ONE of South East Cornwall’s best-known figures is marking his 50th year in business.

It was in the winter of 1967 that young Eric Distin left school to start his first job with Kittows in Callington. He’d got the bug being taken around farm auctions by his father, where he was encouraged to raise his hand to bid.

His master at Plymouth College had told him he was a fool to choose to become an auctioneer rather than go to university - but ’that made me even more determined.

’In my first week I spent a day putting up sheep hurdles in a field at Callington: the sheep sale was the next day and the sheep used to be brought in on foot in those days. It was an interesting shock to the system.’

Despite the gloomy advice of his schoolmaster, in 2017 Mr Distin marks half a century as a chartered surveyor and auctioneer.

He says: ‘It’s a very different world - but it has been enjoyable, that’s the great thing about it.’

Mr Distin gained his professional qualifications as a chartered surveyor while with Kittows, with whom he became a partner in 1973.

In 1982, he went into business on his own and the Distin name has become known across Devon and Cornwall as a valuation and auction house in the 35 years since.

Much has changed.

‘What used to happen was that when people died you’d have the auction of their house or cottage followed by the sale of the contents, but that can’t happen these days because of security. That’s been a sea change.

‘Estate agency has changed for us. I wanted to be able to concentrate on the valuation work so that has reduced.

‘And there are little quirks: for example, under Victorian firearms legislation one could carry a shotgun on the Underground, which seems a strange thing these days.

‘Back in the 1970s, when we were having difficulties with the nation’s gold reserves, we had to be licensed by the Bank of England to be a gold auctioneer and could only sell a certain amount to an individual buyer.’

But other aspects of business life have remained stable. Fortnightly sales are still held at Eric Distin in New Road, Callington - ‘I still enjoy that’ - and the challenges of valuation remain interesting and enjoyable. Mr Distin specialises in RICS Homebuyers surveys and valuations, and housing association valuations.

Mr Distin has been involved in the life of the community for the past 50 years.

He was a founder member of the old Caradon District Council and its chairman from 1991-1993. Under this chairmanship, the authority successfully negotiated Liskeard’s eastern relief road. He was also the youngest 20th century Mayor of Saltash when he served from 1978-79.

He has been involved in the Abbeyfield charity, caring for elderly people, for more than 45 years.

And for the same period of time, he has been church organist at St Mary’s in Botus Fleming, where he and his wife Helen live and farm their South Devon suckler herd.

’It’s an unusual thing to have achieved 50 years these days,’ he says, ‘because back in the 70s and 80s so many firms were becoming part of multiples. It’s good to have remained independent.

‘I’ve no plans for retirement because I still enjoy what Im doing.’