When history shoulder-tapped Gary Troup, he always answered
Former cricketer Gary Troup knows that life's opportunities come when you least expect them.
In 1976, he made his international debut after Dayle Hadlee withdrew from the tour of India and Pakistan at the last minute. Thirty years later, Len Brown's heart attack saw him thrust into the role ofacting mayor of Manukau.
The affable 61-year-old, whose CV also includes spells as a funeral director and a sports-goods wholesaler, has taken it all in his long stride.
Troup, a tall left-arm quick, played 15 tests and 22 one-day internationals for New Zealand between 1976 and 1986. After he hung up his boots, friends persuaded the proud Papatoetoe man to get involved in local politics.
"I put my toe in the water just to go on the local board," he says. "I had no other aspirations than just helping Papatoetoe."
After 12 years on the board, he served a term on the Manukau City Council. Almost immediately, Brown asked him to stand as his deputy after Su'a William Sio was called up to Parliament.
Troup, still a council greenhorn, agreed on one condition - he wouldn't have to chair procedurally onerous council meetings.
"Len said, 'don't worry. I'll always be here. If I'm away, I'll make sure I'm back for the meeting'."
A month later, Brown had his heart attack and underwent bypass surgery.
Long after his playing days for Papatoetoe Cricket, Gary Troup is still heavily involved with the suburb and club. Photo / NZ Herald
"So he chaired one meeting, fell over, and I was doing it for the next six months," Troup laughs.
In his first month as acting mayor, there was a spate of murders in South Auckland. He visited the grieving families but says the hardest part was dealing with the media.
"[They] come at you saying, 'what are you going to do about it?' You just don't want to get tripped up."
Troup faced his fair share of heat on the cricket field, too, most notably in the infamous but successful 1980 West Indies series, which set in motion a golden era of New Zealand cricket.
The tourists had an abundance of riches but it was their devastating bowling attack of Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft who evoked the most fear.
"[They'd] come from Australia after smashing them and thought this was going to be a bit of a holiday," Troup says.
The series was mired in controversy over the standard of umpiring. In Dunedin, Holding kicked the stumps out of the ground after a not-out call and in Christchurch an incensed Croft deliberately ran into the back of umpire Fred Goodall.
Among the drama, Troup claimed a 10-wicket haul in Auckland and at Carisbrook he and Stephen Boock endured a torrid spell of fast bowling to eke out a last-wicket partnership of four runs to earn New Zealand a famous victory.
"When Boocky came in, he said, 'I think we can work it through third man and we can get a single around the corner'," Troup laughs. "I said, 'Boocky - first thing you've got to do is actually see the ball. Just get some bat on it, mate'."
Troup continues to serve on boards, including Camp Quality New Zealand, which raises funds for children living with cancer.
He's particularly proud of his involvement in establishing the Papatoetoe Sports Centre, which houses a number of codes in one complex, including the cricket club.
While he has given a lot to his South Auckland community, Troup says he has gained personally from the work he has done.
"It has moulded me a lot more around cultures and different ethnicities. It has made me a lot more tolerant," he says.
