About Fencer Fred...

Stephen Aspden

Fencer Fred is a pen name for Stephen D Aspden, who was born into a family of nine children at Wairoa, a small town on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island in 1952.

He grew up being active in sports to avoid working in the family's car-wrecking and repair business. Around fourteen years of age he began farm fencing and has never really stopped, even during the eight years he spent teaching at primary schools.

From back country East Coast pumice soiled hills, through Waipukurau's rolling country and up to the peat-lands of the Waikato, Fencer Fred learned his craft at building conventional, electric, rail fences and assisted in the construction of many sheep, dairy and cattle yards.

Enriching his fencing knowledge were the observations made on the numerous visits to Australia, America and Canada.

Having increasing anxiety at seeing two generations not having the opportunity, or the inclination, to learn farm fencing on the "one-to-one" basis as he had done, and discovering there are very few resources for the teaching of fencing... he felt compelled to bring his two life's experiences together... hence this first book, in what he hopes will become a series.

Other titles he plans to write are:

• Hand-Made Electric Farm Fence... #952
• Fencer Fred Fixes Your Farm Fences
• Stock Yards and Load-Out Ramps for Small Farms