The 78-year-old planner and property developer first retired at 75, but found he was not quite ready. He is now.
''Yeah, I've had enough. I'm definitely ready to go. I'm not going to miss it now.''
Mr Johnston began his working life as a cadet surveyor in 1952 with N & E S Paterson, for whom he worked for 20 years.
He went into private practice with Don Hatfield in 1975, when they built the Glasgow St offices Mr Johnston moved out of at the weekend.
Through his career as a surveyor and then town planner, Mr Johnston and his firm worked as a consultant to the majority of southern local authorities until local government re-organisation in 1987.
He recalls working with the former Queenstown, Arrowtown Borough and Lake County Council on developing the infrastructure of a burgeoning Lakes district, with the Cromwell Borough Council on planning the new town required as a result of hydro-electric development, and with the Wallace County Council, which covered western Southland, on planning Te Anau and the rural communities.
He worked on three plans for Milford Sound, none of which came to fruition.
All the while, he remained based in Mosgiel travelling to where he was doing planning work.
''We became quite familiar with the way to Cromwell. You can ask my wife [Beverley] about that.''
During his career he has also developed property in Mosgiel, notably the Silverton subdivision, and still has commercial property interests.
A former rugby player, coach, and office bearer, now he is retired he plans to be on the Taieri sideline every Saturday during the season, and he plans to learn a few new things.
''My wife thinks she's going to teach me to cook.''
