Thelma Lilian Crosby 1928 to 2017
A survivor of the 1931 Napier Earthquake who went on to have four children, including a Mayor of Tauranga, has died aged 89.
Thelma Crosby died at Bethlehem Views last Wednesday following a short illness. Her third-born son, Stuart, won 10 elections in a row, four of them for mayor, before shifting his focus to the regional council.
Mrs Crosby's death brought into renewed focus the Crosby family's long association with Papamoa that began in 1966 when she and her late husband, Gordon, bought the camping ground.
She was 3 years old and playing outside on her trike when the devastating 1931 earthquake hit Napier. Mrs Crosby remembered the chimney falling behind her and then rushing inside crying to find her mother.
"All the preserves in the pantry were all over the floor, and in the sitting room the picture over the fireplace was turned completely upside down," her son, Bruce, said at his mother's funeral service on Sunday.
Mrs Crosby (nee Thomas) shifted to Gisborne with her family where she became involved in marching and then indoor basketball.
It was while playing indoor basketball that she met her future husband, a builder. They married and had four children, Peter, Bruce, Stuart and Gayle, while living in their first family home in Lytton Rd, Gisborne.
By 1966 building was in decline, so they decided to drive to Whangarei because of all the activity coinciding with the Marsden Point Oil Refinery. On their way, the couple made a fateful decision to stop off to visit one of Mrs Crosby's friends in Te Puke.
She spotted a for-sale advertisement in the local paper for the Papamoa holiday camp, and they went to have a look. It was very run down, so they put in a cheeky offer.
The rest is history, with the transformed Papamoa Beach Holiday Resort now run by a third generation of the Crosby family, her granddaughter Rebecca.
In the early days of the camping ground, she managed the office, mowed the lawns, cleaned the ablution blocks and ran the camp shop, all the while looking after the family. During weekdays, Mr Crosby was off site building to keep them going financially.
Once the couple were able to afford cleaning and grounds staff, Mrs Crosby qualified as a real estate agent, selling for Dalgetys. She sold sections and houses for four years and saw Papamoa become more than a beachside holiday village.
She took Girl Guides for several years, with the guides doing training like pitching tents and cooking over campfires at the camp.
After 20 years running the camping ground, Thelma and Gordon retired. They took up ten-pin bowling with great enthusiasm, competing in the Bay, Waikato and Australia, and winning over 100 trophies.
The couple moved to Papamoa Beach Village in 2005 where they made good friends, with Mrs Crosby serving on the residents' committee for four years. After a health issue, she made her final shift to Bethlehem Views rest home.
Stuart Crosby said his mother was a steadying influence on the whole family. "All families have their ups and downs, and mum was a rock of the family. She was never judgmental, never said a bad word about anyone and has had a very strong influence on her grandchildren.''
The strong turnout at her funeral included many long-term residents of Papamoa.