He has no intention of retiring, however, and is continuing to work at the Wynyard St business for new owners Tony and Sarah Green. Mr Green describes his new employee as a "Kurow icon''.
Mr Appleby joined his father, Barker Appleby, in the business after he left school. The first Applebys had moved into the district in 1896.
That was followed by stints working in Australia and Papua New Guinea, where his jobs ranged from fixing cars and making water pumps to shooting snakes and working on coffee and tea plantations.
He and his wife, Vivien - whom he met when she was teaching in Kurow - then travelled around the world, visiting 53 countries, before returning to the Waitaki Valley at the end of 1973 and entering into a partnership with his father.
"We've been here ever since, four kids later; poverty, destitute, all those sorts of things. I'm still here,'' he said this week.
Versatility was an important attribute working in a country garage and he had fixed everything from children's toys to Caterpillar tractors.
Technology had changed over the years but "cars are still cars and they've still got four wheels and require services'', he said.
There had been a lot of laughs over the years.
"People come in and have a laugh and lighten up. Life becomes too starchy and that's not me,'' he said.
With no longer having the responsibility of owning a business, Mr Appleby was looking forward to having some more time off to indulge his interests in vintage cars and motorcycles, hunting and fishing.
He still plays squash, although he fell of his motorcycle recently and his knee was "feeling the pinch'' so he was working on getting it back into shape.
He has also been gearing up for the duck-shooting season, much to the delight of his dog, Preto, which knew something was "up'' when he got the decoys out.
"We're partners in crime. We never go far from each other,'' he said.
