My Account
10 November 1951 – 15 March 2022
Warkworth resident Russell Cullen, a man with the happy knack of making friends wherever he went, died suddenly on March 15 while on a once-in-a-lifetime cycling holiday. He was remembered at a memorial picnic at Scandrett Regional Park on March 26 as “a real likeable bugger” whose positivity and enthusiasm were infectious. Family and friends were joined at the gathering by representatives of the many local organisations which had benefited from Russell’s involvement over the 30-plus years he and wife Rosemary had lived in Warkworth.
Born in Te Awamutu, Russell and his four siblings were raised in Matamata, where their father owned a service station. His first job was in a bank in Te Aroha, but the job wasn’t for him, so he bought a ticket to Sydney where he learned to drive trucks. But school mates, who were at Otago University, convinced him to join them in Dunedin. He moved into an infamous Spanish Slums flat and cemented some lifetime friendships, including one with ecologist Rhys Buckingham. The pair often tramped through Mackenzie country together, sparking Russell’s interest in conservation.
Deciding that it was time to get some qualifications of his own, Russell enrolled in a photography course at Wellington Polytech in 1976. It was while marching through the streets as part of a Stop All Racial Tours demonstration that he met his future wife Rosemary, who was an occupational therapist student at the time. Making a living as a photographer proved challenging, so eventually Russell abandoned his camera and worked as a sales rep for Shell Oil. After a two-year posting in Napier, the couple moved to Cockle Bay in Auckland, where they bought their first house for $46,000. Both their daughters, Jacqueline and Elisabeth, were born in Auckland, while son James arrived when Russell and Rosemary moved to Warkworth. They ran the Vanity Bookshop, on the corner of Queen Street and Kapanui Place, for seven years. James’ arrival coincided with Russell’s first brush with death. While out fishing off Leigh with friend Bob Watson, their 12-foot tinny was hit by a bolt of lightning. The impact threw Russell, unconscious, into the water. He would have drowned but for the quick thinking of Watson, who although dazed himself, managed to haul Russell back into the boat. He was transported to Auckland Hospital by helicopter where he spent a week recuperating from burns and a burst ear drum, as well as nerve damage, but was released just in time for James’ birth.
When the couple sold their bookshop, Russell briefly dabbled in a business making windsurfers, then worked for Rodney Aluminum, Louvre Tech, Times Media, Pryda and lastly, I Build.
Never one to be idle, Russell’s many interests included classic cars, sailing, cycling, Kowhai Singers, Kowhai Caravanners, Forest & Bird, the Warkworth International Relations Group, the Warkworth Liaison Group, Rodney Neighbourhood Support, Warkworth Community Patrol and the group Pest Free Warkworth, which he founded. However, his real passion was the karearea (NZ falcon). His pest eradication efforts were largely driven by his desire to see the karearea return one day to the north. He was a supporter of Wingspan in Rotorua and visited the national bird of prey centre whenever he could.
Russell was on the Tour Aotearoa, a 3000km bike ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff, with his brother Wayne, when he died. They were in Whanganui, at the top of the Mt Durie elevator, one of the many photo op stops on the tour. He had just remounted his bike ready for the downhill ride, when he collapsed of a suspected heart attack and died a short time later.
Russell is survived by his wife Rosemary, three children and four grandchildren.
