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Around 600 people packed into Whangaparaoa Baptist Church on February 9 for the funeral of well-known local Bill Toohill – and the tributes flowed thick and fast.
Hibiscus Coast Athletics Club president David Kayes says some of the stories were pretty hard case, including a few that recalled the days when Bill and his wife Jean ran Peter Snell Youth Village.
“Bill’s philosophy was ‘we are going to enjoy ourselves, no matter what’,” David says. “And those were the days when there were few worries about health and safety, or little things like helmets and safety harnesses on the legendary flying fox!”
David remembers his first meeting with Bill, four years ago. “It was after a charity run for mental health, and I was decked out in a pink tutu,” David says.
Bill obviously didn’t care about the tutu, as by the time their first conversation ended, David found himself secretary of the athletics club.
Bill was a founding member of the athletics club, which formed in 2004 and in its busiest seasons had around 240 children learning running, high jump, long jump, shot put and discus skills, using school grounds in Whangaparaoa.
Numbers dropped off, and in 2013 it went into recess. However, Bill refused to let the club close down and in 2014 it was reborn at its current Metro Park base.
As well as being a key member of the athletics club, Bill was heavily involved in Hibiscus Coast Harriers & Triathlon Club.
It therefore seemed appropriate to hold a memorial run in his honour and this was organised for the night before the funeral, at short notice. More than 20 people came along for the 5km parkrun, starting at Metro Park in Millwater.
David says the runners were blown away to find that Bill’s wife Jean, his three sons and nephews all came to the event. Members of the athletics and triathlon clubs were also there. David dug out his pink tutu to wear during the run.
“Bill was a wonderful man, who gave his all for our local community and for getting kids involved in sport on the Coast. Nothing made him smile more than seeing a kid enjoying themselves or achieving more than they thought they were capable of on the sports field,” David says. “I tried to get him to step back from the athletics club a bit, to enjoy life, but even when he was sick he refused to let that stop him. He put everyone else first.”
