Slept on mattress in Gisborne studio for Cyclone Gabrielle stint

Rotary Club of Gisborne president Warwick Callender (second right) presents a Paul Harris Fellow certificate to radio announcer Bevan Chapman, who was honoured for his contribution to the community. Also pictured are (from left) Mayor Rehette Stoltz, Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairawhiti manager Tracy Robinson, Christy Chapman and Life Education Gisborne, Wairoa and East Coast chairwoman Pat Seymour. Photo / John Gillies

Cyclone Gabrielle threw into sharp relief the role Gisborne radio host Bevan Chapman plays in the community.

The Rotary Club of Gisborne has made Chapman a Paul Harris Fellow, an honour recognising his contributions to the community in emergencies like Cyclone Gabrielle and in support of charitable causes.

Chapman was named the Sir Paul Holmes Broadcaster of the Year for the work he did in radio and in the Gisborne community in 2023.

That work included round-the-clock broadcasting during Cyclone Gabrielle.

With people unable to rely on phones or the internet for communication, many resorted to handwritten notes pushed under the door of the radio station for Chapman to read out on air.

To maintain this virtual community noticeboard, Chapman spent several nights sleeping on a mattress in the studio, going downstairs periodically to pick up the latest batch of messages.

Gisborne’s Rotary club made Chapman a Paul Harris Fellow for the routine acts of goodwill he performed by presenting at local charitable fundraising events as well as for his above-and-beyond service in dire circumstances.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz acknowledged Chapman’s ability to bring people together.

“I go places all the time and often Bevan is there, talking to the kids, bringing it all together.”

During Gabrielle, Civil Defence staff knew that even if people were without power, they could tune into their car radio to hear updates, she said.

It meant a lot to hear a familiar voice reassuring them.

Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti manager Tracy Robinson praised Chapman’s enthusiasm in promoting charitable causes, such as her organisation’s Spud in the Bucket promotion.

When she took on her role, she was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from Chapman pointing out that Spud in the Bucket was coming up and offering to help promote it.

Pat Seymour, chairwoman of Life Education Gisborne, Wairoa and East Coast thanked Chapman for being master of ceremonies for the Five Buck a Duck Race festivities, which continued to be a major fundraiser for Life Education in this district.

“You’ve made everyone feel welcome over many years,” she said, and she also thanked the Rotary club for their continued help with the race.

Speaking for Rotary, past president Ray Kitchen said the organisation had a tradition of recognising service that went “above and beyond” the call of duty.

Born and raised in Pahiatua, Chapman trained in broadcasting in New Plymouth and then in 1999 came to Gisborne – a place he had never visited – and stayed.

Bevan for Breakfast started in 2006 and since then Alzheimers and Life Education were just two of “countless organisations” that had been recipients of his generosity with his time and talents, Kitchen said.

While the Paul Harris Fellow award was in Chapman’s name, none of it would have been possible without the support of his family – wife Christy and Emmerson, 19 and Bentley, 11, Kitchen said.

In response, Chapman said it was incredible how time flew. He thanked Life Education for inviting him back to the duck race each year, and to Tracy Robinson and Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti he said: “If you ever need anything, you know where I am”.