In March 1948 I applied for Record of Performance (R.O.P) dairy inspector as I was getting arthritis in my knees and shoulders. For the first few years, I traveled all over Ontario inspecting milk records and yearly production rates and doing sample testing for butterfat. During the last few years of this job, I traveled in a smaller zone. In 1952, I again applied for the job, accepted and stayed on until retirement in 1966. I then returned to farming full-time until my heart attack at which time Hilda and I sold the farm (for $45,000) and bought a house in Gorrie.

My travels have taken me into 39 countries and it was a pleasure to visit them.

I well remember my first experience of hearing about politics. There was an election. I don’t know what one. I was one of the smaller boys. The bigger boys from west of school seemed to be rooting for the Grits and the boys from east of school were rooting for the Tories. Being from the west of school, I joined up with the Grits. I remember the arguments about the virtues of both parties. One of the slogans was: “The Grits live in glory and the Tories live in grease”.

The Farrish family has always been interested in Public Life. Grandpa Farrish was a member of Ashfield Council and my dad was also a member of council and Reeve of Ashfield Township in 1926. I was elected to Howick Township Council and served for six years, two of those as Deputy Reeve and then became Reeve of Howick Township in 1949 for one year, attending Huron County Council meetings, enjoying the work and making many friends.

In 1978 I published a book called Then and Now, The Changing Times of Rural Ontario and Howick Township in the Twentieth Century.