"But I was determined to keep the land public," he said.
The couple's altruism swayed this year's Person of the Year judges, which included Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker, historian Michael Fowler, Hawke's Bay Today editor Andrew Austin and the author. We were unanimous in selecting them from a total of about 30 nominations.
The final decision was relatively easy.
Their refusal to line their pockets on the back of a sizzling coastal property prices needed a rare sensibility. Peerless, stoic and courageous, it enshrined the sanctity this country places on filling photo albums with seaside memories.
"Why do Kiwis adore the beach?" I put to Bill.
"It's in our genes," he shot back.
As a much younger man working on a hilltop for his grandfather, he glanced down at the "back paddock" - some of which had been raised 13 feet in the earthquake - and the idea dawned to create a "motor camp". "That's what they were called back then".
It was a difficult get. Nearby farmers said it wouldn't fly. The local authority turned him down, often. For the next decade he persisted, until finally given the nod.
It's a tale of trailblazing tourism. They were pioneering then, and they're pioneering now.
The fight to establish the camp was almost as inspiring as their fight to keep it.
On behalf of a sand-loving nation, thanks to you both for cold-shouldering the prevailing wind to future-proof this amenity.
