It’s no Irish joke — Kiwis uninsurable
A Kiwi couple told by insurance companies they were too old to drive in Northern Ireland have warned other older tourists about the “discriminatory” policy.
Alison Kelso, 76, and husband Terry, 84, from Nelson, had planned a 15-week holiday in County Antrim to research Terry’s Northern Irish roots. But when they tried to buy a car on arrival, local insurance companies were not willing to insure them because they were over 70.
“It was awful to be told we were past our use-by date and we weren’t allowed to drive here,” Alison told the
this week. “We drive our cars every day at home.”
The news was specially devastating because the holiday was likely to be their last to Northern Ireland. These days, Terry finds the 48-hour journey from New Zealand “horrendous”.
Born in Banbridge, Terry has lived in New Zealand for 63 years. Terry, a banker, met Alison at the ANZ in Nelson in 1955 when she started as a junior banker. They have been married 56 years and have four children and eight grandchildren.
Before this trip, they had checked their New Zealand licences would be valid and were told they would be. But an insurance broker checked with every insurance company in the country, Alison said, and “all said the same thing, which was ‘no”’.
Irked, Terry wanted to head home on the next flight, but when BBC Radio Ulster ran their story they were inundated with offers.
“One man in Derry even offered us a private tour all around Northern Ireland. Someone in Antrim . . . offered to help us research Terry’s family roots.”
The couple had made “wonderful friends” they would not have met with a car: “We will go home with really great feelings about this country and this trip.”