Bay man rewarded for life well lived

Hard work and good deeds have marked the life of QSM recipient Neville Coslett. Photo/Andrew Warner

All Black legend Jonah Lomu called him "Uncle Nev" - a term of affection that still brings a lump to the throat of Tauranga man Neville Coslett.

Mr Coslett was recalling some memories of a life well lived - a life rewarded with a Queen's Service Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Born in the Welsh mining village of Llangenech 75 years ago, Mr Coslett's arrival in New Zealand in 1971 with his Kiwi wife Lorraine turned out to be a huge gain for his newly adopted country.

The managerial skills of the fluent Welsh speaker and rugby player had been honed by five years service with the Royal Air Force, followed by his appointment as group production control manager for international blade and shaving company Wilkinson Sword.

Mr Coslett's considerable talents were harnessed following the couple's arrival in Auckland, becoming Nissan Motor Company's supply manager in the days when many cars were assembled in New Zealand.

He also launched himself into community service, becoming the chairman and president of the Auckland Welsh Club in the early 1990s. Mr Coslett co-ordinated the community sponsorship scheme for Welsh migrants, advising and supporting the immigration process for his countrymen.

His work with the Welsh Club led to him striking up a friendship with Jonah Lomu's manager Phil Kingsley Jones who also hailed from Wales. He met Lomu through Kingsley Jones and the two men immediately hit it off.

"I knew Jonah very well, he called me Uncle Nev."

The two men shared a common bond through the Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union. Lomu made his first-class debut for Counties in 1994, playing 28 times for the Steelers before transferring to Wellington. Mr Coslett managed Counties Manukau's age group squads, starting with the under-15s and finished as manager of the under-21 team.

"It was a very upsetting time for me when Jonah passed away. He was a very kind-hearted man."

He recalled happy evenings watching the All Blacks on TV with Lomu at Mr Kingsley Jones' house after illness ended Lomu's playing days.

The later years of Mr Coslett's career saw him working as a financial mediator, hired to find solutions for companies that were at loggerheads.

The death of his wife after 44 years of marriage saw him shift to Tauranga where he now lives at the Pacific Coast Village.

"What I have done I have done for living in New Zealand because I love it so much and I am so grateful for being here."