My Life Story

He’d have to be this region’s most legendary cowboy, movie stuntman and animal trainer and wrangler.

She was there when the first parapenters landed in the playground, at the helm in the search for the stolen school bell, and consoling children when Wicky the school cat ate a classroom’s pet mice and goldfish.

The daughter of Queenstown’s two most famous early hoteliers, Pat Doyle (O’Connell), who arrived here aged two in 1937, was number four out of 10 children, gravitating towards hospitality from a young age.

It was 1977 when an extremely talented, young wanderlust artist from Canada discovered the sleepy tourist town of Queenstown.

Local heritage doesn’t come much richer than that of Queenstown builder Richard Short whose grandfather, shut out of a wealthy inheritance, turned to goldmining at Skippers and bought all of Battery Hill with the profits.

When Ming Han arrived in Queenstown, just 24 and speaking minimal English more than 11,000kms from home, ironically, he was returning to his roots.

It was the early 70s, small town lure of quaint, untouched Arrowtown that drew a young teacher from the ‘Naki south, but a go-getter blonde farmgirl from the Young Farmers Club who kept him here.

Growing up as a city boy in Pakuranga, Auckland, Geoff Woodhouse doesn’t seem the most likely candidate to study veterinary science.

A life of governance and community service started at 16 years old for sixth generation West Coaster Joanne Conroy – a woman who gets the job done.

Turning 100 this month, Yorkshire-raised Margaret Reid has lived in Queenstown for almost 70 years after 10 years of post-war OE landed the gutsy little Brit here, where she fell in love while housemaiding at Eichardt’s Hotel.

He grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, surrounded by the love, good food and wine that goes with the warmth of a large Italian extended family, so it was inevitable that Domenic Mondillo would excel in hospitality.

He grew up tough as a Crown Terrace farm boy, destined for a life on the edge as an extreme adventurer - a journey that’s seen Jock Jeffery conquer undiscovered peaks from Pakistan to Peru, and sled through outer Greenland.

Debbie Swain-Rewi’s life may have been an emotional rollercoaster that could’ve tipped many over the edge. Instead, it built resilience and instilled immense gratitude and compassion in a heart that’s still constantly pouring out to others.

She grew up a farm girl near Te Anau and after multi-tasking through early motherhood and a full-on corporate and civic career she became Queenstown Lakes’ first female mayor at 43.

Steve Rout was born with entrepreneurship in his blood. His parents Dick and Clarice Rout left a Hamilton dairy farm to operate U-Drive jetboats in Queenstown for two years. They never left - eldest Steve born on the day the old Bungy Backpackers maternity home opened in 1958.

He was the friendly face of pharmacy in Queenstown for 32 years, greeting everyone from insect-ravaged, sunburnt tourists to worried mothers of sick babies and elderly collecting prescriptions, all with a warm, broad smile. Kim Wilkinson was the third-generation pharmacist to own Wilkinsons Pharmacy, which still bears the family name at the bottom of Queenstown Mall.

Johnny Stevenson learned a hard work ethic growing up in a Southland dairy farming family – one that paid off.

He ran the main engine room of Queenstown for 20 years and kept the wheels turning – a born and bred local.

From dancing with the king to tending the wounds of celebrities, former Queenstown Plunket and maternity nurse Penny Wallace has enjoyed some high-flying days.