Alan Sharp and his right-hand man Neil Quinlan have volunteered together since 1986. Photo: Jesse Wood
As the gates open on another Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Jesse Wood talks to a man who keeps things flowing.
Fieldays life member Alan Sharp has been serving as a volunteer since 1969 – and this year is the water and toilet expert’s swan song.
Alan Sharp is flanked by Hirepool’s Murray Stewart and John Smyth who first started heading to the Fieldays site in 1991. Photo: Jesse Wood
For his first two years, Sharp was involved with the Town and Country Fair at the Te Rapa Racecourse. Then came the move to Mystery Creek in Waipā in 1971.
Sharp, 80, is listening to his knees and has decided to put down his tools following this year’s event.
“The mind is willing, but the body is not,” Sharp said. “It’s time to do some other things on my bucket list.
“Last year was about my biggest year ever. I was on-site for 54 days over three months. Over 300 hours of voluntary hours work.
“I’m also on call at my farm, so I don’t suit the roster system very well because I might turn up an hour late and work two hours later.”
Sharp knows everything there is to know about the water, tanks, pipes and on-site toilets – as well as the 100-odd, imported individual “plastic loos”.
“There’s about 20 permanent toileting sites that public have access to. When we’ve got 40,000 people here, you’ve got to cater for over 300 people to be able to hit a toilet at once.”
Farming spans generations for the Sharp family. His father Ronald invented the herringbone cowshed in 1952.
“The land I farm in Gordonton – our family has been farming since 1906 – I’m the third generation. Unlike my father, I couldn’t milk cows for any length of time because my skin’s too dry. So, I went bull beef farming
“May and June are the times of the year when the farm nearly hibernates. I had time to get involved in voluntary work that I didn’t have to be too involved with the rest of the year.
“I belonged to some of the young farmer’s clubs and that’s how it began.”
Sharp said the event originally followed the Ruakura Fieldays. The first three days of the week were the Ruakura event, then the national event took place for the next three.
“After the move from Te Rapa, we started coming out here in May 1971, jumping on tractors, rolling out fences, doing whatever was needed.
After 58 years, this will be Sharp’s last Fieldays event. Photo: Jesse Wood
“From the 1980s, I gradually took over the role of supervising water and toilet needs from some of the committee members and founding members.”
Sharp’s right-hand man and longtime friend Neil Quinlan joined the water team in 1986.
Quinlan installs three kilometres of temporary piping each Fieldays, among many other annual jobs.
“Neil and I deal with over 100 water requests each year. From people wanting to waterblast or provide tea and coffee in their tents or even full-fledged restaurants in marquees that need water,” Sharp said.
“That’s part of our job – getting them temporary water supply and to get grey and black water off site.”
In 2009 he was recognised with Fieldays life membership and in 2022, the John Kneebone Award as 2021 volunteer of the year.
“You don’t go and volunteer 300 hours of your life unless you can see what you think is a good purpose for having done so. But what brings us back, year after year, is the camaraderie,” Sharp said.
Alan Sharp and his right-hand man Neil Quinlan have volunteered together since 1986. Photo: Jesse Wood
