Many in agriculture mourned the passing of David Macintyre, “Halloween”, Scone, on August 30, after a long illness.

The son of Captain David Hamilton Macintyre, “Kayuga”, Muswellbrook, and Di (nee Moore), of England.  

Mr Macintyre attended Kayuga Public School, Tudor House and The King’s School, graduating in 1942. 

Born in the house at “Kayuga”, he was the youngest of three, with elder siblings Susan and Bridget (Bud).

Mr Macintyre married Susie Scales, “Inveraray”, Cassilis, in 1961. 

The 1619-hectare “Kayuga” was a dairy and beef cattle property, and in 1973, Mr Macintyre was among early pioneers of artificial insemination as, after studying dairy cattle bloodlines extensively, he visited England to obtain the very best. 

A steward for many years at the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS), Mr Macintyre from 1977 first served on the RAS as a councillor and then as vice-president until 2005. 

He was very committed to the RAS and served on both the horse and agriculture committees.

Mr Macintyre served on the committee of the Upper Hunter Amateur Picnic Races.  

He was also a life member of the Scone Race Club and long-time race day judge. 

He was also on the Shortland County Council and the Pasture and Protection Board, to name a few.

He was a councillor on the Scone Shire for many years and then shire president for nine years. During this time he was instrumental in many infrastructure projects. 

For example, the development of the suburb of Satur in Scone and the advanced sewerage system in Aberdeen.  

Also the replacement of many of the numerous wooden bridges in the shire. 

He also served on the State Advisory Board for the CSIRO, a pursuit he was particularly interested in.

He played polo from his early twenties and gained much enjoyment from the game. 

He was one of three life directors of the NSW Polo Association.

His great grandfather Donald Macintyre founded both the Muswellbrook and Scone Polo Clubs in 1890 and 1891 respectively, with the recently-run tournament the Donald Macintyre Cup presented by his daughter Nicola O’Driscoll. 

Nicola is the youngest of three, with older brothers Hamish, of “Redbank”, and Duncan, of “Invermien”. 

Noted for his dry wit and generous spirit, Mr Macintyre was modest about his considerable accomplishments. 

He loved social occasions and travelling with Susie and friends.  

He took up golf in his fifties and had many years of enjoyment from the game.  

He reinstituted the Kayuga Cup which is held at the Muswellbrook Golf Club, that his great grandfather had started many years before.

He delighted in his grandchildren and enjoyed a close rapport with them all.

Mr Macintyre had a reputation as a very astute and capable cattleman, insisting during his lifetime that cattle be worked on horseback, and in his earlier days, perfecting the art of hay-making. 

He had a deep connection to the Upper Hunter not only for agricultural enterprises; further, he had abiding love for the landscape.

He relished tradition and celebrating the family’s Celtic heritage; founding the Upper Hunter Pipes and Drums which wore the Macintyre tartan. 

He was the first “Chieftain of the Day” of the Aberdeen Highland Games held on the first Saturday of July each year.

As a true gentleman he observed and appreciated niceties – although he held firm opinions on local, regional and national issues, Mr Macintyre was usually more eager to listen than talk, with a knack of putting people at ease. 

An accomplished pilot he would fly as often as he could.

He flew up to northern Queensland numerous times and around Australia in 1988.

Mr Macintyre was especially close to his sister, the late Bud Hyem, and took a particular interest in youth equestrian activities as a result of the family’s ties to the Olympic discipline of eventing.

Mrs Hyem, of “Kibah”, Gunnedah, died aged 81 in March 2014.

As the duties of public life diminished, Mr Macintyre was a relatively private person, content to frequently host family and friends at the 486-hectare beef grazing property “Halloween”.

In a moving tribute at Mr Macintyre’s memorial service at St Luke’s Anglican Church in Scone, grandson Hector Macintyre, of “Invermien”, Scone, said “play hard” was a maxim he was imbued with as a result of his grandfather.

“My grandad was an extremely generous and loving person, especially to his family; he was very fond of his grandchildren and was extremely proud of us all. 

“He took great interest in our efforts in and out of school,” Hector said.

“He would always throw a joke in that would brighten your day. 

“I learnt many things from grandad like manners, how to work in agriculture and how to be a good bloke.

“You could always take something from his words. 

“He spoke with great meaning,” he said.

“The last words grandad ever said to me was ‘play hard’ before I played in the 16a’s against Joeys. “Those words helped drive me to play an awesome game. 

“In fact, our whole team played awesomely, we all put a great deal of effort in, but the end score was 19-6 Joey’s way,” he said.

“In our team meeting our coach said he’d never been happy about losing, but on that day he was, because we all played so hard. 

“It just showed that if you play hard, like grandad said, you will have nothing to be sorry about, even if you lose. 

“Hard work is the key to living a life, knowing that to put it all in, and you lived it well; just like grandad.”

Mr Macintyre is survived by beloved wife Susie, children Hamish and wife Philippa, Duncan and wife Jill, and Nicola and husband Tony O’Driscoll as well as Wally and Toby Scales; sons by affection, and grandchildren David, Peter, Angus, Richard, and Georgina, Hector and Florence, Lucy and Sophia Scales, and Lachlan and Harriett Scales.