My Account
12 June 1948 – 17 December 2021
The Wellsford community lost a valued volunteer, friend and community stalwart last month, when former Chief Fire Officer John Cowpland died suddenly on December 17. As well as more than 40 years with the fire brigade, John was instrumental in establishing the Wellsford St John ambulance service, and was known to all as someone who would always pitch in, could turn his hand to anything, and enjoyed a beer and a yarn.
He was born in Liverpool, England in 1948, where he trained as a fitter and turner and worked in engineering. In 1971, he married Anne and they travelled to New Zealand for their honeymoon – they never went back. John first worked in Wellington, installing lifts in residential buildings, then moved north to Marsden Point oil refinery as a fitter on the storage tanks, and then to Rawene, where he was site engineer at the local hospital.
It was in Rawene that he first volunteered for the fire brigade, and was quick to transfer to the Wellsford crew when he, Anne and their young son moved to the town in 1980.
Following a tragic callout to a drowning at Tomarata Lakes, John decided to do something about the lack of a local ambulance service and he was key in setting up a Wellsford first response unit. He was a member of the local Jaycees service club, which housed the first ambulance until John and a group of other volunteers physically built the ambulance station in Rodney Street. He also crewed the ambulance for many years, until the late 1990s.
But it was the Wellsford Volunteer Fire Brigade that was his real passion. He became Senior Station Officer in 1989, was awarded the Flamank/Andrew Attendance Trophy in 1993, his gold star for 25 years’ service in 2001 and was made Chief Fire Officer in 2013, a position he held until he retired in 2019. While with the Wellsford crew, he also won the snooker pairs competition, the Winston Hart two-man run and the brigade ‘Stirrers Shovel’ twice, in 1991 and 2000 – which colleagues said was perhaps not enough “for a stirrer of John’s calibre”.
His son Paul said the fire station was almost his second home, and he was always on hand, whether it was for fire calls, fundraising, working bees, or just a beer.
Over the years, John ran his own business, Manx Engineering, worked for Izards, made saw blades and outdoor furniture, sold real estate and, most recently, was a valued local handyman.
He had a great sense of humour, which he often employed to make a point, and he was no stranger to good banter and a bit of a wind-up. He also liked fishing and boating, though rarely had time to do it, and loved working with wood, making wooden bowls and furniture. But mostly he enjoyed helping people and never hesitated to help someone out.
His son Paul said he was solid, dependable, welcoming and generous.
“He had no trouble letting you know what he thought or if you were wrong, but he didn’t hold a grudge and he could admit he might not have been 100 per cent correct on occasion,” he said.
“People tell me he was a really good boss and a great friend. And he always did what he said he would do.”
John is survived by his partner Roxanne; his son Paul and daughter-in-law Patrece; his brother Dave and sisters Anne and Susan; and grandchildren Samantha and Jessica. A public memorial will take place at the Wellsford fire station when restrictions allow.
