Richard Baldwin lived a full and adventurous life before it was diminished by depression. Photo / Supplied
The sister of a man who died in tragic circumstances in Kerikeri wants him to be remembered not as a footnote in a news report but as the funny, gentle and adventurous man he was before depression took hold.
Richard Baldwin, who was 57, was found near Rainbow Falls on November 17 after a two-day search by police and Far North Search and Rescue volunteers.
His death was not suspicious.
The searchers' sad discovery was mentioned only briefly in the Advocate the following day, due to legal restrictions around the reporting of some deaths.
Richard's sister, Lizzie Burton, said depression had diminished his final years, but her brother had lived an adventurous life that took him around the oceans of the world.
She wanted him remembered as a funny, gentle, kind and open-minded man, a voracious reader who could finish the Telegraph crossword before she had solved the first clue.
She also wanted to raise awareness of the role isolation caused by Covid played in her brother's deepening depression, and called on Kiwis to get vaccinated so life could return to normal — and families could be together — as soon as possible.
Lizzie and her brother grew up in the UK and, after a stint in Asia, the family moved to New Zealand in the 1980s.
By then Richard was already an avid diver and sailor whose love of science and the sea led him to study marine biology.
He landed a job with Niwa before the desire for adventure saw him return to the sea. He qualified as a dive master, skippered yachts, and dived wrecks and reefs around the world.
However, the anxiety he had suffered since boarding school gradually morphed into depression, especially after the end of a long-term relationship.
He spent the last years of his life moving between Kerikeri, where their parents had settled, and Auckland.
After their parents died — especially their mother, who Richard was very close to — he found it increasingly difficult to work and socialise.
''It made his life smaller and smaller,'' Lizzie said.
During his battle with depression Richard had put his formidable intellect to use by looking into every possible treatment and medication for his illness.
Kerikeri GP Simon Bristow had been ''the most amazing support'' to her brother, she said.
About four years ago, when her father-in-law fell ill, Lizzie moved to the UK to support the family but continued to talk to Richard almost every day. He would also call their brother in Singapore daily.
Travel restrictions meant Lizzie was unable to visit Richard and, during last year's lockdown, even his friends and niece couldn't travel from Auckland to support him.
''He had friends in Kerikeri but he was a quiet, unassuming guy. He was embarrassed and didn't want to tell people he had depression. He was desperate though. He rang all the help lines, he rang the police. I think it all became all too much for him. He couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel,'' Lizzie said.
''He had lived an amazing and adventurous life. Sadly the last 17 years were very difficult.''
Given the part the Covid pandemic had played in the isolation faced by her brother — and many others — Lizzie appealed to New Zealanders to get vaccinated.
In England hospitals had been struggling for the past two years with a huge backlog of patients and cancer treatments were being cancelled due to a flood of Covid patients, 70 per cent of whom were unvaccinated.
''The virus kills directly and indirectly through isolation, as in the case of my brother, or by delayed treatment for others. We need to get on top of it so we can go about our lives and see people and have some normality. It's been a battle for us, and I'm sure a lot of people are going through similar things. We need to look after each other as much as we can.''
Lizzie is planning a memorial service for Richard in New Zealand but it will have to wait until the borders reopen so their half-siblings, who are UK citizens, can attend.
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: 0800 376 633
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• Helpline: 1737
• If it's an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111.