[ Return ]
Bob Cooke, tireless worker for Keep Motueka Beautiful
April 11th, 2010
By David Armstrong
What do Fearon Bush, Motueka Golf Club and Thorp Bush have in common? Lots and lots of big trees. Which of the three is the odd one out? The golf club, because most of the trees there were not remnants from long ago, but were planted and cared for by Bob Cooke.
Since retiring from his business activities in Motueka, Bob has been a tireless worker and organiser for Keep Motueka Beautiful, the group behind so many of the places and walkways which have made Motueka a place proud of its outdoor spaces.
Now in his 80th year, Bob Cooke is easing back on some of his more adventurous activities, like caravaning and motor cycling, but still enjoys the fruits of his labours since arriving in Motueka from the West Coast in 1951 to court his first wife. In 1962 he met his second wife, Nancy, and by then they had three children between them from previous marriages.
Most of his employed and self-employed life was taken up with mechanical work and vehicles. He had an enjoyable six years working for Motueka Joinery. Then in 1958 he set up business himself building boats, caravans, and even two ambulances and three buses.
From the start he lived on the estuary side of Trewavas Street, and in 1982 he built his current home next door to the first house (which he also built in two stages as money permitted), having freeholded the land.
He built a workshop in High Street, where he did mainly panel beating and car painting.
During this time, he developed what was and still is clearly one of his great loves - motor cycling. He is a life member of the Nelson Motor Cycle Club and of Motor Cycling New Zealand, and has been involved in those groups for over 50 years. For about 40 years he has travelled around the country to conferences and has served as a senior marshall at major events.
When he retired, he sold the business in High Street, but still makes some pocket money hiring out two ride-on mowers and a front-end loader tractor.
Bob felt he wanted to spend a lot more time in the open air, having spent a large part of his working life confined within factory walls. He also wanted to give something back to the community and to the town that he loves.
"I've always had a keen interest in the native planting side of the environment, and it's nice to see the native plants being put back into the ground," he says. "You see all the birdlife, the bees and the insects returning - everything that makes the environment so much nicer. I feel really good about it, and I think that everyone else gets quite a thrill out of being involved in it as well."
He started with the Golf Club, of which he's also a life member. "About 25 years ago there was absolutely nothing in the way of trees down there. I've had a long history of planting natives all around the course, and that's been a real success story. "That got me going and I though, what else? Why can't we expand this a little further?"
That led to his involvement in Keep Motueka Beautiful, starting about 15 years ago. At that early stage, that environmental group was only involved in picking up rubbish and advocating for a clean environment, not doing any plantings. With Bob's encouragement, they kicked off work on restoring the Inlet Walkway, part of which had been an old sawdust dumping area.
"We experimented with what may grow on these old degraded sites, and have been thrilled with the amount of success we've had over the years."
This work also extended to the "Adopt a Plot" area on the other side of Old Wharf Road from the Recreation Centre. "We're a fairly old group now, we're not getting any younger, and it was getting a bit much for us to take continuing care of the areas we were replanting," says Bob. "If we plant something, we've always got to make sure that long term it's going to look after itself. So we said, why can't we make plots and put little paths around them and see if the public are interested in looking after them. I've been delighted in the response to that. All 23 plots there now are being looked after by adopt-a-plot people."
Keep Motueka Beautiful (KMB) supply all the plants and fertiliser, and all the odopters have to do is plant them and look after them.
Tasman District Council is the group's major funder, and Council provides valuable input and advice into the projects. Bob has plenty of praise for TDC's help, support and enthusiasm about the comminuty involvement.
"I think we get more funding than many other groups because we do our research and our budgeting, and our results speak for themselves. Our communication with TDC is very good. They treat us very well indeed."
KMB now has over 7km of walkways developed in and around town, and the group is tasked with maintaining these. The next big project is the walkway along Wharf road down to Port Motueka. Because this involves issues to do with the estuary and consequently with resource consents, the project has taken some time - 2½ years so far and at least another one expected yet - to actually get underway.
Bob still spends lots of time at the Golf Club, looking after its machinery and trees and making further plantings. A shoulder injury in recent years (yes, from a motor bike accident) has curtained his motorbike riding and golf for now, but he hopes to get back into golf again one day. He doesn't like doing nothing.
Bob loves Motueka. "I've been to lots of places around the world, but to me this is still paradise. There's no nicer place in the world to live."
[ Return ]