Vale – Michael Cooper

1 August 1946 - 11 August 2026

It was fitting that the final farewell to Michael “Mike” Cooper took place not in a church or hall, but on the number one field at the Mahurangi Rugby Club. A large crowd gathered on August 17 to remember the long-serving teacher, principal, sports coach and manager who died on August 11, just 10 days after his 80th birthday. The ceremony “kicked off” at 2.30pm and, as more than one person remarked, it was just the way Mike would have wanted it. Mahurangi College students were in attendance and sang the school song in tribute to a man whose involvement in educat...