John Coles’ determination that his QSM meant ‘Quite Some Man’ was probably not too far off the mark, despite it sounding less lofty than ‘Queen’s Service Medal’.
John and Sally Coles aboard Moniqe, their beloved 1922 CV5 Citroen.
That nugget of information, delivered by his son Philip Coles at John’s funeral, set off a ripple of laughter among those at St Andrew’s Church on Monday to celebrate his life. It set the tone for a farewell characterised by respect and admiration for a man who squeezed every moment from life.
John’s QSM was given in 2010 for services to the community. The honour was among many he received, most of them tracking his extensive involvement in a range of organisations and groups.
He was presented with a service award in 2013 by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society. In his 40 years with them, he was known to welcome visitors with his special brand of kiwifruit and cheese toasties.
Other certificates were from the Citizens Advice Bureau, Waikato Hospice, Friends of Resthaven, the Cambridge Community Board, a Metlifecare certificate naming him New Zealander of the Year in 2015, the then Blind Foundation, the Blood Transfusion Service (he donated for decades), and the Cambridge Golf Club. He helped form the Cambridge Bridge Club in 1976 and two years later helped organise the World Rowing Championships at Lake Karāpiro. He had an association with the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, Cambridge St John, the NZ Cancer Society, and helped Cambridge High Students with remedial reading.
John Spencer Coles 15.4.1933 – 16.6.2024
The man at the heart of it all was born in Tauwhare. He started at St Peter’s School in 1941, beginning a lengthy association that included service on the Board of Trustees. He also attended Whanganui Collegiate School – there were tales of him riding the train over Mangaweka Gorge with his schoolmates, tossing crockery out the windows then counting to see how long it took it to clatter on the bottom.
At age 24, he purchased his first property, starting out with 194 hectares at Arohena. He met Sally Firth, proposed to her on a romantic visit to the glowworms on the farm, and married her at St Andrew’s Church on October 11, 1958.
Sally’s parents were also married there.
Into their hard-working but idyllic life came three children – Gillian, Annabelle and Philip. John indulged his love of cars, eventually adding Moniqe to his collection, a bright yellow 1922 CV5 Citroen. Sally, John and Moniqe (oddly without the ‘u’) were a familiar sight in Cambridge for years.
John Coles’ farewell at St Andrew’s Church on Monday was followed by a tea at St Peter’s School.
In 1976, the family bought a sprawling homestead block in Karāpiro, naming it Chiddingfold after John’s family seat in England. The couple shared a love of gardening and grew many thousands of daffodils for the Cancer Society.
They remember joyous family times at Whangamatā, where John enjoyed a long association with the local golf and surf clubs. He was named the top fundraiser in the 1993 Whangamatā Bike Ride, helping raise money for Waikato Community Hospice.
John spent years researching his family background and encouraged upcoming generations to value those connections.
Grandson Miles spoke of John’s legacy. “He was stubborn, stood by his convictions and ethics, no matter what… he valued loyalty.”
Another grandson, Thomas, remembers John for his particularly colourful taste in golfing attire, and said: “He was a real community man who loved his family… an active and informed citizen.”
Yet another grandson, James, spoke of how golf stories were conveniently tweaked as his grandfather’s sight and then hearing became compromised, and great-grandson Toby said simply that John was a ‘bag of tricks’.
“He always had something up his sleeve.”
