Man of action in his many interests
Surf lifesaver
TO see Frederick (Fred) John Burton sitting in a chair was a sight to behold — it was very rare.
The dedicated and wellrespected surf lifesaver and awardwinning ballroom dancer was a man who found it difficult to sit still, and was a man of action right up until his last few months.
Fred was born on February 27, 1926, at his family home in Larkworthy St, St Kilda, the third child of eight, born to parents Alice Matilda and Joseph Walter Burton.
Fred often spoke of his Larkworthy St life with a great affection for all the great community times he had there.
They were hard times for all, living through the Depression then World War 2, and the care and support offered by everyone in the community, to anyone who needed it, was never lost on Fred.
He maintained this sense of sharing, caring and support throughout his 94 years.
The proximity of his home to St Kilda Beach had a profound effect on Fred and his siblings, because it was the family playground — as was the local tip where he spent a lot of time hunting for parts for trolleys, wagons and other “essential” building materials.
It set him up for a lifelong hobby which he called “creative tinkering”.
Fred’s lifelong connection to the St Kilda Surf Lifesaving Club and the New Zealand Surf Life Saving Association started in 1943 when he was still a teenager.
He and others his age were in demand because many of the older members of the St Kilda club went overseas to fight in World War 2.
Fred served in the Home Guard, reaching the rank of lance corporal, but never got to go overseas before the war ended.
His love of beaches and the sea led to him attending and competing in many surf lifesaving championships and carnivals held around the country.
He always seemed confident in the sea.
Son Peter said the only time he remembered his father being concerned or shocked was in the 1960s, when there were fatal shark attacks off the St Kilda and St Clair Beaches.
Fred made many rescues during his time at St Kilda, but perhaps his most extraordinary lifesaving event was one that occurred far from a beach.
His finely honed skills came to the fore on February 25, 1948, when he and his mates were on holiday in Nelson together.
They were returning by express train from Picton when the train was involved in a major railway accident at Blind River, near Seddon.
Six people were killed and 40 were injured.
Fred and his companions did their best to save lives and assist the injured, and his actions were celebrated by the media during a recent anniversary of the incident.
Other notable Surf Life Saving Association achievements centred around his support and development of two other local surf clubs — the Moana Rua Ladies Club, which was located between the St Kilda and St Clair Clubs before closing down, and the Warrington Club, north of Dunedin.
He received many awards over his time with the association.
The two major ones were the honorary service blazer in 1972 and being made a life member of the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Association in 1992.
Fred remained active in the national association and the St Kilda club, attending club meetings up until about a year ago.
He believed it was his job to look after the youngsters — essentially, anyone who was younger than him.
Fred was not only a man of the sea. He was also a handy basketballer. He was an Otago regional representative player in the midtolate 1940s and was one of the founding members of the Otago Indoor Basketball Association.
After World War 2, Fred helped promote this sport both locally and nationally. The building of the then stateoftheart Caledonian Gymnasium helped the sport take off, both at club level and in secondary schools, where remains extremely popular today.
A love of ballroom dancing led Fred to the love of his life — the late
Raylene (nee Brown).
They were both gold medal ballroom dancers and won many awards during their 59 years together.
They were married on February 19, 1955, at the North East Valley Presbyterian Church.
As time went by, the duo became involved in sequence dancing, which led to their long association with the Dance in Time Club.
They attended many club dances and competitions throughout the South Island, and made many more lifelong friends along the way.
When Fred wasn’t on the dance floor, the basketball court or saving lives at St Kilda Beach, he was working for Laurenson’s Bakery, in Roslyn.
After leaving Musselburgh School at age 14, he initially aimed to get an apprenticeship as a bootmaker.
But it didn’t eventuate, so he joined the Laurenson’s Bakery family business and became close friends with the owners.
He worked up through the ranks of the firm until his retirement as sales manager in 1985. Not long after, the bakery was sold.
Fred was clearly a man of action in the community, but even when he was at home, he seldom sat still. He took pride in growing vegetables, tomatoes, and having laying chickens at his
North East Valley home.
Ask anyone who knew Fred what his favourite place at home was, and they would answer: “His shed.”
It wasn’t very big, but it had the qualities of Dr Who’s Tardis. Inside, there was room for everything.
It was a tinkerer’s paradise which had gradually developed from his childhood days scouring the local tip for parts to make racing trolleys.
Fred was a constant doityourselfer. The old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seldom applied.
Fred often just wanted to find out how something worked.
This trait allowed Fred to keep learning throughout his life. He would read amazingly complex books on mechanics, physics and archaeology.
Fred died at his home on March 30, 2020, after a long battle with cancer.
He is survived by sons Peter and Stephen, and grandson Jack.
— John Lewis