Sid Corbett.
Sid Corbett died suddenly but peacefully on April 12 at the home of his companion of the past 15 years, Josie Gray.
Sid was 97, and was one of Rotorua's older residents - born here on November 25, 1918.
He was lucky to be here. His mother Lizzie contracted the
"black flu" when she was pregnant, and Sid was born prematurely weighing just over 1kg. His mother died four days later, leaving his father Bill with Sid and his 2-year-old sister Eleanor (Billie).
However Lizzie's sister, Kate, stepped in to effectively become Sid and Billie's mum. Kate Shaw is remembered as "the mother of Rotorua" and a plaque commemorates her under a pohutukawa on the foreshore of Lake Rotorua.
Sid married Hawera girl Sylvie Thrush in 1951, and they had three children, Gary, Carol and Shona. Together they had a 50-year fun-filled marriage of family, parties, golf, and bowls before Sylvie died in 2001. Sid found new companionship with Josie Gray, who at 94 survives him.
