My Life Story

She grew up with an idyllic childhood, the envy of many, roaming barefoot through snow covered tussock lands and riding her horse through the swift currents of the Shotover River up into spectacular mountainous terrain.

Brought up on Aussie Rules in a small rural town on the Murray River, Simon Hayes had no clue about rugby when he arrived in New Zealand at 21, fresh from a trainee manager’s role at Myers Food and Catering in 1974.

She may come from Japan, but Queenstown’s Yasuko Joll sure has plenty of ‘Kiwi can do’ attitude. If New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister asks for a toothbrush from hotel reception late at night you improvise.

He’s probably transported more people than a New York City bus driver. The only difference is most of Brian Ramsey’s passengers are not off to work but play.

Now author of multiple fiction novels – one that almost made it to the big screen, Ray Drayton was once best known as Queenstown’s very own restaurant front-of-house, Fawlty Towers funnyman.

His name may be synonymous with opulence and lavish luxury lodges in this country, but Kenyan-born Brit Philip Jenkins certainly did the hard grind to get there.

An early baby boomer, born in 1945, the daughter of a World War I Passchendaele vet and bank manager, Tish Glasson has lived on the edge in the great outdoors.

He specialised in fine wines, outlandish promotions and good times, from lavish Auckland lunches, oysters and Bollinger flowing in the 80s to mystery feasts atop The Remarkables. Danny Carson knew how to throw a party.

He’s played in more than 60 bands in 60 years in New Zealand, USA, Solomon Islands and Queenstown where the sultry tones of Nigel Hirst’s saxophone have even spontaneously jammed with back-up guitarists for Joe Cocker and Paul McCartney. He’s performed with Kenny Rogers and toured with Billy T. James.

His name may have been synonymous with Queenstown’s renowned Gourmet Express Restaurant for 25 years, but Richard Hanning also worked his way up through the ranks as a teenage apprentice for leading national hotel chains.

One of the country’s most successful young hairstylists, David Bradford failed two attempts at School Cert but went on to become New Zealand’s first timeshare innovator and Mayor of the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

He’s helped guide thousands of aircraft safely in and out of Queenstown, even the US President’s Air Force One, and faced the heat helping fight hundreds of local fires, clocking an impressive track record of protecting and saving lives over 40 years.

The daughter of an Olympic skier-high country farmer father, and artist mother, Brigit van der Kaag was bound to be adventurous, resourceful and headed for the snow.

A great, great nephew of one of Queenstown’s first two doctors, his mother also one of the Wakatipu’s renowned Dagg farming family, Bruce Douglas was born to work the land.

He refers to himself as a ‘disaster junkie’, a man who spent decades ensuring thousands of tonnes of food aid arrived and was distributed safely to tens of millions of displaced people in need.

He managed the purse strings for the Queenstown Lakes District Council for nearly 30 years, overseeing billions of dollars’ worth of expenditure in one of the fastest growing districts in the country.

He’s one of New Zealand’s most successful tourism entrepreneurs, having headed up and owned renowned Kiwi tourism operations, but Mark Quickfall didn’t need a business degree to get there.

Few people can boast reaching the pinnacle of their career at 73 and coaching local swim champions to national stardom, but quietly spoken, cool, calm Frank Wylie can.

As a veteran firefighter Stu Ide has devoted his life to saving other people’s. It’s in his blood.