Waihou man killed before anniversary

Graham Wells. Photo / Supplied

It was meant to have been a day of reminiscing, renewing and celebrating for Graham Wells and his wife, Laurie, who were to have marked 27 years of marriage today.

Instead, Mrs Wells, their family and a small Waikato community are mourning his death after he was killed in a road accident on Monday.

The 74-year-old Mr Wells, a former dairy farmer who had lived in Waihou, near Te Aroha, for over 40 years, was killed when he lost control of his 90cc scooter at the intersection of Endowment and Andrews Rds.

A nearby resident, who was first to the accident around 2.30pm, said it appeared Mr Wells' scooter had slipped on the paint lines or he didn't see the corner before he collided with a reflector sign at the intersection.

He said Mr Wells was found tangled in a fence and his scooter was lying in a paddock about 10m away.

Mr Wells' nephew Michael Wells said yesterday that his uncle had died of head injuries.

"It was a road he had travelled many times but there had been a heavy shower of rain and I think he was just turning a corner when the front wheel went out from under the bike," he said.

Michael Wells said his uncle and aunty were to have celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary today.

The couple had met in the 1980s, while she was hitch-hiking and he was possibly on one of his many journeys in his car that he enjoyed in his spare time.

"She was this hitch-hiker that he'd picked up ... she went away but came back and that was it, they got married."

Another friend, Les Munro of Waihou, said Graham Wells was respected in the community and would often help out with small jobs for people who needed a hand.

He also spent a lot of time helping out at a local Sunday School and the Waihou Community Hall, where his funeral will be held tomorrow.

Mr Munro said Mr Wells had told him he wanted to get married to Mrs Wells on Valentine's Day but couldn't because they weren't able to get a marriage licence on that day.

"They were married the day after and he died the day before some 20 years later so it's ironic and he will be buried the day after their anniversary.

"It's very sad."

Michael Wells said his uncle had children from a previous marriage who were now living in Australia. He said efforts were being made to contact them so they could return for his funeral.

"He was nature's gentleman, a very humble man, a really good man," he said.

"He was right into his computers and he loved driving around the Waikato area.

"That was one of his main pleasures, he used to just get in his car and drive around for hours."

Matamata-Piako's sub-area manager, Senior Sergeant Rod Carpinter, said serious crash unit investigators had carried out a scene examination to try to identify any contributing factors.

Mr Wells' death has been reported to the coroner.

His death brings the Waikato Police District road toll to eight compared with 10 for the same period last year.