Tony Fortune
Tony's impact on the town extends beyond his own personal and professional accomplishments. His ability to foster a sense of community is perhaps best exemplified in his radio reports, which have been heard on COAST FM since 1998. Through these reports, he shares the weather, the history of the town, local birthdays, and upcoming events, providing a platform for the Reefton community to stay informed and connected. The feedback from listeners, both young and old, is a testament to the positive impact Tony’s work has had on the town.
In recognition of his lifelong service, Tony was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for his contributions to the community in 2023. His role as a Justice of the Peace for over 30 years, his leadership in local bands, and his efforts to restore the Reefton Band Hall are just some of the ways in which Tony has enriched the fabric of his community. As a founding member of the Reefton Athletic Harriers Club, Tony has worked to provide financial support to budding athletes and has shown unwavering dedication to promoting sports and physical activity in the region.
Despite his many accomplishments, Tony remains humble and deeply attached to the place he calls home. In a recent interview, he remarked, “I really enjoy living in Reefton. Everything I need is here—the environment, the smallness of the place surrounded by mountains and bush, which is what I like.” For Tony, Reefton is more than just a town—it is a way of life, a place where the community comes together to support one another through both the triumphs and challenges.
As Tony steps into retirement, he reflects on the many years of service he has given to Reefton, knowing that the town will always be a part of him. His plans for the future include more travel, more cycling, and more tramping. Yet, despite his well-earned rest, Tony’s connection to Reefton will remain strong. His legacy as a teacher, community leader, and outdoor enthusiast will live on in the generations he has influenced and the many lives he has touched.
In the words of those who know him best, Tony Fortune is “chipped from the granite of the hills around this town,” a man whose life has been shaped by the very land and people of Reefton. With his characteristic humility and tireless spirit, Tony has given more than he will ever receive, and for that, the people of Reefton will always be grateful.
A Lifelong Dedication to Reefton and Its Community
Tony Fortune is as much a part of Reefton as the coal mining history and the majestic Inangahua River that runs through it. Born in 1952 (one of identical twins) delivered by Dr Wicken at the Reefton maternity annexe at the Reefton Hospital,Tonys twin unfortunately only survived for a short time. Tony has lived most of his life in this small West Coast town, contributing to its growth, well-being, and cultural identity in ways that have made him a local legend. From his earliest days as a young boy observing the weather, to his recent recognition with the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community, Tony's story is one of tireless dedication, service, and love for the place he calls home.
Tony's roots are deeply embedded in Reefton. His parents, Olive of Irish parents from Salford in England, and Tom from Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland, both hailed from different parts of the world, but it was here in Reefton that their son would grow up. Tony had two brothers, Tommy and Michael, and together they shared a childhood filled with adventure and hard work, mirroring the community around them. Attending the local primary school and high school, Tony was no stranger to busy schedules from a young age, balancing part-time jobs with sporting activities.
First day of school 1957
Tom and Olive 1948
TONY MICHAEL TOMMY
Tony’s community involvement began early and has never slowed down. At the age of 18, he left Reefton to attend Teachers College in Christchurch, where he studied physical education and outdoor education. His return to Reefton in the 1970s marked the beginning of a 40-year career in teaching, primarily at Inangahua College, later transitioning to Reefton Area School when the schools merged in 2003. Throughout his career, he taught a range of subjects, including physical education, outdoor education, junior and senior science, and even music and drama, making an impact on thousands of students.
Tom and Olive Walsh St 1950's
As a teacher, Tony not only imparted knowledge but also a deep sense of connection to the natural environment. His work organizing outdoor education camps at Waitahu, a nearby camping ground, for 28 years is a testament to his commitment to helping students experience and appreciate the beauty of the West Coast landscape. Over the years, Tony’s leadership in taking students on trips to Wellington and guiding them through the intricacies of local history, has shaped many lives. In total, Tony has taught for over four decades, making him one of Reefton’s most enduring and beloved educators.
In addition to his teaching, Tony has dedicated himself to a wide range of community activities and causes. From serving as a CCD (Christian doctrine) teacher to his long tenure as a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish Council, Tony has been a cornerstone of local religious and social life.
His involvement in the community extends beyond the church, He won the Rotary Youth Leadership Award in 1976. He has been an active participant in the local weather reporting network for over 40 years. Tony’s daily weather reports, which began in 1998, have become a staple of life in Reefton. His passion for weather has also led him to maintain the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) weather station in Reefton since the early 1990s, a responsibility that he continues with great enthusiasm.
Tony's achievements in community service extend to his participation in the Reefton Table Tennis Club, Athletics Club, Harriers Club, and the Reefton Hearing Association, among many others. He was the secretary of the latter from 1976 to 1980 and even led the Weight Watching Club from 1976 to 1978.
Tony winning The Great Westland Marathon 1980
His love for outdoor activities has not only been shared with students but has also been a significant part of his personal life. With more than 2,600 days of tramping recorded in his logbook, and thousands of kilometers run and cycled, Tony has experienced some of the world's most iconic landscapes. Notable achievements include climbing Everest Base Camp in 2004, summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, trekking up Uluru and through Bhutan ,cycled in Cuba, Tasmania and around New Zealand several times, plus two expedition trips to the Antarctic Continent, Patagonia, Swiss and Austrian Alps, the Grand Tetons in the USA, Mt Elbrus in the Russian Caucasus and Mt Fujiyama and the Japanese Alps. He has also walked on the Great wall of China.
His travels and explorations span the globe, from the Antarctic Continent to Iceland, always seeking new adventures while staying connected to his roots in Reefton.
Tony's Scrapbook
A collection of Photo's, Video's and News articles through the years
Tim White seeing Tony off on his first trip overseas at the Stillwater Station 1979
Work still in progrss
While the students at Reefton Area School were on holiday last month, one of their
teachers was climbing the world's highest free-standing mountain.
Tony Fortune travelled halfway around the world to climb the 5895m (19000ft) Mount
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.
The three-week expedition saw a group of nine mostly from the Canterbury area, climbed
Mount Meru (15,000 ft) first to help them get acclimatised for the bigger Kilimanjaro.
Mr Fortune said the group travelled through rainforest which was similar, but different in
many ways to West Coast bush.
"It was great just being there, the whole environment was just so different from here", he
said.
Along the way they saw a variety of wild animals, including giraffes, elephants,
warthogs, and snakes.
"Our guide was armed in case anything came out on us ... generally they just walked past
and didn't take much notice of us.
Mr Fortune said a tropical area like Meru is cloudy during the day, but crystal clear in the
morning. The group began the last leg of their trek in moonlight in order to reach the top
of Meru for the morning view.
"It was very hot. It happened to be on the day the sun was right above the equator"
Then began the big trek up Kilimanjaro - six days were spent getting up and two coming
down. The first day was almost like being in the Pararoas on the West Coast, with
similar bush environments, he said.
As they climbed the environment changed
from thick rain-forest to more exotic and
hardy plants, followed by a patch of
Manuka-like trees, then scrub and grass, and
finally barren rock and ice.
Mr Fortune was amazed by the porters, but
finished with only seven.
"Some refused to go up any higher, they
were exhausted and too cold".
Each day the temperature dropped further.
"It was just above freezing one day, and
gradually got around -15C as we got
higher
The hardest day was day three, where the group had to climb the "breakfast wall". The 2000-ft wall took three solid hours to climb
"It was quite steep, quite difficult and very rocky. People were getting stressed at that
stage due to the altitude - feeling sluggish, losing their appetite and losing sleep.
The group started walking at 7-am the next day, spending seven hours going slowly
uphill.
"It was like a moonscape with great big blocks of ice. It was very cold. We couldn't even
eat our tea very much"
Mr Fortune said he had to sleep with six layers of clothing, a sleeping bag and a silver
blanket because it was so cold, combined with a freezing wind, contributed to the minor
frostbite he got on the tops of his fingers.
The view as the group climbed was "absolute magic" above the clouds and over to Mount
Meru.
Glaciers, eagles and people suffering from altitude sickness being escorted down the
mountain were also in view.
"There were crosses and graves scattered along the top, which got me thinking "what am
I doing here"
Mr Fortune said his group was an older group, mostly in their 50s, but all of them made it
to the top.
After surviving the almost 6000m climb they spent four day days in the Serengeti plains
watching the wild animals. For safety they had to get in a caged hut.
Mr Fortune said he has always wanted to go to Kilimanjaro after hearing a song about the
place when he was younger. Next, is Mount Fuji in Japan.
Fortune on hiker's side as he scales Kilimanjaro
By Nicole Mathewson
Farewell, Mr Fortune
On Friday we had a whole-school assembly to mark the retirement from teaching of
Mr Tony Fortune.
Mr Fortune grew up in Reefton,
went away to teachers college in Christchurch,
then returned to Reefton
where he has taught for 40 years,
first at Reefton Primary, then Inangahua College,
and finally, after the schools merged in 2004,
at Reefton Area School.
He decided it was time to retire when the first grandchild of students he had taught started at a school in 2010.
YouTube Clips
The case for coal in a cold climate - Reefton digs in
By Lois Williams 2020
Tony Fortune on how to burn coal without stinking up the town:
"I've burned coal all my life. My father was a miner ... we used to get 12 ton of coal free a year, all the miners did.
"We had a copper for the washing, coal range and two open fires in this house - all roaring their heads off in winter, except for the copper.
"The problem comes when people are stoking up, just pouring coal on, so it doesn't burn properly. All it does is produce lots of sulphur and that yellow smoke that comes out of chimney? That's people who've choked their fireplaces and all of a sudden it'll go pouf! And catch. Flames and so on. But you've just got to feed it more often rather than put a whole heap of coal on and wait.
"What I do, is light fire with paper and kindling; put a little bit of coal on then my wood then coal over the wood and it doesn't smoke nearly as much. You've got to get your wood burning really well before your next layer of coal, just a shovelful."
On winters past in Reefton:
"As a kid in 1963 I remember waking up one morning; I had the blankets up to my chin and I put my hands out and felt ice where I was breathing. It was all over blanket. I looked at the temperature and it was minus 3 degrees. We used to scrape ice off the inside of the windows"I've insulated the place and it's lots warmer but a lot of people here still don't have insulation."Reefton's coldest day this winter was on 2 July when the temperature was minus 9 degrees."
On climate change:
"These last few years, winters have been quite a bit milder; we've had more winds from the north.
"I'm not a doomsday believer but I know it's gradually getting warmer; we can see that all round us. The glaciers have advanced and receded over the years but have not been fed by snow on this side of the Alps and they're on a big decrease.
"In June we had only 93 millimetres of rain, compared to the average of 216mm for the month.
"At the moment there's no snow on the Paparoa's. That's very unusual. In the early years of settlement Reefton winters were extreme: 1878 they had 6 inches of snow in June, 18 inches in July and two feet of snow in Broadway in August.
"But 10 years later in the 1880s the papers were saying the winters were the mildest since settlement began: no snow all winter; plants blossoming in July then snow in October. It's happened before so that leads me to believe its very cyclical. But the overall trend is warming."
Reefton’s ‘unofficial mayor’
WelCom June/July 2022
Reefton’s ‘unofficial mayor’ and longstanding stalwart of Sacred Heart Parish, Tony Fortune, celebrated his 70th birthday recently with Sacred Heart School students. Tony, centre with his birthday card, was also joined by principal Tony Webb, back right, and teacher aide Tracy Parkinson, centre left. Words and photo: Rose O’Connor, teacher Sacred Heart School, Reefton
FORTUNE, Mr Anthony Louis (Tony), JP
For services to the community
Mr Tony Fortune has been contributing to the rural West Coast community for several years.
Mr Fortune trained as a teacher, working at schools in Reefton and Inangahua since 1974. He has been involved with the Sacred Heart Parish Church for more than 60 years, holding several positions including Chairman and Secretary. He has contributed a weekly history column to the community publication ‘The Clarion’ since 1992 and provides a daily morning report for COAST FM. As the region’s weather reporter, he has been the caretaker of the NIWA weather station in Reefton since the early 1990s, maintaining the station and collecting weather data. He has played in the Inangahua Silver Band for almost 50 years and has been President since 1980. As a member of the Westport and Greymouth Municipal Band, he has played in national competitions and special events including ANZAC commemorations. Since 2017, he has led fundraising efforts to restore the Reefton Band Hall. He was a founding member of the Reefton Athletic Harriers Club Committee in 1968 and became a committee member of the West Coast Amateur Sports Trust in 2015, which provides financial support to regional budding athletes. Mr Fortune has been a Justice of the Peace for 31 years and West Coast JPs Association President for 14 years.
Queen's Service Medal
Tony, Olive, Michale Story
Bill Corkran, Pat Scott, Tom Fortune
8th Feb 2011
Annette Latham, Tony
Tommy, Tony, Peter Etheridge
Olive, Tony at the Races