Whanganui Chronicle Person of the Year: Ricky Boniface - family man, good mate, sporting leader, health advocate

Ricky Boniface (left) with son Corbin and wife Tarsha. Photo / Supplied

When we put the call out to our readers for nominations of people worthy of recognition, we received a stack of impressive feedback and unfortunately couldn’t choose everyone.

This week we’ve profiled the runners-up and today we can reveal that Ricky Boniface is your Whanganui Chronicle Person of the Year for 2022.

Mike Tweed reports.

Ricky Boniface was born and raised in Whanganui and remains a pillar of the local sporting scene.

Outside of his day job at Mitre 10 Mega, he dedicates much of his time to Pirates softball - a club he got back up and running after it lay dormant for the best part of 25 years.

He is player/coach of the men’s team and assistant coach of the Athletic under-13s.

“I’m still involved with the Pirates Rugby Club as part of the committee. I’m on the WSA [Whanganui Softball Association] committee as well and do a bit of umpiring for them,” Boniface said.

“I’ve been playing softball right through from the tee-ball days. I was part of the Braves club and travelled to Palmerston North every week to play, and that’s when me and a mate decided to bring back Pirates - so there would be more teams here in Whanganui.”

A lot of work had been put into getting it up and running.

“We started last year in the 2021/22 season, and there’s a women’s team now too,” Boniface said.

“Hopefully we can start up some juniors soon.”

Pirates won the Whanganui men’s softball competition in its first year back.

Boniface was more than a little bit surprised to find out he had been chosen as this year’s Person of the Year.

“There has got be a lot more people out there more worthy than me,” he said.

“I think Sheryl is in line for a bit of a telling-off when I manage to track her down.”

That is his mother-in-law Sheryl Chapman, who nominated Boniface.

She said his selfless nature and can-do attitude epitomised the true spirit of the award.

“Ricky hasn’t won a gold medal or cured cancer but he freely donates his time to a wide range of sports, participating at all levels - coaching, playing and refereeing - so others can enjoy themselves.

“He is always ready to lend a hand and has been known to get ‘the look’ from his wife when he drops everything to help a mate, to the detriment of his own jobs at home.”

Ricky Boniface (right) in action as a catcher for the resurrected Pirates softball team. Photo / Supplied

Chapman said everyone who met him loved him.

“I am proud to know Ricky and call him family.”

Boniface and his wife Tarsha lost their 18-year-old daughter Chloe Boniface to meningitis in 2018, and they have been meningitis vaccination advocates ever since.

A month-long fundraising effort from the family in 2019 raised more than $4000 for the New Zealand Meningitis Foundation.

Long-time friend Stuart Hunt said Boniface was a very relaxed and personable guy.

A quick trip to Pak’nSave for a box of beers and a packet of chips often resulted in him chatting with 15 different people around the aisles.

“I’m standing there thinking ‘come on Rick, they’re getting warm’,” Hunt said.

“Just the other day he came over to Palmy to watch the cricket with me and some of my work colleagues and, within a few minutes, he was talking to everyone. Rick is not the guy in the bleachers, he’s the guy in the middle of the field.

“He can strike up a conversation with anybody.”

Boniface said he gave up playing rugby three seasons ago, with darts a go-to instead.

“I just love sport and I love to see people playing. It’s great to get them out there instead of sitting on the couch doing nothing.

“You make lifelong friends from playing as well.”

Other than a stint playing rugby in Scotland and a couple of years in Taranaki, Boniface has called the River City home for his whole life.

“We moved back when our youngest son was born to be closer to family,” he said.

“Whanganui is just a great place to bring up your kids.”

He was lucky to have his wife by his side, Boniface said.

“Tarsha loves it, and she’s been my number one supporter when it comes to the sport.

“She’s always there watching and she’s the manager of the [Pirates] softball team.”

Hunt said Boniface never saw the bad in people and never wanted to put people down, no matter the situation.

“Rick is a family man through and through.

“He was very brave with his son [Corbin Boniface] about six months ago when he taught him how to drive. If I put my kids in the car and tried that we probably wouldn’t be talking to each other for the next six months.

“When it comes to things like working bees, he’ll be the first one there and the last to leave.

“Some of us might just be hanging around out the back on the stop-go sign but Rick always does the hard yards.”