Lynda Snell was commenting on the celebration of 50 years of agricultural education at the facility, set up by her husband, Rod, who died in an accident in 1976.
The former Feilding Agricultural High School teacher had many visitors keen to hear of his plans for a farm institute when he arrived at Balclutha 1964, she said.
''He would have loved that it is carrying on; it was his dream to have it a part of the education department as a polytech of agriculture _ and that happened.''
The first intake of 11 students in May 1965 boarded on campus in the stone house built in 1869.
Telford, now a division of Lincoln University, offers level 2 to 5 training in agriculture, with 120 students on the Balclutha campus at one time.
The Balclutha campus represents 10% of its work nationally. It serves between 4000 and 6000 students across the country.
Teachers work with 163 high schools through broadcast studios on site that allow video conferencing with remote schools. Lincoln University chancellor Tom Lambie said the weekend was about ''celebrating the past'' and ''rejoicing in the present''.
''We're also really, really looking forward to the future.''
About 200 registered for the Friday evening reception. Saturday was a day of tours, dinner and dancing. Telford organised a ''walk down memory lane'' yesterday.
- The reunion cake pictured was made by Cathy Haar, of Balclutha.
