ARendelsham farmlet fronting the Southern Ports Highway has recently been purchased off-market by a local doctor.

The vendors of the dwelling, 65 acres and livestock were lifelong locals Garth and Shirley Huppatz and they are moving to Millicent.

At the age of 85, Mr Huppatz felt it was an appropriate time to retire after scaling down his farming operations in recent years.

In addition to farming, Mr Huppatz has been prominent in such community organisations as the Rendelsham Hall Committee and the Millicent Show Society and was an enthusiastic supporter of the now-closed Millicent saleyards.

An on-farm clearing sale was held last week and keen interest was shown in a vintage 1956 Massey Ferguson tractor.

Mr Huppatz suspects it was made in France and was purchased new from a dealer in Millicent.

“It belonged to my father Martin Huppatz and he died at the age of 54,” Mr Huppatz said.

“There is a lot of specialist cattle handling equipment for sale which we had used when we had a cattle stud.

“We had the South Devon supreme champion at the Royal Adelaide Show in the 1980s.”

Although he has mixed feelings about packing up and leaving the farm, Mr Huppatz is ready for living in Millicent.

“I reckon I will only be a five-minute daily walk from the post office,” he said.