Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Obituary: Gordon 'Tiger' Edmonds 19/11/25-28/7/18

Laurel Stowell
By Laurel Stowell
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
18 Aug, 2018 01:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Gordon "Tiger" Edmonds was a well-known Whanganui businessman, family man, skier, traveller and golfer. Photo / Supplied

Gordon "Tiger" Edmonds was a well-known Whanganui businessman, family man, skier, traveller and golfer. Photo / Supplied

Gordon David "Tiger" Edmonds was larger than life in every single dimension, his nephew, Peter Edmonds, says.

Tiger died on July 28, aged 92, having outlived most of his contemporaries. He was a devoted family man, lifelong churchgoer, prosperous businessman, extraordinary golfer and true friend - with a touch of the larrikin as well.

He and his brother, Lawrence, started Edmonds Motors in Whanganui East. Later Tiger was the dealer ambassador for Suzuki and a very keen golfer and life member of the Wanganui Golf Club.

His parents were James and Christina Edmonds, and Gordon was the sixth of their seven children. They lived in Milward St in Whanganui East.

Gordon's mother gave him the nickname "Tiger" when he was 4 years old.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"He used to borrow Tiger Tim comics from his older brothers and wouldn't give them back without World War 93," Peter Edmonds said.

Tiger went to Whanganui East School and Wanganui Technical College. He was a keen scout and harrier. After school he was a motor engineer apprentice at the Mereweather Motor Company, which later became Wanganui Motors.

As a young man he helped out after the Tangiwai train disaster, one of two events in his life that really upset him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In 1949 Tiger married Jean Atcheson, and his school friend, Bryan Farrington, married her identical twin sister, Margaret. The two families remained very close.

Tiger and Jean set up house in Tanguru St and Tiger and his older brother, Lawrence, went into business as Edmonds Motors in Jones St. The business maintained milk collection and delivery trucks, and did well.

It also sold Homelite chainsaws and Allis Chalmers earthmoving machinery. One of its first major sales was a bulldozer to Whanganui's Ian Loader.

Tiger and Jean moved to a big house in Bristow St and had seven children: Bryan, Paul, Judy, Keith, Linda, Steve and Chris. They all attended Catholic services and had wonderful holidays with their cousins, skiing and boating on Lake Taupo in Tiger's boat, Tiger Tim.

Discover more

Job opportunities for students of UCOL Whanganui's new trades training courses

08 Aug 01:46 AM

Intersection woes continue after redesign

10 Aug 07:00 AM

Interactive financial tools for all ages

10 Aug 03:00 AM

Precedent setting? Thain's hearing begins

09 Aug 08:00 PM

The children remember waiting for hours while their father sold tractors in pubs - and one occasion when he and a friend had to make a very speedy getaway.

Tiger fished and grew vegetables with gusto. He got serious about golf through playing at the Chateau Tongariro course on a day when the weather was too rough for skiing.

When the children left home the couple moved to Somerset Rd, where Jean died of cancer. This threw Tiger for a while, but he continued playing golf, visiting children in Australia and running the Whanganui East business, adding a tow truck and used car yard, both called Tiger's Takeaways.

He was asked to become Suzuki NZ's dealer ambassador, a role that suited his gregarious personality.

Some time later Tiger met fellow golfer Marion Dorgan, and the two moved to St Helen's Pl. They bought a caravan, and toured the country playing golf. About 10 years ago they moved to a house at the Jane Winstone Retirement Village, and became a poster couple in Ryman Healthcare's advertising.

Tiger had a long and lucky life, and nephew Peter said he was a true friend to all. He is survived by Marion, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM

'We want to take a very detailed specific look at what Whanganui needs' – Chris Bishop.

Work begins on key phase of port project

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM
Premium
Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

04 Jul 04:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP