View McGivern
Walking down Queen Street one Friday night in 1959, Bernie happened to look in Tisdall’s window, where Bruce Chambers had placed a notice advertising the formation of a new ski club. Bernie rang Bruce at 9:10pm and the conversation went something like this:
Bruce: “What do you do?”
Bernie: “I’m a plumber.”
Bruce: “Can you come round straight away?”
At 9:40pm on the same Friday evening Bernie became a Rangatira member and took the responsibility for the plumbing and drainage of the planned lodge.
Bernie had been skiing at Ruapehu since 1938 and after the war [Bernie served in the army] organised the plumbing for the new Ruapehu Ski Club lodge. When the rope tows were set up on the Whakapapa side, Bernie helped workers from the prison farm set up the third rope tow on the Cinder Track.
Once work parties for the Rangatira lodge began Bernie virtually lived on the site, going down almost every weekend and taking time off work when required. He tells the story of returning from a work party one week before the lodge was to be opened. Bernie, together with Owen Haywood and John Bates, had worked until after dark and were driving back to Auckland over the Bombay Hills at 3:30am. They were stopped by a police road block – some prisoners had escaped and were thought to be armed. A policeman shone a torch through the window on to John asleep on the back seat and covered by blankets. Leaping back in alarm, the police moved to a safe distance and shouted at the ‘prisoners’ to get out quietly. After some explanation the weary work party were allowed to continue their drive home.
Bernie served on the committee for 12 years, from 1961 – 1972 [the Club’s official opening programme suggests he actually served from 1959 when the photo shown here was taken], during which time he strongly encouraged the growth of junior membership and was responsible, together with Noel Johnson, for setting up the framework of our present [1984] booking system. Bernie also looked after the social activities of the Club, especially the organisation of the Snow Balls. When the library extension was added Bernie was again on the building committee and heavily involved in work parties.
He took a special interest in club members who were learning to ski and ensured that no-one was left to find her own way back to the lodge at the end of the day. ‘Bernie’s harem’ could often be seen winding their way home from the National Downhill!
Bernie was made a Life Member of the Club in recognition of his contribution. Bernie’s children and grandchildren remain keen skiers and Club members.
Bernie passed away in 2007.