Nuclear test veteran Roy Sefton remembered as tenacious advocate, jokester and loving father

Monday, 11 January 2021

RSA welfare officer Michael O'Connor, left, with fellow nuclear veterans Tere Tahi, Clive Strickett and Michael Toomath, pay tribute to their fallen comrade, Roy Sefton.

Roy Sefton's legacy is his tireless advocacy for nuclear test veterans, but loved ones also remember a bright, intelligent storyteller.

Hundreds of people gathered, bound by love, service, suffering and respect, to farewell the nuclear veterans’ advocate and renowned artist on Monday.

His life was celebrated at Robert Cotton and Sons funeral home in Palmerston North, where speaker after speaker added their own brush strokes to build a portrait of a man who was tenacious and intelligent.

Sefton, who died on January 5, at the age of 82, was remembered as a jokester, with a fondness for shaggy dog tales and a drive to see justice done.

* Veterans with genetic defects from nuclear test protests desperate for descendants to be cared for

Roy Sefton’s daughter Anu Sefton shares memories of her father, supported by grand-daughter Madeleine Sefton, 15.

* Grandchildren of Mururoa nuclear veterans face ongoing medical problems

* Legacy of nuclear test still remains for navy veteran after 60 years

Tributes came thick, fast and bright for Roy Sefton.

There were determined vows to continue his fight for official government recognition of the genetic damage suffered by nuclear test veterans, mixed with hearty laughter at anecdotes that betrayed his character.

Professor Al Rowland recounts working with Sefton on a key study into health effects from nuclear testing. He said widespread public knowledge of the results was his friend’s legacy.

His daughters, Anu Sefton and Tracey Sefton-Wiggins said the public would remember Sefton for his art and his tireless efforts to get his fellow nuclear test veterans and their families the acknowledgement they deserved.

He considered nuclear veterans his extended family, and would have been honoured that nearly 30 of the roughly 100 surviving veterans attended Monday’s funeral – with others livestreaming the service from around the world.

But the sisters also remembered him as a loving, supportive, if stubborn, father who filled their childhood with adventures and outlandish bedtime stories.

Sefton-Wiggins said she had the honour of being with her father in his final days, and even ill he kept a twinkle in his eye as he wound up the nurses with his dry wit.

“Dad, I thought I was ready when you left, I wasn’t.

“I’m happy you’re not suffering anymore, but I wish for just one more story, one more laugh, one more ‘Tracey’ as I leave the room.”

Massey University professor Al Rowland met Sefton over 20 years ago when he headed up a study that would prove New Zealand nuclear test veterans had suffered significant genetic damage.

He said even though the government had yet to officially acknowledge those findings, everybody knew about them – and that would be his friend's legacy.

Frank Elliot served with Sefton on the HMNZ Pukaki during Operation Grapple in 1957, and sat with him on the deck as nuclear bombs detonated on Christmas Island.

He said Sefton never forgot his old shipmates, he kept in touch and worked tirelessly for them until his dying day.

“What I will always remember about Roy was he was bright … always tenacious, defiant and full of humour.”

He chuckled as he reminisced about Sefton posting his cartoons on the ship notice board, including unflattering caricatures of superior officers.

That same lack of fear of authority served Sefton well when facing off against government officials in his decades-long crusade.