Recently-deceased Maureen Thomson in Queenstown with her second husband, the late Bill Thomson. Before moving to Christchurch in about 1996, Nelson-raised Maureen Thomson lived in Queenstown for about 25 years after earlier stints in Invercargill and Alexandra. For a long time she brought up six children — Dale, Desley, Sandra, Tony, Glen and Craig — by herself after her first husband, Bill Smith, left her. Her community work included making weekly lunches for Senior Citizens Association members and organising entertainment for children, and she was also a carer for much-loved doctor’s widow, Molly Anderson, who lived to 103. Maureen was one of the first local people awarded a civic honour in ’93 for her voluntary community service.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 17, 2026 15:03 UTC