September 14th 2021: RIP Chris Sinclair

When I first started Box of Light 10 years ago there was always a friendly happy face that would greet me each morning at the beach. He carried himself with a lot of mana and always had a cheeky quip loaded in the barrel for me. Around this time Chris Sinclair was surfing mostly on an over-sized paddleboard – so large that he could barely carry it from his house to the beach each morning.

He told me one day that he was a "number crunchy" for R&R Sport (which was acquired by Torpedo 7). Chris changed the way I looked at the accountancy profession. He made me realise that you could live the dream and work a full-time job if you were smart enough with your time.

Chris did just that – he surfed all through summer and hit the mountains each winter. He had an adventurous spirit that saw him weave a journey through windsurfing, mountain biking, kayaking and multipsort, but it was surfing and skiing that he loved most of all. His partner in crime was always his loving wife and his best mate Louise along with their two sons Ollie and Ben.

Sadly, Monday evening last week in small, clean waves at Middle Beach, not far from his home, Chris drowned in the surf in what must have been a freak accident while surfing alone on his own peak.

There's a big hollow in the community right now. A hole that won't ever be filled again. One of our spirited fathers, with the right attitude and everything to live for, gone too soon. He was like a kaumauta to many of us. A good bugger with a heart of gold. He'd do anything to help.

He was among the first to back Box of Light with R&R Sport advertising. When a commerical shoot I was running ran into some friction getting access to Port Otago one time, he made a call and laid a clear pathway for our filming project. He would always help me to run a school ski weekend and thrived on being part of the community.

Chris would be the guy at the surf contests helping to pack up at the end of the day when everyone else was scurrying for home. Then he'd be in the bar laughing and retelling the funny stories from the day. He was the glue that binds a community together. We can all be a bit more like Chris. We can all learn from him.

To Louise, Ollie and Ben, we offer our heartfelt condolences and love. Chris was who he was because of who you are. He may not be able to deliver a sneaky quip to us, and we may not be able to see that cheeky smile, but he is and always will be a part of this community walking alongside all of us, riding all the empty waves and smiling down upon us.

Ka rere kā tai o aroha ki te whānau i tēnei wā pōuri.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We've released the first film from Paige Hareb's winter trip to Dunedin and we've had heaps of awesome feedback ... thank-you everyone. If you haven't seen it you can watch it right here: Chasing Winter With Paige Hareb.