Mr Fagan was just six years old when he came to Bathurst to attend boarding school at All Hallows College.

He spent six years there, then boarded at St Stanislaus’ College for another six. His family had a property at Mandurama.

Because of work on the property the family never went away on holidays. John said it didn’t matter because just coming home from boarding school was enough for him. 

“I loved being at home,” he said. 

“As we got older we used to work with the men on the property and they taught me a hell of a lot,” Mr Fagan said.

“Because of that, in my life I have never thought of myself as better than anyone else. 

“We would go out in the truck with them for the day. Most of them had worked on properties their whole life. 

“It was a great part of my life working with these blokes on the property.”

When he was older he worked on the cattle property. He said he wasn’t a very good horse rider when he arrived, but he became one because he had to start riding right away. 

“One guy taught us so much about stock – you can’t buy that kind of education,” Mr Fagan said.

When he finished his schooling at Stannies he went to Agricultural College in Gatton, Queensland.

He said he met some magnificent guys up there and had a terrific time. They are still mates.

“They were probably the best two years of my life, playing footy and cricket,” he said.

He and his wife Helen were married in 1977 and left the farm in 1978. 

“I left home with $60 in my pocket,” he said, shaking his head.

The couple went to Sydney where Mr Fagan drove cabs, worked in pubs and eventually started his own handyman business. In 1980 they left Sydney and headed up the coast to Port Macquarie where Helen gave birth to their son Tim. Later two daughters Anna and Natalie were born. 

Mr Fagan started his own fencing business. At the time he was building fences in a lot of the new subdivisions in the rapidly expanding town. 

“Helen said to me ‘these agents do all right. I reckon you could do that job’,” Mr Fagan laughed. “In 1982 I applied for a job with an agent in French’s Forest and got it. It had been advertised in The Land because he wanted country fellows.

“I worked for Stewart Upton Real Estate for three years and then started up Stewart Upton Real Estate at Hornsby, working there for the next three and a half years.”

The couple moved to Bathurst in 1988 when Mr Fagan started with Elders. 

He said one of the highlights was getting the Mount Pleasant Estate up and running and marketing it. 

He bought a cleaning business next, and became the first person in Bathurst with a truck mounted carpet cleaning machine.

Mr Fagan did that for a couple of years, during which time he cleaned carpets for a lot of the local real estate agents. 

He got to know Matt Clifton, a partner at Raine and Horne, and when Bob and Helen Slade decided to sell their share in the business in August 1991, he bought it. 

“Matt and I have been partners ever since,” Mr Fagan said.

He retired at the end of June and he and Helen hit the road for Queensland, visiting old friends along the way.

Helen didn’t think John would do well in full retirement so they bought Watermart as a family business. 

“We understand it’s a big learning curve, but we are willing to take the challenge on,” Mr Fagan said.

The family will take ownership of the business on October 1. 

Graham Waddell will remain at Watermart and Ralph Hendriksen, the current owner, will be on hand for at least two months to show them the ropes and give advice.

“I feel I’m too young to not do anything,” Mr Fagan said.