After 54 years at Minnipa, including 11 as chairman of the District Council of Le Hunte, Murray Gerschwitz and his wife are leaving the town for Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula.
Mr Gerschwitz, 77, is a life member of nine organisations and has been a member of many more.
Mr Gerschwitz moved to Minnipa from where he grew up at Yantanabie on March 1, 1955, quickly followed by wife Colleen, 74, on September 7 the same year, when they were married.
They share farmed at the property about 10km west of Minnipa until 1964, when they bought it.
The Gerschwitzes became involved in many local sporting groups, with Mr Gerschwitz serving 12 years as president of the Minnipa Football Club and nine years as president of the Upper Eyre Peninsula Bowling Association.
He is also currently treasurer of the Minnipa Bowling Club and has been greenkeeper there since it started.
“I’ve sort of been supporting that since it started up,” he said.
“It’s a sport I can play and I enjoy and it’s been good for us.
“I’ve been successful for many years, played at the highest level for the Eyre Peninsula, round robins and association matches.”
Mr Gerschwitz was a councillor from 1968 to 1993, including two stints as chairman from 1977-1979 and 1982-1991, equalling the 11 years of William Wilkins.
Mr Gerschwitz holds life memberships in the Agricultural Bureau, the CFS, the Minnipa Bowling Club, the Upper Eyre Peninsula Bowling Association, Region 5 bowls, Bowls SA, Minnipa Football Club, the Mid West Football League and the Order of Australia association – he was awarded an OAM in 1996 and has been a Justice of the Pearce since 1964.
Mr Gerschitz said his father Herbert, who started farming at Cungena in 1914, gave him his attitude to life.
“I suppose my father probably instilled it in us,” he said.
“He said (that) if a place is worth living in it’s worth working for, and if a job’s worth doing do it well and I’ve always sort of endeavoured to do that.
“I’ve always taken that attitude even with the farm and we fairly well recognised around the area.”
Gerschwitz’s son Graeme’s recent moved to Jamestown confirmed their move to the Yorke Peninsula to be closer to them.
“I’ll miss the farming. It’s in your blood,” Mr Gerschwitz said.
“It’s something that you’ll never lose, but Graeme said he’d had enough and he wanted to try something different.”
Minnipa Progress Association chairman Bernie Haskamp said the Gerschwitzes would be missed.
“He’s done a lot of work here,” Mr Haskamp said.
“He’s been here a long time, 50 years. He started at the bowling club and he’s been involved in just about everything.
“They’re very community minded, Murray and Colleen.
“We’ll probably miss him because he’s done a lot of work. He’s still doing it now on his way out.”
Current Wudinna District Council chairman Tim Scholz said Mr Gerschwitz left the area with a strong council.
“While Murray finished long before I was involved he was very passionate about representing his community, which he did very strongly and gave up a lot of his time to local government so not too many people have been for as long a time and served the community as much,” Cr Scholz said.
The Gerschwitzes are still hoping to see friends from the Eyre Peninsula.
“We’ll no doubt come back now and then,” Mr Gerschwitz said.
“Once you leave you need to get back into a new lot of friends.
“We’re hoping people going to Adelaide will drop in and have a cup of tea.”
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