North Shore Times (New Zealand)
‘Romantic day’ ends in grieving
Passionate oceanswimmer killed in tragic accident
Laura McLeod was meant to be celebrating her 40th birthday on April 22.
Instead, she was grieving for her husband, Leslie Gelberger, who was killed while swimming in an Auckland harbour on April 20 - apparently struck by a Ports of Auckland boat.
The ex-pat Canadian couple and their sons, aged five and seven, have been living in New Zealand nearly three years. Gelberger began teaching at Westlake Girls’ High School this year.
But now, McLeod Is not sure how she’s going to cope without her beloved husband.
‘‘I have lost my best friend, the best father to my boys and the most amazing kindest, positive and adventurous person I have ever known,’’ she said in a statement.
McLeod described her husband as ‘‘the epitome of kindness and unrelentingly positivity’’, who befriended strangers everywhere he went.
‘‘I didn’t believe that Hollywood romance was real until I met him. He was the yin to my yang.’’
On April 20, the couple had planned to have a ‘‘romantic day’’ to themselves, the couple’s friend Maria Mariotti says.
Gelberger dropped their sons off to Conscious Kids - a naturebased holiday programme where his wife was about to begin working - and went for a swim at Narrow Neck Beach.
He never returned.
His body was found floating in Mairangi Bay on April 21. One of his legs was missing.
Police are investigating whether a pilot boat, owned by Ports of Auckland, hit and killed Gelberger.
Gelberger’s mother, Judith Kopacsi-Gelberger, says it is hard to fathom how the boat’s crew failed to spot her son, who was wearing a fluorescent pink swimming cap. Minutes before he headed off on his fateful swim, he called his parents, who live in the Canada.
‘‘My husband asked him, ‘Is it good weather for a swim?’ And he said, laughing, ‘Any day is a good day for swimming’. And that is the last that we heard,’’ KopacsiGelberger says.
Mariotti and Conscious Kids have launched a Givealittle page to fundraise for the family.
More than $37,000 has been raised so far.
Westlake Girls High School, where Gelberger taught maths, science and physics, emailed parents and students saying it is ‘‘shocked and saddened’’ by the news.
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson confirms an investigation is under way into the actions of the crew on one of its aluminium pilot boats.
‘‘He was the yin to my yang.’’
Laura McLeod