Auckland floods: Man who died in Remuera landslip named as museum volunteer Dave Lennard
The man who died after his home was hit by a landslip on Friday evening in Remuera during the height of the Auckland floods was Dave Lennard.
He is being remembered as a respected mechanical expert and long-time volunteer at the city’s Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat).
Emergency services rushed about 7.30pm to his home in Shore Rd after it was hit by a slip in the middle of a torrential downpour in which 180mm of rain fell in four hours – three Januaries’ worth.
The Herald understands Lennard’s son, who was also in the house at the time, managed to escape despite being initially trapped by one of his legs.
The son, who was near the front door when the landslip occurred, then tried in vain to find his father.
Lennard’s family have declined to comment. His body took some time to find.
A tribute posted by a friend on social media said he had spent more than 20 years as the “mechanical Mr Fix-it” for the museum’s Western Springs Tramway.
“If something needed repair or reproduction, he would work out how to make it from raw or repurposed materials and persist with determination,” the tribute said.
The many projects he worked on included the restoration of the Whanganui tram trailer No. 21 and the Baldwin Steam Tream No 100.
“His legacy will live on in the many projects he worked on including 21 and 100 and the many friendships he made.”