Shane Kelly
Shane Timothy Kelly, 10 October 1955 to 31 July 2015
WHEN JIMMY BUFFETT wrote A Pirate Turns Forty, it seems he had Shane Kelly in mind: a bit of a pirate, not averse to a smoke or a drink, an entertainer, a good bugger.
Shane came to stay with me in the mid-1980s at my holiday place at the Whangarei Heads. Shane was writing for one of the boating magazines and wanted some photos of the Whitbread Round the World Race yachts as they came down the coast on their way into Auckland. Not one to burden his hosts, Shane was quite happy to pitch his pup tent and curl up in his sleeping bag. It was an unremarkable event but it laid the foundation stone of an enduring friendship.
Over the years our paths crossed frequently, sometimes work-related but the more memorable occasions were social. The Kinloch fishing tournaments were a yearly event, not for the faint-hearted and full of the most wonderful camaraderie. Shane was at the forefront on many of these events and never let down the team. They were always an excuse to bring out the guitars for an evening’s entertainment – in those early days guitar playing was still on his bucket list but his singing was at a high level with a suitable list of ditties.
Ten years ago, encouraged by Shane, the Kinloch guitar players got together with our maestro, Keith Patterson, to refine our talents. Neither Shane nor I was ever going to challenge Mark Knoffler but it was his first step of his wish to be a rock star and entertain his friends. Shane worked hard to learn guitar; he was a perfectionist, and it gave him a different focus from the cancer that would eventually take him from us. Practice nights consisted of an update on his health, a bit of guitar and a bit of rum. Shane was charismatic. Practice nights were often attended by his mates wanting to share the good times with him.
Music empowered Shane: “Right, fellas, we’re good enough to start a rock band.” There were a couple of issues – we didn’t have a drummer or a bass player. In typical Kelly fashion, he placed a couple of adverts and in no time we had a band.
The band Retro was undoubtedly a great joy to Shane over these last few years: the road trips, the groupies, making good times with his mates and sharing his talents with friends and family. He loved being on stage with his trusty guitar. The band played at family weddings, fundraising events and Swashbuckler’s Restaurant was a home base where Shane excelled, performing to his industry colleagues, his fishing mates and his much loved Lindsey and boys.
These special times we shared with Shane gave us an opportunity to share soul secrets that men are often reluctant to talk about. Talk about sentimental stuff, old memories and how important it was for Shane to feel the love. And loved he was.
It is extraordinary what Shane was able to achieve in the face of adversity. He maintained his mana in the marine industry as a journalist. He provided a sense of decency to the various fishing forums he managed, and mostly he remained true to his core values of family, friends and fishing.
Shane’s elder brother Michael led his funeral which, Shane had told him, would be warts and all. Shane was born a twin; his twin sister died at a few days old. He always wanted to be a journalist in the traditional style and after gaining his diploma at AUT, he worked with North Shore Times before moving to Melbourne as parliamentary reporter for the Herald Sun. It was the days of cheap lunches, booze. During a stint on FM Radio, he staged an April Fool’s gag that Ayers Rock was sinking.
In the UK, he worked with Motorboat and Yachting magazine and did a Fastnet Race. Back in New Zealand he married Lindsey, with whom he had two sons, and pursued his love of fishing as editor of Sea Spray magazine in the 1980s and early 1990s. Later he set up his PR company, Shane Kelly and Partners, specialising in the marine industry.
When he was diagnosed with cancer, Shane made a bucket list: buying a motorbike, becoming a rock star, writing a book – he achieved them all.
Great Motorcycles and People by Shane Kelly, photography by Geoff Osbourne is available on Amazon or from Apexbikes.com