"It is a game of intense frustration interspersed with intensely rewarding moments which keep you going."
And not many have kept going as long as the 72-year-old.
He is a resilient bugger. You have to be to survive a sport in which failures amass in great numbers on the border separating confidence and self-doubt.
He has leaned on that tenacity through a lifetime of cricket experiences which have all been at his beloved North East Valley club.
Johnston, who is chairman of the club, was a very decent player in his day and played into his 50s which is a remarkable story in itself.
But it was his work behind the scene which resulted in the long-serving stalwart being awarded the Gordon McGregor Trophy for services to cricket at the Otago Cricket Association community awards recently.
While having his work acknowledged was a nice surprise, he was also a little embarrassed by it.
"It is never really just about one person is it? Sports administration is a team activity.
"I’d like to acknowledge the support I’ve had from quite a special group of people who share my values and my goals as far as cricket is concerned."
His own contribution, though, has been immense.
Johnston joined the management committee in the mid-1970s and served in several roles including assistant secretary and selector.
He took some time out during the 1980s and 1990s but returned in 2003 after an inspiring chat with the late Ken Laing.
Johnston was elected as secretary and the following season moved into the role of chairman and president.
He has put plenty of energy into building the strength of the club.
"We have four basic principles which we operate around. They are to support your junior club; run a decent coaching programme; have a strong financial base and recruit like mad."
To that end, Johnston has helped build the club from three senior teams to five. Valley’s financial position is sound and Johnston was instrumental in helping bring the likes of Travis Muller and Adam Miles to the club to play but also coach younger players.
Giving back to the sport he loves has been enormously rewarding. Johnston was an administrator at the University of Otago for 46 years and having a focus during retirement has been a positive influence.
"I’d recommend it to anyone who is facing that transition because it is not as easy as you think. From that point of view it has been a bit of a life-saver to have that motivation.
"And of course it is wide-ranging and quite challenging. It has been fun."
Johnston served on the Dunedin Cricket Association committee for more than a decade and was made a life member of the North East Valley Cricket Club in 2008.
He joined Valley after leaving high school and played cricket into his 50s.
He was a solid batsman and handy bowler in his day. He helped guide North East Valley to its first senior banner in the summer of 1976-77 and was part of talented top order which featured Wayne and Bruce Blair.
The biggest change Johnston has noticed during his long involvement in the game is people do not stay involved in cricket as long as they used to.
"That was certainly the thing which struck me when I first came back into administration.
"What has been different for us is we have managed to attract a number of older players back to the club and these are guys who pull their weight.
"But I get it [why people leave the game earlier]. The social environment has changed a lot.
"It is no longer acceptable, as it was in my day, to walk out on the wife and leave her with three children every Saturday at mid-morning and come back in the evening.
"I understand that and I confess, that if I had my time over again, I might not have done what I did which was stay in the game."
