The occasion had been staged to raise awareness of railway level-crossing safety, but I could not help myself in asking former international Kiwi cricket star Chris Cairns yesterday what he was up to in the world of the willow and leather these days.
"Nothing," he replied with a ready smile.
"I watch what the Black Caps are up to ... still follow them ... but no, nothing really."
I sort of apologised for asking, given he had flown into Hawke's Bay from Australia to do his bit for National Rail Safety Week 2011 - given he is effectively the voice of the Chris Cairns Foundation which was created, after the tragic death of his sister in a rail-crossing crash 18 years ago, to raise safety awareness at the rail crossings.
He smiled and was fine with it.
Loves cricket of course, and is still reasonably passionate about it, but it is a passion more than echoed by his passion, and energy, for making the rail and road crossings of this land safer places to negotiate.
It was tragedy which sparked Chris to lend his name to a lifesaving cause, and I have enormous admiration for that.
It often takes a "face" or a voice to spark the consciousness.
Only a few weeks ago I came across another good Kiwi sport, Josh Kronfeld, who rode into the Bay aboard a remarkable Harley-Davidson-based chopper to raise awareness for the Child Cancer Foundation.
He, like Chris, had a look in his eyes which revealed he wasn't doing it for any other reason than to make a difference.
On that occasion I chatted to him about a shared love ... that of motorcycles.
He told me what he had in the garage at home and I told him about how a bloke I knew gave me his explosive 1100 Ducati for a week to play with.
But the conversation got back to the reasons which brought him here, and he embraced (literally) the foundation as a couple of battling kids arrived to say gidday and see the former All Black.
Sports people, in fact anyone with an admirable profile who can elicit attention and get people to listen and think, who embrace a cause and take to it the way they did in their on-field, or water, or track careers, have my total respect.
Former Aussie cricketer Glenn McGrath, who lost his wife to breast cancer, sparked a foundation which has raised both money and awareness.
And Ian Botham, who while in hospital receiving attention for a broken toe, mistakenly walked into a children's ward where he was devastated to hear that some kids, with leukemia, had only weeks to live.
He embarked on massive fundraising walks for leukemia research, raising millions.
If I ever met Beefy I'd shake his hand willingly and sincerely, the way I shook Josh's and Chris' hands.
Top people, top focus ... we're all better for their noble off-field exploits.