Hundreds pay respects to ‘true Hamiltonian’ Philip Yeung

He was a man who bridged the gaps between countries and cultures and who brought joy to whomever he was working with.

Hamilton city councillor Philip Yeung’s life was celebrated at a memorial service at the Claudelands Arena on Saturday.

About 500 people gathered to honour Yeung, who died earlier this month following a short battle with cancer. He was 60.

His daughter, Jeannie, revealed to those assembled that, as well as being a devoted father and husband to Alice, he was devoted to the city he’d called home since 1996.

‘‘A few of you have very sweetly thanked us for letting us share Dad with Hamilton all these years.

‘‘Dad loved the city and he genuinely wanted to help her people – to help us all come together, and to love this home as much as he did.’’

Jeannie Yeung also spoke fondly of her father’s deft attempts to woo her mother – ‘‘my old man had game’’ – as well as his love of photography, his aptitude for home improvement, and the lengths he went to as a parent, including diligently taping and editing the commercials out of the

Sailor Moon cartoon show. Also speaking was Daryl Smith, who lived in the house next door to Yeung when he moved to Hamilton and who – in Jeannie’s words – helped the Yeungs become ‘‘quintessential Kiwis’’.

‘‘His determination to embrace the Kiwi lifestyle was infectious and it was not long before his garage came to be filled with power tools and lights,’’ Smith said.

‘‘The only thing that slowed him down was his illness … He was a true Hamiltonian.’’

Among others paying tribute were Hamilton East MP David Bennett and Deputy Mayor Martin Gallagher. The crowd included former mayor Julie Hardaker and former deputy mayor Gordon Chesterman.

‘‘No elected member worked harder than Philip,’’ Gallagher said. ‘‘Every weekend he was attending some event with our diverse ethnic community.’’

The ceremony included performances by the Hamilton Mandarin Church Choir, the Hamilton Cook Islands Association and acclaimed guzheng player Xi Yao Chen.

Yeung was into his second term on the council, having first been elected in 2013. He had previously served on council staff as the ethnic development adviser in the Community Development Team.