Ron Chapman's life was dominated by music and mountains. Photo / NZME
Ron Chapman's life was dominated by music and mountains. Photo / NZME
Ron Chapman lived a life filled with musical and mountaineering adventures while managing to fit in an illustrious teaching career.
His death notice said the Whanganui man “danced down the keys for the last time” on April 21, aged 95.
David Scoullar who enjoyed many tramping expeditions with Ron and heard plenty of anecdotes about his life’s adventures said the phrase was very fitting for the man he knew.
“He was a born showman — thespian, musician, and composer of amusing ditties — Ron was the star entertainer at many Wanganui Tramping Club functions,” Scoullar said.
“He said his scariest moments were falling into a crevasse on a Tasman climb after a 100m slide on ice in the dark; being caught in a slow-moving avalanche while descending Silberhorn; helping an ill climber in a storm on the Mueller Glacier; and getting trapped under a collapsed rubber raft in fast water on the Waiau River.”
Scoullar said Chapman’s outdoors career began after his first serious walk as a 10-year-old.
“He walked from Arthur’s Pass to Otira with his parents and that sparked a love of adventure that took him to the top of New Zealand’s highest mountains and to serious climbing experiences overseas.
“Ron rubbed shoulders with mountaineering royalty. He knew Ed Hillary and Hillary’s mentor, famous Hermitage guide Harry Ayres. And Ron’s wife Joan was godmother to Everest conquerer Lydia Bradey.”
When Ron was interviewed by the Chronicle in 2014 he spoke about his remarkable achievement of standing on four mountain peaks within a 24-hour timeframe.
In 1968 at the age of 41 Chapman became the first person to climb Taranaki, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro within 24 hours.
“I was on Taranaki with some tramping club members and we were all going to climb it that day. I got up before breakfast and climbed it, and then did it a second time with the party that day,” he told the Chronicle.
“But on the top [of Taranaki], I looked across at Ruapehu and wondered if anyone had ever stood on the summit of all four peaks on the same day. I worked out driving back to Whanganui then up to the Central Plateau wouldn’t have taken much time, so I picked a weekend when the moon was reasonably bright.”
He achieved the goal and would repeat it a few years later in 1972.
In 2007 Ron aged 79 tackled a more modest peak at Kowhai Park playground in celebration of his Outward Bound achievement. Photo / NZME
Colin Milne knew Chapman as a fellow teacher, hockey player, and thespian and performed with him in many a Whanganui theatre production.
“He played the male lead role in a few productions and he was very good,” said Milne.
“More often he was the music producer and he always did a fantastic job of arranging music composed by others but on closing nights we’d be treated to one of Ron’s own compositions which were always side-splittingly funny.”
Chapman was also a keen hockey player and recruited Milne to join the Castlecliff Men’s Hockey team.
“Ron was in his early 40s then and it would have been the year before he famously tackled the four peaks.
“He went on to play hockey for the veteran team known as the Castlecliff Sweathogs.”
Tennis was another sport he enjoyed and he was a member of a hockey team that won a silver medal at the Masters Games although he played that down by saying they were one of only two teams competing for three medals that year.
Milne said Chapman was “a terrific man of his generation.”
“He always had a smile on his face and something witty to say. His daughters said he was still that way during his last days.”
Ron Chapman is remembered for many witty compositions he wrote to celebrate theatrical and outdoor achievements. Photo / Supplied
Ron’s teaching career took him to the UK and Canada where he also continued his daring outdoor pursuits.
He was district adviser on school music for the Wanganui Education Board (1966-72) and principal of Kokohuia and Churton schools in Whanganui before retiring in 1988.
In 2007 he became the second-oldest person to take part in Outward Bound after he completed an eight-day “Discovery” course at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds.
Scouller said he later joked that he was a double OBE - an Outward Bound Elder and Over Bloody Eighty.
Ron is survived by his daughters Robyn and Jolene who cared for him during his last months.
“Dad lived such a full life and I’ve been thinking I’d better get a move on if I want to cram in as many adventures as he did,” said Robyn.
A celebration of Ron Chapman’s life was held at the Forrest Lawn Chapel in Whanganui on Friday.
The service was led by Hywel Davies who served as deputy principal to Chapman at Kokohuia and Churton schools.
