Bike advocate never lost his enthusiasm
Alastair Smith academic, cycling advocate b December 15, 1948 d November 20, 2019
Alastair Smith never encountered a hill he didn’t like or a challenge he couldn’t tackle. Even the one that would eventually claim his life.
Whether he was facing a steep incline on an overseas cycling trek, an outburst from the anti-cycling lobby, or the debilitating ravages of multiple myeloma cancer, it was all ‘‘mainly downhill’’.
‘‘It was one of the phrases I can remember him using countless times,’’ recalls son Martin Powell. ‘‘It was very hard to get him to give up on something.’’
When doctors gave his father just three years to live, he lasted another 17, most of it on one of his beloved bikes, and some of it with a portable oxygen machine to facilitate the trips.
When his illness ended that, he adapted a compact mobility scooter, even taking it ‘‘offroad’’ so he could still enjoy Wellington’s mountain-biking trails with his mates.
It was a combination of two of his greatest loves: cycling and the outdoors.
He often used the former to traverse the latter, although he was equally happy in tramping boots.
Later in life he would use those to pound the streets in support of biking, the planet and other causes, and play a leading role in promoting cycling on New Zealand roads, particularly in its capital.
It was on a bike that Alastair and partner Margaret Powell travelled the 2500 kilometres from Helsinki to London in the mid1970s. A friend wanted to do it in style, driving an E-Type Jaguar, but Alastair was already aware of the environmental impact of such folly.
That was long before many others registered the damage of fossil fuels and the rising threat to the planet.
Alastair was similarly ahead of his time in his profession, advancing our knowledge and use of data, as a lecturer in information studies at Victoria University in Wellington. When he retired in 2014 he was described as a ‘‘pioneer in exploitation of the World Wide Web as an academic information resource’’.
But it was on his bike, and with his calm, supportive advocacy, that he possibly made his greatest impact.
Martin, along with sister Selina and so many others, was encouraged to get on a bike and explore the outdoors.
Their parents had done enough of it themselves: commuting while living in London and Chicago, lengthy treks in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Alastair would go on to write a number of books and articles on those exploits and the joy of cycling.
‘‘He was always getting us out and about, which has led to us both being really active people,’’ says Martin.
That influence was felt beyond the family. Smith was appointed the inaugural general secretary of the Bicycle Association of New Zealand in 1979.
‘‘Back then, cyclists were so rare that, if you saw another one, you’d stop and have a chat,’’ he later recalled.
He went on to take leading roles in the Cycling Advocates Network, which developed into the Cycle Action Network, becoming a ‘‘mentor and hero’’ for its project manager, Patrick Morgan.
He was also a foundation trustee of the Great Harbour Way, promoting a cycleway around Wellington, and an organiser of a number of events supporting the cause.
‘‘Something that he wrote, I think about 1980, really helped set me on my own cycling journey,’’ says Morgan.
‘‘It was an article about bicycle touring in New Caledonia. I was about 18 and it blew my mind that a bicycle was something you could use to explore the world, rather than just a toy for children.’’
As Smith got older, and despite his ongoing illness, he encouraged others through the Folding Oldies, a group promoting the use of foldable bikes and a GoldCard to make the best use of Wellington’s public transport system.
Inspired by his own father, Neil Smith, who spent World War II in detention camps as a conscientious objector, Alastair marched against the 1981 Springbok tour and climate change.
There was resilience too, learnt on the West Auckland chicken farm where he grew up and worked, and in the miles of dense bush he tramped as a teen.
But when it came to cycling he was more the advocate and enabler than the activist.
The man with an innate sense of direction, famous in tramping circles for always finding the right path in tricky conditions, was the man to navigate the cycling movement through sometimes hostile streets.
‘‘He set the tone for successful transport advocacy in Wellington,’’ says Morgan. ‘‘I never saw him lose his cool . . . learnt that being persistent and polite gets results, building relationships and trust.
‘‘He put the work in, attending meetings, talking with councillors, taking minutes, writing up notes, all those things that every community organisation needs.’’
And there was always that wicked, dry sense of humour. ‘‘He would often sit back and say something that everyone would crack up about.’’
Smith made a ‘‘massive contribution to our city’’, says Morgan. ‘‘He’s one of those great Wellingtonians who gets stuck in, who wants to make the city better . . . celebrates the spirit of Wellington, people who give a s..t, who want to make a difference.’’
That spirit was recognised in 2017 when Smith was awarded an Absolutely Positively Wellington Award, and in 2018 with a Bike to the Future Award for his contribution to a bike-friendly future.
Alastair Smith has left a legacy, but also a family and cycling community to find its own way.
‘‘He had a good sense of direction, but also in life, he often had quite a good sense of direction, would make a lot of sort of big decisions,’’ says Martin. ‘‘The family has lost its compass.’’