Wayne Doyle has been competing at the Waimate Caledonian Society's Caledonian sports day since he was 15 years old.
Mr Doyle (52), a Timaru masters decathlete, competed in every athletics event at the 140th Waimate Caledonian Games on Saturday - and as the afternoon rolled on, he was one of the few competitors in the allcomers' caber toss about 2pm who could turn the caber over for a valid throw.
‘‘It's all technique, that one; it's not the biggest guys, it's the speed that does it,'' he said.
Not all the competitors were training for their next decathlon at the games - athletes of all sorts and ages filled Victoria Park.
Events had changed over the years, Mr Doyle said. He came when woodcutters were a highlight, before the event had hit its stride with inline speed skating.
‘‘Waimate's still a highlight of my summer, to come and compete in events like this,'' Mr Doyle said.
‘‘It's still a nice, fun day out.''
Highland dancing and piping shared the stage with the athletics, speed skating and cycling events. Numbers were down this year due to conflicting events, the society's secretary, Bernie Blackgrove, said.
Only 57 cyclists, including children, competed on Saturday.
The crowd - estimated to be under 300 - was also disappointing, but with rain the previous night, she said many in the area would not have expected the ‘‘beautiful'' 25degC weather the games were held in.
The society took pleasure in the long-standing Waimate Caledonian Games, Mrs Blackgrove said.
‘‘We do take a bit of pride.''
And this year, Mrs Blackgrove, in her first year as secretary, said it was important to honour the long-serving society members who had contributed to the Waimate Caledonian Games.
Winnie Todd had been the secretary for the previous 28 years before she died in November 2015.
The inaugural Winnie Todd Memorial Cup for Best Wearing of the Kilt was awarded to India McLay, of Oamaru, after the highland dancing concluded on Saturday.
