Benefits Of Country Life A Hobbyhorse For The Hodders

Sun Herald

Sunday August 22, 2004

By DENIS GREGORY

KEVIN and Camille Hodder gave up their regular jobs in Sydney and moved to a farm in the country to turn a part-time pastime breeding harness racing horses into a full-time hobby.

And while they are getting their share of winners, they are enjoying a much slower lifestyle.

Mr Hodder said that besides their love of horses, they had always had an interest in moving to the country.

"We liked city life but it had worn a bit thin and we wanted to take things easier," he said. "Living on a farm is totally different to the hustle and bustle of Sydney."

For 20 years, Mr Hodder was marketing manager for a Frenchs Forest pharmaceutical company. Mrs Hodder worked at Harold Park for the NSW Harness Racing Club for 28 years and was secretary to the chief executive officer.

Their 40-hectare farm, near the old gold mining village of Alectown, between Parkes and Peak Hill, has 360-degree views of the countryside, which includes the Parkes radio telescope.

The Hodders have a 12-hectare paddock sown to lucerne for their own use and the horses have the run of the rest.

Their small brick and aluminium house is about 25 years old. It is open plan with a combined lounge, dining and kitchen area, one bedroom and a sunroom.

They have carried out minor renovations and intend to add to it later.

They have also built a one-bedroom dwelling on the property for visitors, with living area, kitchen, bathroom and laundry.

The original farmhouse, still there, is about 100 years old and the Hodders have plans one day to carry out a restoration.

Mr Hodder said they selected the Parkes district to buy a farm because they had visited the town to race their horses and liked it and its people. "Four years ago we decided to go into semi-retirement, leave Sydney and breed a few horses," he said. "I owned pacers when we lived in Sydney and we had good success racing mainly fillies. When they matured we retired them to a breeding program.

"The horses were trained at Bathurst and raced in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne so we did a good deal of travelling. Our horse In A Whisper won 28 races from 48 starts."

Other horses bred by the Hodders include Albert Aralar, a recent Gold Coast winner, and Burrell, winner of the 2002 Bathurst Gold Crown.

The Hodders say selling a couple of horses every year helps pay the bills because the costs of running a small farm can be high, particularly in the present drought.

Mr Hodder said when living 25 kilometres from town, they needed to make adjustments. "We can only get to town two or three times a week so you can't read the papers every day, although we have TV and radio," he said.

"But we love the peace and quiet, we are in a picturesque part of the world and we love waking up every morning to the magnificent views."

The Hodders lived at Birrong, in the south-west of Sydney, and Mr Hodder had an 80-kilometre trip to and from work, which he said became a nightmare because of traffic.

Mrs Hodder said she was the farm manager when her husband wasn't there. "After we came here I seemed to have more to do than in Sydney. There doesn't seem enough hours in the day," she said.

> AT A GLANCE

Who Kevin and Camille Hodder.

What Moved from Sydney to a small farm at Alectown, between Parkes and Peak Hill.

Why To get into a more peaceful environment. They are breeding horses for a hobby, which has almost become full-time.

When About three years ago.

Pros A slower lifestyle that you can keep up with.

Cons You only get to town two or three times a week and miss the daily newspapers.

Advice People considering investing in country property should check out the lifestyle and the people before they make the move.

© 2004 Sun Herald

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