Last week’s unveiling of a new road sign in Cambridge’s Bridleways Estate area honoured the town’s late fire chief Don Gerrand and ties two families together in a poignant coincidence.
The gathering of family and friends pictured after the road sign honouring Don Gerrand was unveiled last week. Photo: Viv Posselt
Don and Jocelyn Gerrand
The unveiling of Don Gerrand Drive – at the far end of Hugo Shaw Drive – was done by Don’s son Richie Gerrand, accompanied by his mother Jocelyn and sister Stephanie Taylor.
Numerous other family members and friends, as well as Cambridge Volunteer Fire Brigade members and Waipā councillors were on hand for the occasion.
Richie Gerrand thanked everyone who had played a part in getting the road sign in place and said his dad would have been very honoured to be recognised in such a way.
Don Gerrand died in May 2022. He served 53 years with the Cambridge fire brigade, 28 of them as fire chief, and attended an astonishing 9316 callouts. His funeral service in the Cambridge Town Hall was one of the largest the town has seen.
Waipa deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, standing with Richie Gerrand, speaking to those present at the unveiling. Photo: Viv Posselt
Waipā deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk said the project intended to honour Don began soon after his passing.
“When I saw how the whole community mourned, it became obvious to me that this was a man who was very highly respected in Cambridge,” she said. “The voluntary service he gave to this community over so many years was outstanding, and I started thinking about how we could honour him and his family.”
Don Gerrand’s widow Jocelyn, flanked by her son Richie Gerrand and daughter Steph Tay-lor, pictured with the sign honouring the late Don Gerrand. Photo: Viv Posselt
Determined to ensure that whatever recognition was given would last for generations, she reached out to Bridleways Estate manager Matt Smith to identify a road in the new development that would be well-used for years to come.
“The wheels turn slowly for this type of thing,” she said, “but what we have here is a road that is in a growing community, one that when finished will link to other major roads.”
A poignant connection linking Don Gerrand Drive with Hugo Shaw Drive was mentioned during last week’s unveiling.
Hugo Shaw Drive was named for 14-year-old Cambridge teenager, Hugo Shaw, who died in a crash in Pāpāmoa in early 2021. It turns out that Hugo’s mother, Hayley Shaw, is a close and long-standing schoolfriend of Don’s daughter Stephanie.
See: Council has it Taylor made
Hugo Shaw during a family trip to the Abel Tasman a few weeks before his accident on January 19, 2021. Photo: Supplied.
Richie Gerrand, watched by his sister Steph Taylor and mum Jocelyn Gerrand, prepares to unveil the road sign honouring his dad Don Gerrand. Photo: Viv Posselt
Taylor Street at the northern end of Hugo Shaw Drive in Bridleways Estate. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
