Good Sorts - Geoff Lienert
Back-to-back relay: Geoff Lienert competing in a back-to-back relay on Belt Street Waimate, which was followed by a working bee at a sick club member’s home.
Waimate volunteer Geoff Lienert (74) gets some of his greatest enjoyment these days out of maintaining Waimates’ trackways and mountain bike tracks.
Geoff was born in 1948 at Timaru Hospital and was brought up in Pleasant Point, attending both Pleasant Point Primary School and High School.
He started working life in 1964 at the Timaru branch of Bank of New Zealand.
In 1969 he had a bad car accident and was told he needed to get a quiet job due to being concussed, so he became a Postman in Pleasant Point.
In 1972 he had a game of golf with his uncle and one of the other players was the Chief Postmaster in Timaru.
Two days later he had a phone call and was offered a clerical job at the Waimate Post Office, which he took.
He was then transferred to Invercargill Post Office in 1974 until he was transferred to Timaru Post Office in 1978, where he became the relieving Postmaster for the Timaru District.
Another transfer bought him back to the Waimate branch in 1983, where he was a supervisor until the Post Office was split up.
At which point he got the job as the manager of New Zealand Post in Waimate.
He remained at New Zealand Post until 1996 when the Waimate branch was closed and everyone was made redundant.
Having been employed all his life by other people, he decided to become a self-employed mail contractor of New Zealand Post.
A job he held for a total of 21 years, retiring in 2017.
Geoff started his volunteer journey at the age of 14, when he became a committee member of the Pleasant Point Rugby Club.
“I was the youngest member they had ever had,” he said.
Every group Geoff has belonged to over the years, (cricket, basketball, athletics, cycling, mountain biking and rugby), he has been involved with them behind the scenes.
He said over the years he has spent a lot of time being secretary of clubs but has never been president though.
“I’d rather work behind the scenes than be at the forefront.”
From the age of 17 until today Geoff has been on cycling club committees.
He is a foundation member and patron of the Waimate Cycling Club, and a lifetime member of the St Andrews Cycling Club.
Since 1988 he has filtered a lot of people from Waimate into registered clubs, as Waimate has never been registered with cycling New Zealand and he has done some individual cycling programs through the schools.
Through cycling Geoff was fortunate to be part of the process of developing three New Zealand Olympic cyclists (Heath Blackgrove, Dylan Kennett and Holly Edmondston), plus about another 20 New Zealand Champions, by being a coach and mentor.
He said one of his most special memories is when Dylan won his first World Title, as the first thing Dylan did when he got back to the hotel was ring him and inform him of his win.
“I have always been grateful to have been part of their lives,” said Geoff.
On first moving to Waimate Geoff became involved with the Waimate Athletics Club and has helped run meetings, been a competitor and a coach.
Through his work with athletics, he has been awarded a long service award from Athletics New Zealand.
Geoff is also a foundation member of Waimate Trackways, and a member of the Waimate Mountain Bike Club
As well as being a lifetime member of the Waimate Caledonian Society, and the Waimate Harriers Club.
He has received a Waimate Civic Award through the Waimate District Council and was nominated for it through Waimate Harriers and Waimate Cycling.
Another venture that Geoff is part of is, Sport Waimate a group that raises funds for the sports co-ordinator (Raewyn Williams) to run sports programs within Waimate Schools.
He said his favourite thing about being part of the group is being able to help Raewyn Williams out at the schools.
“I enjoy working with the kids and teaching them about sports.”
Geoff said when it comes to volunteering he just always helps with anything he is involved in.
He said his parents set a good example, as they were volunteers in their community.
“I never really think about it, I just automatically help out where needed.”