used
00:22:06
to think oh it was beneath my dignity to
00:22:09
do these pack runs
00:22:11
um
00:22:14
been not orientated towards competitors
00:22:17
of people but I do the pack run I'll do
00:22:19
it she would she would park up at Browns
00:22:22
Bay and I got into that because someone
00:22:25
tapped me on the shoulder and said oh
00:22:28
gosh you don't want to run Thompson who
00:22:31
would I contact to get some sponsorship
00:22:34
and I said I've been retired four years
00:22:37
um and then I said well why don't you
00:22:39
ask me you know I'm on the rich list
00:22:42
and then they only wanted one to me they
00:22:45
only wanted my leg was a defibrillator
00:22:48
defibrillator what are they worth yeah
00:22:51
well no I didn't know what they were but
00:22:54
I sort of thought well if anyone's going
00:22:55
to need it if you're able to write it
00:22:57
it'll be me
00:23:00
so this wasn't rocking charts I couldn't
00:23:02
say he's fast enough yeah
00:23:04
um of course I had to get that to get
00:23:06
the the okay to run the race but they
00:23:10
did have a incident oh yeah one one
00:23:12
incident and it's paid for itself
00:23:13
already hasn't it
00:23:17
well yeah but the only way they got rid
00:23:20
of me was stopped doing the rich list
00:23:22
all right the richness doesn't run
00:23:25
anymore as I said the Forbes or NBR or
00:23:27
NBR National Business Review yeah so I
00:23:30
always wondered about that like do do
00:23:31
they get the figures right
00:23:33
like do you read it and go I'm worth way
00:23:36
more than that or that's a [ __ ]
00:23:38
figure well it's it's always a bit hard
00:23:40
anyway even you know I've got the what
00:23:42
is it the high net worth people from
00:23:44
revenue they're doing this survey
00:23:48
I don't sort of carry those things in my
00:23:51
head or something hard to know but it
00:23:53
certainly enabled me I you know I've
00:23:55
sponsored I mean the company sponsors a
00:23:57
lot of things what what did NBR think
00:23:59
you were worth well we used to look at
00:24:01
it to find out
00:24:03
I think they they had a rival real
00:24:06
estate agent firm so I think they kept
00:24:10
the to
00:24:11
them and us the same so what was it like
00:24:14
about like a 100 million 50 million I
00:24:17
thought well of course it's barefoot and
00:24:18
tops right so I'm sure it'd be 100
00:24:20
million or less families but you're not
00:24:24
a flashy guy at all like you've lived in
00:24:26
the same house your entire life yeah
00:24:27
what sort of car do you drive
00:24:29
oh I don't have a Lexus yeah yeah yeah
00:24:32
so nice but no it's not you're not
00:24:34
getting around in a McLaren or a Ferrari
00:24:37
so when when you go to London though
00:24:39
please tell me you'll be flying business
00:24:40
or first class though oh no
00:24:43
um yeah but what happened was
00:24:45
um I'm going with the group and you
00:24:48
probably gathered I'm a sort of sociable
00:24:50
guy and I I thought if I travel I was I
00:24:55
think it's premium economy I'll have
00:24:57
more chance of reading my friends so you
00:25:00
know
00:25:00
premium economy we went on a luxury
00:25:03
Cruise you know because you think oh
00:25:05
that's life but honestly by the time of
00:25:08
three weeks I was looking forward to it
00:25:11
and you know
00:25:16
why why are you just bored or what oh I
00:25:20
want to get back to my running and and I
00:25:22
used to walk around the swimming pool on
00:25:25
the ship but of course the swimming
00:25:26
pools aren't very good and I started to
00:25:29
get dizzy so it's just
00:25:32
and it's probably hard to it once the
00:25:34
seeds get rough of us I could see sick
00:25:37
quite easily so yeah anyway so so what
00:25:41
what do you do with your money like you
00:25:43
can't take it with you when you're gone
00:25:44
oh well a lot of people are grateful for
00:25:46
it a big sponsor at the Olympics I'm not
00:25:49
a big sponsor but a sponsor yeah
00:25:51
Olympics and Triathlon and those sorts
00:25:55
of things
00:25:55
you've done you've done a lot for um
00:25:58
Auckland city as well like any other
00:26:00
parent you lend money to your children
00:26:02
hopefully they won't pay it
00:26:04
backwards so they've all owned real
00:26:06
estate yeah yes so this is the weird
00:26:08
thing about you so you're a real estate
00:26:10
guy but you've you've only lived in the
00:26:12
one house so I only lived in one house
00:26:14
and never owned a rental never been a
00:26:16
landlord why is that when I came home
00:26:18
from work I don't want to be bothered
00:26:20
with
00:26:21
being a little so whereabouts do you
00:26:24
live Island by an american head right so
00:26:26
you're you and your wife you you bought
00:26:28
this yeah you bought it as a section
00:26:29
where we got engaged when was that uh I
00:26:33
suppose it was 51 years ago right 52
00:26:35
years ago can you remember the price of
00:26:36
the section yes uh we got the house
00:26:40
built for the contract was 32 000. the
00:26:43
land might have been six thousand nine
00:26:47
thousand nine thousand for land wow it's
00:26:49
about 40 000 all up yeah that's right
00:26:52
would be um would have gone up a little
00:26:54
bit since then I would think so so how
00:26:57
come how come you've never moved
00:27:09
we're only considering the retirement
00:27:11
votes near us because it's it becomes
00:27:13
your life all the tracks and and the
00:27:16
walks and the swing the facilities and
00:27:18
the people are really quite sociable it
00:27:21
must be really nice for your
00:27:22
um adult children that your mum and dad
00:27:24
are still together and still in the
00:27:27
house that they were born I mean and
00:27:28
there's so many memories there yeah and
00:27:30
because it's very nice for the parents
00:27:32
that their children have chosen to live
00:27:33
uh they all live in Auckland and two out
00:27:37
of three live on the North Shore and the
00:27:39
other one's not too far away so yeah uh
00:27:41
greater advantage of in covert so um it
00:27:44
was your dad that started barfoot and
00:27:46
Thompson yeah yeah so and it was just
00:27:48
was it just called barfoot real estate
00:27:50
he he um trains an engineer in England
00:27:53
and um when he served in the Army then
00:27:57
he couldn't uh get a job the only person
00:28:00
in his year or class at the University
00:28:02
got a job and it was a job in the
00:28:05
guessworks and that was his father was
00:28:07
that Chief exec oh the boss of the
00:28:10
guesswork so it just really showed how
00:28:12
hard it was to get a job in Engineering
00:28:14
in that time in England yeah so he just
00:28:17
came to New Zealand for his father's
00:28:20
health and uh just walking along
00:28:22
Broadway Newmarket and saw this uh real
00:28:26
estate with a let's say it was messing
00:28:29
around and the word Brown was crossed
00:28:32
out
00:28:33
so he knocked on the door and said
00:28:35
you're looking for a new pattern
00:28:39
and the guy said yes so of course it was
00:28:42
before licensing so that was how it
00:28:45
started so it's just as simple as that
00:28:47
and then then he worked out of course
00:28:50
the partner if you like who had a phone
00:28:53
and the phone was so useful because it
00:28:55
was very good for uh what is now called
00:28:58
off course betting which is illegal of
00:29:01
course in those days
00:29:03
my father didn't believe it
00:29:06
illegal thing so he brought his partner
00:29:08
out right so so
00:29:11
what year we were coming up now 100
00:29:13
years so I said to my friends from our
00:29:15
child well I'll try I'll try and stay
00:29:17
around till 2023 stay around if it's an
00:29:20
annual
00:29:22
take stock of my place on Earth so he
00:29:26
starts I mean it's called Barefoot and
00:29:27
then when does the Thompson thing come
00:29:29
along okay well well Thompson was a
00:29:32
Salesman person they engaged and it was
00:29:34
a great salesperson and then the war
00:29:38
came so he enlisted and they thought he
00:29:41
was so good that they the best way to
00:29:44
make sure he came back was to make him a
00:29:46
partner
00:29:47
World War yeah yeah so he went up to
00:29:51
Fiji with the Air Force but uh you know
00:29:53
before he went they said well he can
00:29:55
come back you can you can buy it but it
00:29:57
wasn't given to him he didn't buy it but
00:29:58
Thompson came in so now of course we've
00:30:01
got uh Thompson as the managing director
00:30:03
so what year were you born I was born
00:30:05
1936 36. do you remember much about the
00:30:08
war time you would have been like nine
00:30:09
or ten years old I guess or yeah I was
00:30:12
at primary school during the War uh I
00:30:15
can't I what I can remember is my older
00:30:17
brothers which had three uh we made a
00:30:20
air raid shoulder trench as people did
00:30:22
in those days and uh the uh they put me
00:30:26
in it and then went away and it wouldn't
00:30:28
help me out
00:30:30
like on your section yeah I don't know
00:30:32
where we lived in the back Garden right
00:30:35
like a proper bunco not a ditch right
00:30:39
right and my father joined the outbreak
00:30:42
of War because he was in the first world
00:30:44
war and he he didn't think that's the
00:30:46
New Zealand army or something right
00:30:47
because he wrote to England and said he
00:30:49
was an officer in the first world war he
00:30:51
offered his services
00:30:53
I don't think they're very interested in
00:30:54
having a 45 year old company
00:30:56
[Laughter]
00:30:57
but they're right sorry he joined the
00:31:00
Home Guard but he said that was a waste
00:31:02
of time but but they had he said but
00:31:04
they had to have it because it kept the
00:31:05
morale up being a like a young a young
00:31:08
boy growing up in New Zealand and
00:31:09
wartime was it a scary thing or did New
00:31:13
Zealand still feel quite safe because we
00:31:14
were quite far removed I think I was too
00:31:16
young okay to get any concept of fear
00:31:19
yeah the United States troops they were
00:31:22
a novelty they had sweets or whatever
00:31:25
they had we got invited to a lunch you
00:31:29
know at the Commonwealth Park and there
00:31:31
was ice cream and wafer sandwiches I've
00:31:34
seen those before
00:31:37
doesn't matter where that as a young boy
00:31:40
that's your like enduring memory of the
00:31:41
war yeah that's right yeah okay so then
00:31:44
um you finished school how do you how do
00:31:45
you end up at your dad's firm after the
00:31:48
war the very severe price controls he
00:31:50
thought it was only a matter of time
00:31:52
before we we followed Moscow and
00:31:54
everything was state owned so he saw no
00:31:56
future in real estate
00:31:58
so they were quite keen on me to
00:32:01
consider farming as a career so I think
00:32:04
we went to
00:32:05
otahuhu college they had a farm course
00:32:08
secondary schools I think we went to
00:32:09
Mount Everest Grandma they had a farm
00:32:11
course because when it went to Massey
00:32:13
University outside of Palmerston North
00:32:15
so it was quite a few a couple of years
00:32:17
there as I got near the top of the
00:32:20
school the government changed and then
00:32:21
real estate became an attractive career
00:32:23
with my parents I said I just went along
00:32:26
with it so it seems like you go to
00:32:27
university to do agriculture that was
00:32:29
slightly because your parents wanted to
00:32:31
so you were just sort of was that just
00:32:33
how it was at the time that your parents
00:32:35
would tell you yes we had a cow
00:32:39
produced milk you know I had a very good
00:32:41
knowledge of farming yeah yeah yeah so
00:32:44
um how old were you when you when you
00:32:45
started it um what was then barford and
00:32:47
Thompson so as I guess I was about 21 20
00:32:50
19 56. and then and then that was is
00:32:53
that that was your entire working life
00:32:55
yeah I mean of course I did it did AOE
00:32:58
of course in those days are very good
00:33:00
for part-time work during the whole day
00:33:03
so I I worked in the freezing works so
00:33:05
we're we're about to do we're about as
00:33:07
you do your OE your overseas experience
00:33:09
in England because that's what people
00:33:12
did they went to England
00:33:13
did that too and I got us a job as a
00:33:17
teacher uh not that because I was
00:33:19
trained to the teaching but you could
00:33:20
all they required were the reference and
00:33:24
you had to be free of TB
00:33:26
so we had the TV test or
00:33:30
X-ray test and then they wrote home to
00:33:33
Morris Thompson for a reference that I
00:33:36
that I was okay and because I was a
00:33:38
commonwealth citizen that made me a
00:33:40
teacher but of course it didn't make me
00:33:42
a teacher and there was went the first
00:33:45
assignment and uh
00:33:48
lasted about five minutes but they start
00:33:51
to make a noise 10 minutes and always
00:33:53
looks got louder and 15 minutes later
00:33:56
the teacher from the joining classroom
00:33:58
came in and really told the class off
00:34:00
and said yeah they said we respectful
00:34:02
for the new teacher so
00:34:06
after a week as I worked up my
00:34:09
priorities the first priority was the
00:34:12
not till the class makes so much noise
00:34:14
that the teacher from next door has to
00:34:16
come in oh that's embarrassing the
00:34:18
second problem was to stop the fighting
00:34:21
with each other or pinching each other's
00:34:23
property that was the second priority
00:34:25
and third priority was to teach them
00:34:27
something so it was experience yeah it
00:34:32
wasn't quite good but it did give me I
00:34:33
was very shy up to them oh really how
00:34:35
did you yeah how did you go from being a
00:34:37
shy person to not being a shotgun when I
00:34:39
was very young youngest in the family
00:34:41
and we were out of zone so that made me
00:34:43
what I call socially backward uh because
00:34:46
you tended to be family oriented in
00:34:48
Recreation and all the boys at grammar
00:34:51
school they talked about going to the
00:34:52
dancing school and listen it was
00:34:55
completely over my head and then there
00:34:57
but and then uh at the University I
00:35:01
found that I was good at tramping
00:35:02
because of my parents and all the stuff
00:35:05
we'd done so it was sort of natural for
00:35:07
me to come up through the Rings quite
00:35:09
quickly and be the club Captain under
00:35:12
club and that sort of just started to
00:35:14
build my confidence if you like with
00:35:16
high side now of course I can just take
00:35:18
a microphone up into the front in front
00:35:20
of a thousand people
00:35:21
and talk because there's one thing I
00:35:23
have got is a loud voice oh
00:35:27
so do you think um do you think that
00:35:29
sort of confidence or being comfortable
00:35:31
in your own skin just comes naturally
00:35:33
with age or did you have to work hard on
00:35:35
it no I think it's just built up over
00:35:37
the years yeah
00:35:39
you sort of sometimes think that things
00:35:40
get better I hate these people they
00:35:42
start talking before the crowd is
00:35:45
quietened but when I shout people jump
00:35:47
you know
00:35:49
does anything believe for me you know I
00:35:51
can't see as well I can't hear as well I
00:35:53
can't eat as well I won't come on yeah
00:35:56
I've got my hair especially during
00:35:58
covert very useful yeah very very long
00:36:01
and um and your mind is still fabulous
00:36:04
I I know you mentioned before that your
00:36:07
your memory isn't not what it used to be
00:36:09
but I I don't know I don't know I feel
00:36:11
like it's still great is is aging do you
00:36:14
find it frustrating
00:36:18
to get doors open doors open for you
00:36:21
what do you mean so if you like you know
00:36:24
it's not thrill of winning it's a thrill
00:36:26
of taking part uh you know this sort of
00:36:29
thing you sort of get a lot of
00:36:30
satisfaction out walking this morning
00:36:32
lovely day and and there I am with my
00:36:35
Gladys and thermal because my blood's
00:36:38
thin like feel the cold a lot more but
00:36:40
I'm still doing it out there yeah oh you
00:36:42
are satisfaction yeah it's incredible
00:36:44
and you mentioned before you've got a
00:36:46
brother that's in his 90s have you just
00:36:48
as they're just longevity in in your
00:36:50
family it's quite it's good yeah all my
00:36:52
brothers I mean two have passed on but
00:36:54
they all got to 80. what do you reckon
00:36:57
how many more birthdays do you think
00:36:59
you've got in you
00:37:00
I'll just get the London Marathon over
00:37:03
first
00:37:04
what about your what about your wife
00:37:06
when did you you guys have been together
00:37:07
for 50 something years yeah yeah so um
00:37:10
how did you guys meet
00:37:12
oh we met through the tramping club or
00:37:15
she was the skier and uh but that didn't
00:37:18
help because he was she was on ski
00:37:20
patrol she was being a doctor and
00:37:23
she'd be in Europe a lot longer getting
00:37:26
her anesthetic qualification and so she
00:37:28
was used to skiing in Switzerland yeah
00:37:31
far better than me
00:37:33
she liked my camping ability and we
00:37:36
compromised and got together yeah do you
00:37:38
remember much was it Love at First Sight
00:37:40
or was it sort of a thing like the world
00:37:42
is so small now in terms of like the
00:37:44
internet like it's a like a global
00:37:45
Community but I suppose back then you
00:37:47
had your immediate sort of circle or
00:37:48
groups and you just sort of like paired
00:37:51
off with one of them and I'm thinking of
00:37:52
like my mum's family my mom's one of 14
00:37:53
from Levin and they just all married
00:37:56
other people in Levin usually from the
00:37:58
same church group was it like that with
00:38:00
you and your wife or was it that like
00:38:01
love at first sight or no no well it
00:38:04
certainly wasn't as far as he she's
00:38:06
concerned because she she went out with
00:38:09
my brother everything
00:38:12
that the progressive maybe she took up
00:38:15
with me I can't say yeah well it's
00:38:18
worked out all right what do you think
00:38:20
um what do you think the key is to uh
00:38:22
successful and enduring marriage
00:38:25
is there a secret oh no I don't think
00:38:27
there's a secret I mean it's it's it's
00:38:29
it's up to your personality really I
00:38:31
think uh you can you can adjust but you
00:38:34
have to want to adjust and sometimes I
00:38:37
want to adjust but I don't want to
00:38:38
adjust all the time they're at the
00:38:40
moment she thinks I'm obsessed with
00:38:42
walking
00:38:43
and she's right of course what does she
00:38:47
um well she you mentioned before that
00:38:49
she was the one that got you got you
00:38:50
into it in the first place yeah that's
00:38:52
right she got me into it because the
00:38:54
teacher over to early got my son into a
00:38:57
different college and that's he said mum
00:39:00
will come along and he I'll guarantee
00:39:02
you a prize
00:39:03
and it was early early days for
00:39:06
Triathlon and they were in modern sports
00:39:08
they were the I think the first sport to
00:39:10
induce equal sizes for men and women and
00:39:13
they had the prices because
00:39:15
um the uh tobacco people were very keen
00:39:19
uh on sponsoring us whatever it was a
00:39:21
new sport and rossman's were quite a
00:39:24
sponsor I mean like Peter Snell he was
00:39:27
sponsored by Rossman so of course it was
00:39:29
a little embarrassment in a later life
00:39:30
but oh yeah Tobacco Company sponsored
00:39:33
everything didn't they yeah yeah
00:39:35
I mean I remember there's a as a young
00:39:38
boy I suppose in the 1980s like going to
00:39:40
cricket matches and it was Benson and
00:39:41
hedges everywhere yeah so she so she got
00:39:44
you into the sport and now does she sort
00:39:45
of regret it because you're obsessed
00:39:48
yeah
00:39:50
so she's traveling to London with you no
00:39:53
no no she's she she's watched she's
00:39:55
watched me she's watching our children
00:39:58
she's watched our grandchildren she's
00:40:00
done her her time on Earth Watching
00:40:02
others watching it to her family yeah so
00:40:06
anyone that's listening to this that's
00:40:08
um I suppose any age because you you
00:40:10
were such a late starter what would your
00:40:12
message be to then to someone that's
00:40:13
listening to this that doesn't do much
00:40:16
in the way of physical stuff at the
00:40:17
moment
00:40:18
well I think it's it's very much the the
00:40:20
old story of sliding doors if you see an
00:40:23
opportunity that you've got uh an
00:40:26
advantage in that you're better than
00:40:28
someone else I mean I suppose you've got
00:40:30
to be competitive try try it try it out
00:40:33
and just follow the advice from other
00:40:35
people who do that particular activity
00:40:37
which is really what I did yeah but do
00:40:39
you think that someone that's listening
00:40:41
to this that say
00:40:43
um yeah middle age that that hasn't done
00:40:45
any endurance sport do you think they
00:40:47
could any anyone could do a an Iron Man
00:40:49
or does it take a special sort of person
00:40:50
I don't think it takes a special sort of
00:40:53
person when I joined the Athletic Club
00:40:55
you know in my mid 50s I found that that
00:40:59
they sort of tailed off and I worked out
00:41:02
that there I was the only one who didn't
00:41:04
have joint or ankle knee problems
00:41:07
because I was fresh to the sport uh
00:41:10
because in those days there was no such
00:41:12
thing as running issues or something
00:41:14
when you went overseas you know so
00:41:16
perhaps I was lucky starting late yeah
00:41:19
and you know there's lots of people
00:41:20
who've done all their lives and but
00:41:23
there's also lots of people who start
00:41:24
late there's no one in one road yeah but
00:41:28
I suppose a lot of I mean you you
00:41:30
started in your late 50s but I suppose a
00:41:31
lot of people would be that age and
00:41:33
think oh I'm just too old to do that now
00:41:35
my moment's gone but you sort of defy
00:41:38
that which I think is remarkable yeah
00:41:40
yeah and there's a disadvantage of doing
00:41:42
it all the time I mean there's people
00:41:44
older than me or my same age and they've
00:41:48
given away because it's it's not a
00:41:50
challenge for them anymore I'm so lucky
00:41:53
it's a challenge
00:41:55
you just I like just like finishing
00:41:57
marathon it's just a big challenge yeah
00:41:59
yeah hey well um I I think you're
00:42:02
inspirational and I've seen you at
00:42:03
numerous running events and uh it's all
00:42:05
it's always great to see you out on the
00:42:06
road and it's um a long way that
00:42:08
continue but don't don't be scared of
00:42:10
going shorter though like you I felt
00:42:12
like you you sort of turned your nose up
00:42:14
before when I mentioned like half
00:42:15
marathons or 10ks but there's no shame
00:42:17
in those shorter instances is here oh no
00:42:19
no no I mean I did you know I've done
00:42:21
massive half of things as I said I'm
00:42:23
doing the 5K uh park run tomorrow
00:42:25
morning at eight o'clock so
00:42:28
no no not at all no no but but you know
00:42:32
we're doing triathlons of course I was
00:42:34
swimming and biking but uh you know I
00:42:37
find I'm not really excelling in those
00:42:39
Sports uh I have tunnel keeping warm in
00:42:42
the swim you know because yeah my age
00:42:44
your heart doesn't pump your blood
00:42:46
around so much and have thinners and
00:42:48
then biking you know I'm I'm less
00:42:51
confident now when I balance you know so
00:42:54
it was running is pretty safe so I think
00:42:56
I'll stick to that yeah oh good stuff
00:42:59
having said that I'm off to uh Abu Dhabi
00:43:02
in November to represent New Zealand and
00:43:05
trust them so oh [ __ ] actually
00:43:15
I don't know
00:43:16
20K bike and uh 5K run yeah yeah not not
00:43:22
in the grave yet no not at all it is
00:43:25
remarkable good for you do you yeah how
00:43:27
do you find the um the cycling
00:43:29
um at your age and balancing on a bike
00:43:31
balancing and I balancing and traffic I
00:43:35
mean living in Auckland yeah it's it's
00:43:37
growing I mean it
00:43:39
nowadays you know even after five years
00:43:41
went up to kumu uh in a car to watch my
00:43:44
children play football and I thought
00:43:47
geez there's more traffic on Saturday
00:43:48
morning now than there was five years
00:43:50
ago yeah
00:43:51
I've been consistent running I can do
00:43:54
well you've um you've had a couple of
00:43:57
bike crashes over the years yeah yeah
00:43:58
yeah right yeah and I'm also conscious
00:44:01
you know as my first surgeon said you
00:44:03
know if you go biking you will have
00:44:05
accidents you know yeah I mean even in
00:44:07
the recovery is I mean my wife's had a
00:44:10
knee replacement and her recovery has
00:44:13
been quite slow uh because she's my age
00:44:17
and I'm other conscious that if I have
00:44:19
another severe accident it'll it'll take
00:44:22
too long or maybe the search is I think
00:44:25
I'm not worth saving oh come on come on
00:44:28
so what were the bike accidents was it
00:44:31
like involving a motor vehicle or was it
00:44:33
just like a fall and you know the first
00:44:36
one involved a motor vehicle and this is
00:44:39
one that made me famous because it was I
00:44:43
very wisely had the bike accident at the
00:44:45
beginning of the National Bike Week and
00:44:48
they wanted to Television TV one wanted
00:44:51
to find someone who had an accident or
00:44:54
something rather so
00:44:57
suddenly North Shore hospitals saw a
00:44:59
camera crew
00:45:00
they interviewed me and it's got to be
00:45:03
you know the national news yeah
00:45:05
amazing amazing made me famous well
00:45:09
that's not the only thing that made me
00:45:10
famous I got went down to the new
00:45:12
Plymouth for a race for the national
00:45:15
championship and uh because I was I
00:45:17
think I was training for Iron Man in
00:45:19
that stage so I arranged to bike back
00:45:22
from New Plymouth after the Champs and
00:45:24
so I did the championship and before the
00:45:27
uh
00:45:28
rice the announcer he said oh anyone got
00:45:31
any stories about the races because he
00:45:33
was from Auckland and my son without
00:45:36
my knowledge or blessing went to him and
00:45:38
said oh your dad's gonna bike back to
00:45:41
Auckland
00:45:42
and so was it like 400 400 calories
00:45:47
and so he so he told me that so he put
00:45:52
it over there that's me and then the uh
00:45:55
those the president of Chinese was
00:45:58
coming down on Sunday morning for a race
00:46:00
racial on Saturday and he came down
00:46:03
through the hour Aquino Gorge and as he
00:46:05
was coming through he saw the cyclist
00:46:07
and he thought gee that looks like Garth
00:46:10
Buffett and and so that I can't be him
00:46:13
he's he's fighting any you know when he
00:46:17
got to leave Plymouth
00:46:19
yeah where's California
00:46:22
and then and then uh I was I said I'll
00:46:27
take the cell phone the cell phones were
00:46:28
quite unusual I didn't want to lose it I
00:46:30
put it in the bike uh in the back pocket
00:46:34
of my bicycle behind the seat and I
00:46:37
think I used it and then when I got to
00:46:39
the next stop I I lost it it kind of
00:46:42
bounced out the vibration
00:46:44
and so because it was supplied by work
00:46:47
because in those days all mobiles were
00:46:50
supplied by people's work so expensive
00:46:52
yeah it's quite expensive yes and so no
00:46:55
I had to go on the next work next day
00:46:57
and so I have to buy get a new cell
00:47:00
phone you see and so I said well I I
00:47:03
said I lost it where did you lose it I
00:47:05
don't know we're somewhere between uh
00:47:08
otorohana and tequery
00:47:13
so they've all went around the company
00:47:15
but it would have put them in quite easy
00:47:17
to find it Well I'm imagining one of
00:47:20
those books
00:47:21
I remember the um when phones first came
00:47:24
out they were very expensive to buy and
00:47:25
then calls were like a hundred dollars a
00:47:27
minute as well
00:47:29
yeah ridiculous amounts
00:47:33
what do you think what do you think
00:47:34
you're most proud of is it if you had to
00:47:36
pick one what are you more proud of like
00:47:37
the the stuff that you achieved in
00:47:38
business or the the stuff that you've
00:47:40
achieved in your Advanced years as an
00:47:42
athlete
00:47:43
well I I suppose I'm proud of them both
00:47:45
yeah of course yeah you know of course
00:47:48
you know I have to be proud that we've
00:47:50
you know the company's kept away from
00:47:51
scandals you know it's got a good name
00:47:54
yeah he's guiding about it but it has
00:47:57
you know and and then of course I'd
00:47:59
rather
00:48:00
please do you know that I've always
00:48:02
encouraged you know if you're keen on
00:48:04
something you encourage others that
00:48:06
comes naturally and just maybe you know
00:48:09
I've been able to system financially by
00:48:12
an example in case people into the sport
00:48:14
yeah how would you how would you like to
00:48:16
be remembered like when the time comes
00:48:18
if you become famous again you make the
00:48:20
news again what would you what would you
00:48:22
want them to say about you
00:48:24
well uh someone once died young a friend
00:48:28
of mine well I said mid-40s and I know
00:48:32
his brother said at the funeral well he
00:48:34
did more things in his in his short life
00:48:37
than lots of people doing a long life
00:48:38
and so I'd like to think well you know
00:48:41
his life wasn't wasted at least he did
00:48:44
lots of things really yeah most
00:48:46
different yeah well I think there's a
00:48:48
lot to offer so what's that life's got a
00:48:50
lot to offer yeah all these things I
00:48:52
mean it's like moving to a retirement
00:48:54
home and people think oh that's one foot
00:48:56
in the grave but it does give me an
00:48:59
opportunity to
00:49:00
it'd be like a new world for me well if
00:49:04
you're on the social side yeah yeah I
00:49:06
don't know quite what the challenges
00:49:07
will be because I'm not there yet I'm
00:49:10
sure I'll find something to occupy me so
00:49:13
is that the plan you're going to sell
00:49:15
the house that you've been in for your
00:49:16
entire married life and move into a
00:49:18
restaurant yeah but I've got to put the
00:49:19
order right
00:49:20
um it's this job when you've been in one
00:49:22
house 50 years and the children of
00:49:24
fledged the nurse you've got so much
00:49:26
space that you get in the habit of never
00:49:29
ever throwing away anything
00:49:30
[Laughter]
00:49:39
downsizing let's buy the unit without
00:49:42
selling the house and then after six
00:49:45
months or so we'll find out what we do
00:49:47
want yeah yeah and then we went what we
00:49:50
don't want give it away oh that's a
00:49:52
that's a great idea does she like the
00:49:53
idea
00:49:55
I think it's hard she's having trouble
00:49:57
getting it round yeah because most
00:49:59
people have to sell their houses lucky
00:50:01
position to be in nice I think um yeah I
00:50:04
think race time's a sort of I remember
00:50:06
yeah my granddad and my dad's side he
00:50:08
was in a rest home in Levin and it was
00:50:10
it was a one foot in the grave situation
00:50:12
then but I think they're quite nice now
00:50:13
like uh when I went to see uh Shelly at
00:50:16
his retirement village and Barry McGee
00:50:17
it's they're really nice and they're
00:50:19
really social I think for a social man
00:50:21
like yourself I think you'd love the
00:50:22
environment yeah so what Retirement
00:50:24
Village is Australian oh I'd have to
00:50:26
look it up on my phone it was a
00:50:27
beautiful one though and he had a great
00:50:28
time in lockdown there and yeah Barry
00:50:30
man is another so Peter Helberg one who
00:50:33
was his old mate oh okay yeah there's
00:50:35
even a wing in there called The Barry
00:50:36
McGee Wing which he doesn't live in okay
00:50:40
no they're good they're great they go
00:50:42
and play balls and Bridge and yeah I
00:50:44
think you'd love it oh hey well Kenneth
00:50:46
barfoot thank you very much for coming
00:50:48
around and being on the podcast
00:50:49
um what a lie a hell of a life
00:50:52
you're a man of integrity I think that's
00:50:54
one thing that people would say about
00:50:55
you yeah well I'm talking about
00:50:56
integrity I didn't like the way that you
00:50:58
said you could park in New World because
00:51:01
I sort of thought well hang on I'm not
00:51:04
buying anything if you do well I'm not
00:51:06
that I don't like well actually I
00:51:08
passionate new world at Chelsea
00:51:11
birkenhead
00:51:13
so I I didn't feel I feel a new world
00:51:17
fan but not a new world customer for
00:51:20
this area and I thought oh I can't pack
00:51:22
there I might get stopped it's like you
00:51:25
know a politicism getting stopped coming
00:51:27
out of a gentleman's cup at Club
00:51:30
I'll be remembered for illegally parking
00:51:33
a new world car park
00:51:36
if it makes you God if it makes you feel
00:51:38
any better I'll walk you there now and
00:51:40
I'll buy a pack of chewing gum awesome
00:51:42
so I thought no I'll I'll come I'll
00:51:46
change it into my walking clothes so I
00:51:48
can walk from a car park yeah yeah yeah
00:51:50
I don't know my friends got a phrase it
00:51:52
says the Lord will provide so I come
00:51:54
outside and you wouldn't believe it I've
00:51:56
got a park in Victoria Street oh yeah
00:52:00
the risk was too great oh
00:52:04
have you no what's this what's this one
00:52:06
thing you know people get known if you
00:52:08
become famous you get one known for you
00:52:11
know like Mary Antoinette said once said
00:52:12
let them eat cake you know she's famous
00:52:14
for that what does that saying mean let
00:52:17
the meat yeah oh it was a mark for the
00:52:19
poor people that were struggling with
00:52:21
the price of beds they can buy Cake you
00:52:23
know yeah what's
00:52:27
um what's the worst thing you've done
00:52:30
I don't know
00:52:33
if you're nervous to park in a new World
00:52:37
Cup when you're not a shopping there
00:52:38
like it must have been when I was in the
00:52:41
third form
00:52:42
what what should Now call a bully it so
00:52:45
annoyed me that I punched him
00:52:49
because these days I'll be charged with
00:52:51
myself yeah
00:52:54
well hopefully hopefully the um yeah the
00:52:56
13 year old that you bullied um 75 years
00:52:59
ago was dead man
00:53:02
well it happened I mean look at the uh
00:53:06
the the uh because the one the
00:53:08
Christchurch one
00:53:10
um
00:53:11
Deputy leader at one stage of the
00:53:13
national party uh Jerry Bradley yeah
00:53:15
Jared Brownlee yeah and he someone
00:53:18
people came up and turned out that when
00:53:20
he was at school a pupil of you know
00:53:22
they he uh Jay brownie put tennis balls
00:53:26
in his mouth to stop him talking in
00:53:28
class
00:53:29
she must have must have had a big mouth
00:53:34
[Laughter]
00:53:41
and it's been a pleasure to sit down
00:53:43
with you today and um yeah it's it's a
00:53:46
life of Integrity as we said before and
00:53:48
um the things that you've done
00:53:50
um I I think I I don't think you could
00:53:54
probably imagine the amount of people
00:53:55
that you've inspired with your athletic
00:53:57
achievements and the endurance sport as
00:54:00
a senior citizen and I'm pleased that my
00:54:01
my cup of coffee didn't kill you
00:54:05
oh you didn't finish it almost all right
00:54:08
well thank you very much for coming on
00:54:09
the podcast I really appreciate it
00:54:11
you're a great New Zealander thank you
00:54:12
thanks very much for listening all the
00:54:14
way through to Runners only with dom
00:54:15
Harvey and Garth barfoot 85 years old
00:54:18
just about to do the London Marathon I
00:54:21
really hope you guys enjoyed that if you
00:54:22
did by all means give the podcast a
00:54:24
rating wherever you get your podcast
00:54:25
from or if your podcast platform allows
00:54:28
it write a review as well I don't know
00:54:30
what that stuff does but apparently it
00:54:32
all helps hey thank you so much for
00:54:33
being here really appreciate it
00:54:35
appreciate all your feedback and
00:54:37
correspondence as well you can message
00:54:38
me on Instagram Dom Harvey NZ or by
00:54:41
email domharvey NZ gmail.com love you
00:54:44
guys catch you next week
