Obituary: Sandy Dobbin made Whanganui a better place for everyone

Sandy Dobbin leaves a number of legacies in Whanganui and founded the Virginia Lake Trust. Photo / NZME

You could throw a stone in any direction in Whanganui and it would be likely to land in a place where Sandy Dobbin made his mark.

From play equipment at Kowhai Park installed when he was a member of the Jaycees in the 1950s, to the many enhancements at Virginia Lake carried out by the trust he founded in 2000, Sandy made Whanganui a better place for everyone.

Sydney (Sandy) Warwick Dobbin was born in the city and lived all his 90 years in Whanganui.

He died peacefully at Jane Winstone Retirement Village last month ,and his life was celebrated with a service in the Whanganui Collegiate Chapel on June 17.

His daughter, Kate, said her father had always been known as Sandy, although she is unsure how the name originated.

"We think Sandy was an abbreviation of Sydney as Dad's father was also Sydney," she said.

"It could have been the hair colour as he was fair when he was younger, but he was just always affectionately known as Sandy."

Sandy attended Whanganui East School before receiving a scholarship to study at Whanganui Collegiate where he would later become a board member and long-serving chairman.

He met Sue Bernau from Wellington while she was teaching at Whanganui Girls' College.

The couple married and settled in Whanganui where they raised their four children - Tim, Kate, Emma, and Matthew.

Sandy started work as a junior clerk at the accountancy firm Holland & Brown in 1950, and qualified as an accountant by attending night classes. He later became a partner in the firm and worked there for 62 years through several name changes.

Alongside his "day job", Sandy served on numerous committees and trusts and served two terms as a Wanganui city councillor.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall asked the council to observe a minute's silence for Sandy at a recent meeting.

"Sandy was a Whanganui councillor from the 1970s to the early 80s," he said.

"He served the community in many ways."

McDouall said he remembered Sandy for his community spirit and kindness and his height.

He recalled seeing National Film Archive footage of the day when a man inside a 2.8m robot costume visited Whanganui to celebrate the opening of the Industries Fair in 1960, when Sandy was a member of the executive that organised the fair.

"Sandy stood out in the crowd because he was the tallest person next to the robot," said McDouall.

As a father, Sandy was devoted, and his eldest son, Dr Tim Dobbin, who was recently home from Canada where he is archdeacon of Christ's Church Cathedral in Hamilton, Ontario, remembered that devotion at his father's farewell service.

He recalled his father's sensitivity and concern for the feelings of others, especially his children.

"Dad had a way of making us feel as if we mattered," he said.

Tim remembered a time when as a young student living overseas and suffering from toothache, a local dentist called to advise him of an appointment.

His father had made the booking from Whanganui and Tim said he was grateful afterwards for the removal of his affected wisdom teeth.

Sandy had his own overseas adventure when he sailed to England with Whanganui author and former Chronicle manager Arthur Bates in the 1950s.

They enjoyed visiting all the exotic stop-offs on the way and travelling around Europe before coming home.

Sandy Dobbin with former deputy mayor Dot McKinnon and Virginia Lake Trust volunteers Maurice Trail, Walter Lennox, Paul Bardell, John Lidgard, and Harold Symes in 2008. Photo / NZME

While continuing consultancy work after his retirement, Sandy was also busy with his community commitments working with Hospice Whanganui to establish its base in Virginia Rd and its charity shops.

He played charity golf matches and was also a member and chairman of the Akoranga Education Trust, which continues to fund scholarships and summer schools for UCOL Whanganui students.

In the late 1990s, Sandy invited interested members of the community to join him for morning tea to discuss ideas for enhancing Virginia Lake.

He was delighted when 60 people turned up and the meeting led to his new 'job' as the founding trustee and chairman of the Virginia Lake Trust.

He served on the trust until the other members reluctantly accepted his resignation last year.

Present chairman Terry Coxon said the trust plans to establish a memorial to Sandy Dobbin at Virginia Lake.

"Before Sandy passed away, our trust had been for several months working on some sort of recognition for him at the lake, which will take the form of an interesting sculpture."

Coxon said Whanganui artist Cecelia Kumeroa had been asked to work on a design concept for the sculpture.

Sandy leaves behind Sue, his four children, and 11 grandchildren: Sophie, Felicity, Poppy, Rosa, Kitty, William, George, Eliza, Felix, Lewis, and Rupert.