Otaki TodayEric King was keen to celebrate his 100th birthday on August 24, but he missed the opportunity by just 11 days.
Eric King stands on the newly built bridge over the railway line and pending expressway in June 2019. The old bridge – known locally as The Ramp – is behind and due to be demolished. Eric saw the old bridge being built in 1937 and took photos of some of the first cars to drive across.
Photo Ōtaki Today
He died peacefully on August 13 after a brief illness. It might have been just shy of his milestone, but he would have had reason to be content with a long life filled with family, creativity and military service.
His birthday was to have been celebrated with him as guest of honour at a special King family planting on the banks of the Ōtaki River. The planting went ahead with his three sons present – local fire chief Ian King, Bryan who flew in from Queensland, and Andrew of Levin – plus many extended family members.
Later in the day the Presbyterian church at Ōtaki was packed with people who attended his funeral service.
Eric was born in Ōtaki’s Moutere Hospital (about where the Farmlands yard and Mowbrays Collectibles is now) in 1924. As Ian pointed out in his eulogy, his dad came into the world during the 1924 Paris Olympics, and went out during the next Paris Olympics.
He was the second of four children to Dorothy (later Devonshire) and George King. George (junior) was the eldest, then Eric, Audrey and the youngest, Maurice, who is the sole survivor, now aged 87.
Eric grew up in Ōtaki, attending Ōtaki School and leaving after Standard 6.
His first job was as an electrician. With his first pay he bought a camera, promptly going down to the railway station to photograph the next steam train that arrived. The camera was the beginning of a passion he had throughout his life for photography.
Eric married Nancy Kirby in 1953 (she died in 2016).
Towards the end of the Second World War, Eric did his military training and was posted to Japan after it surrendered. He was in New Zealand’s J-Force, part of a Commonwealth contingent to help rebuild the country.
When he returned trained as a carpenter and worked in the building trade. Eric was a creative man, able to build or fix just about anything. His brother George used to install radios in police cars, so Eric made George a scale model police car. Eric rode motorbikes in his younger days, including a BSA Bantam and Matchless 500, and loved classic cars.
He was also an accomplished artist. After taking some painting lessons, he produced stunning art pieces, including one of a Wellington harbour tug that was his first sale.
If anything, Eric is remembered for his humility. He was a humble and thoroughly likeable man of remarkable versatility and talent, but was embarrassed by praise, even though well deserved. As someone who lived almost all his life in Ōtaki, he will be missed.
A full obituary will appear in the 2024 edition of Ōtaki Yesterday
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