The late Basil Vertongen.
Foxton lost one of its favourite sons and biggest servants with the recent death of Basil Vertongen QSM. He was 77.
The former chairman of the Foxton Community Board gave of himself to his community, from his time as a milkman in the early 1970s to a lifetime involvement with surf lifesaving and local body politics.
Fellow community board member David Allan said the township of Foxton and Foxton Beach came to a halt for a man who was widely known and respected. A funeral service was held recently for Vertongen at a packed Foxton RSA.
“When Basil died the town stood still. There was hardly a soul that didn’t know him, or know of him. When I went to see him I realised he was more than just a mate. I loved the guy,” he said.
“Basil was one of my heroes, because he was so proud of Foxton and did so much for Foxton. There would be very few organisations he wasn’t involved with, and with Basil that meant rolling up the sleeves and doing the mahi.”
“I admired not just what he did, but the way he did it, and his style of leadership. He was always ready to listen to other points of view and wasn’t afraid to express his own.”
“He was so clever and practical whereas I was the waffly academic. But despite being so different, we got along.”
Vertongen was born in Foxton and attended St Mary’s Convent School and Foxton District High School. He was a milkman in Foxton between 1972 and 1988, while he also started Foxton Engineering Limited in 1979.
He employed many young people from Foxton.
Vertongen was always an excellent swimmer and competed at a national level. He developed a passion for surf livesaving and become an integral part of the Foxton Beach Surf Lifesaving Club — he received a service and life membership awards at club, district and national level, and in 2012 was presented a 50-year service badge.
Through his time at Foxton Surf Club he had held the position of club captain, president, chairman, instructor, examiner and later club patron.
He had a strong hand as part of a group that introduced inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) to New Zealand in the 1970s. At their early introduction he was the only person who would instruct women IRB drivers, which resulted in the qualification of the first woman IRB driver in Australasia.
Vertongen trained and coached the first women’s IRB team. Through his business he sponsored the trophy for New Zealand’s Top Women’s Driver, which became NZ Top Women Crew once women’s division was introduced.
He became actively involved in local body politics and served the Foxton and Foxton Beach communities from a relatively young age, with more than 30 years with the Foxton Borough Council and 27 years with the Foxton Community Board — the last 15 years as chairman.
He was also a member of the Foxton Windmill Trust and Save Our River Trust (SORT), and had a soft spot for Foxton Little Theatre, of which he was a long-time corporate member.
That civic commitment earned him a Service Award in 2016, recognising 50 years’ service to community, service to surf lifesaving at Foxton Beach and to the Foxton community, and as a driver of the town’s events and projects, including Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom project, lighting up the Foxton Water Tower and Main Street upgrade.
He was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) in 1988.
Basil Vertongen is survived by wife Lorna, four children, 20 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.