Catholic stalwart a man of warmth and colour
Father Geoff gave of his time and energies willingly.
He had a special bond with the children at the school that neighbours the church and he showed his imagination in trying to get children and their parents to Mass by offering the incentive of a lucky seat prize of movie tickets to children who came along.
He had a force of personality that was difficult to say no to. He raised money for church maintenance and for other good causes through raffles. These included raising funds to build water wells in some of the poorest parts of India. The raffle tickets were just handed over – his parishioners knew the expectation was not to return them unsold.
He was in many ways a simple Kiwi bloke with an intense love of the national game. He was chaplain at Wellington’s Marist St Pat’s rugby club for more than 40 years. Not only was he a regular figure on the sideline at Evans Bay Park, no matter what the weather, he took an active role in the club’s governance, provided advice to players and even joined the premier team on a trip to Britain, Ireland and Europe.
In fact he loved to travel and made a few trips to the Middle East as well as Europe.
When he arrived at Island Bay, he learned Italian so that he could converse with the local immigrants. He found himself rewarded with a one month scholarship from the Circolo Italiano di Wellington to study Italian in Italy. He made the most of his time in Italy by visiting the town of Massa Lubrense in the Bay of Naples and the island of Stromboli off Sicily, where his Italian parishioners were from.
Father Geoff loved classical music and enjoyed a punt on the horses. He was a regular at Trentham – weddings, christenings and other events permitting – and was known to back some winners. He also seemed to have the Midas touch in winning raffles but would hand the prizes over to people he knew who were in need.
He loved to play golf with old friends. He was keenly competitive and with his big frame was fearsome off the tee.
By the middle of 2011, when he turned 75, retirement age for a priest if he chose, he was ill but determined to get well and remain in Island Bay, providing spiritual support for anyone who needed it. His last official function was with Archbishop John Dew in blessing a new wing at St Francis de Sales School where he spent so much time. A Life Story tells about a New Zealander who helped to shape their community. If you know someone whose life story should be told, please email obituaries@dompost.co.nz