Murupara ‘Icon’ And Mayor Remembered

Wednesday, 26 June 2024, 6:34 pm
Article: Diane McCarthy - Local Democracy Reporter

Former mayor and beloved “Murupara character” Alan 'Bill' Whiteman will be buried at Galatea Cemetery on Thursday.

Mr Whiteman died in Motueka on June 11, aged 94 years. He was Murupara’s mayor before the borough council amalgamated with Whakatāne District Council in 1989.

His daughter Raima Henery told local democracy reporting that he was “quite a special character in Murupara” who served the town as mayor for nine years.

She said even though he was originally from Australia, he was awarded a lifetime membership of the Māori Wardens because of the work he did with them in the community.

“He was also president and lifetime member of the Murupara RSA and lifetime member of Whakatāne and Tauranga RSAs as well.

He also put down one of the best hāngi in town, she said.

“Back in the day, it was funny because we always had a hāngi for Christmas and when the local marae or the school wanted a hāngi they always got dad to do it because he was better than anyone else to put it down,” Mrs Henery said.

She said he spent his last years in a rest home in Motueka, to be near family, but was independent until the last, and still loved to have a good yarn. This was despite his love of sugar.

“He loved sugar. He had six teaspoons of sugar in his tea or coffee, every day and he’d have quarter of a cup of sugar on his porridge and loads of cream. We always had to make sure he had lots of chocolates and lollies because he was addicted to them. But he never had a heart attack and he never lost his faculties.”

Jaine Storey, who grew up in Galatea and worked for Murupara Borough Council as town clerk, said he was a big icon in Murupara.

“He just loved the place and always had a sense of humour. Everybody looked out for him and he looked out for everybody else. He knew everybody’s name and who he could joke with - and if he couldn’t he’d still try.

Her best memories of Mr Whiteman were from when he was working for New Zealand Road Services.

“He was our bus driver when we were kids, growing up. Whether we were going to Galatea School or later Rangitahi College or into town, he covered that whole area.

“He enjoyed a joke and always, when he opened the school bus doors in the morning he’d have a smile and a cheery greeting.”

Later, during the time he was mayor, he worked as the caretaker of Rangitahi College.

“He took both of his jobs very seriously and combined them when he could,” Mrs Storey said. “The old school tractor-trailer was often his mode of transport.”

She recalled one occasion when a regional town clerk’s meeting was held in Murupara, with town clerks visiting from Gisborne, Whakatāne, Tauranga and Rotorua.

“Some of them, as they arrived in Murupara passed this guy in a suit driving his tractor and trailer up the road. They jokingly thought, ‘I wonder if that’s the mayor’, and it was.

“He was coming up to open the meeting before going on to do his caretaker duties. So after he’d opened the meeting he hops on his tractor again.”

A service will be held at the Galatea Cemetery at 2pm where he will be buried beside his wife, Rose, with whom he had six children.

“We made a promise that we’d take him home to mum,” Mrs Henery said. “He’s had a plot next to her for years and years.”

Anglican minister Minnie Pouwhare will take the service, also in accordance with his wishes.

“He was never a church person, but he loved the Reverend Pouwhare so he asked that she do a service out at the urupa,” Mrs Henery said.

After the service there will be a get together at the Murupara Hotel.

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