Drowned whitebaiter, 78, father of newborn

Thursday, 19 September 2024

Paul Finlay was a civil engineer who worked in earthquake recovery.

A man who died while whitebaiting on a West Coast river was a well-known church-goer and earthquake engineer.

West Coaster Paul Finlay, aged 78, was found dead after being swept down a creek and into the sea at Rapahoe, north of Greymouth, about 10am on Wednesday.

Taylorville tavern owner John Kennedy said Finlay spent time overseas including as an earthquake engineer helping with a rebuild in the Philippines.

“We’re all very sorry he died,” Kennedy said.

“He held his Catholicism really closely to him,” he said.

He said Finlay had a strong interest in history and was regularly seen at community events with his children.

“He was an unusual character and he was a real doer, always doing things, standing for council, out whitebaiting,” he said.

“If he was going to go that was probably the best way for him being out there doing something he loves.”

Finlay had 12 children - six of them young including a newborn, as well as adult children from a previous relationship.*

Sea surges at the point where Seven Mile or Davy Creek meets the Tasman Sea at Rapahoe, north of Greymouth on the West Coast.

Greymouth Parish Priest Fr Mathew Siji said the church community was shocked to hear the news on Wednesday and was supporting the family.

“He had a great devotion to the Eucharist and he was a regular church goer, always there sitting in the front. He was part of the parish council and a liturgy reader. He was always polite and respectful to me as a priest,” he said.

Finlay’s death prompted a warning from the Department of Conservation which said in a statement: “Our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of the whitebaiter who tragically lost his life while whitebaiting at Rapahoe on the West Coast yesterday.”

“This sad event is a reminder of how dangerous and unpredictable our coastline and waterways can be. Please stay safe this whitebaiting season,” it said.

The Greymouth Star reported a fellow whitebaiter raised the alarm and watched helplessly as Finlay was struck from behind and swept away by a wave as he was putting his net in at the mouth of the creek, known as both Seven Mile Creek and Davy Creek.

Emergency services attended the scene at Rapahoe on the West Coast.

Finlay ran in elections for both Grey and West Coast regional councils and the West Coast Electric Power Trust.

According to his election profile, he was born in Dunollie and raised in Cobden and his ancestors owned and operated James O’Brien Coal Mine at Rewanui.

It says he attended St. Kevin’s College and had a B.E. (Civil) Canterbury, M.E. (Civil) Auckland, a Diploma in Japanese Studies and was a Unesco Research Fellow at Kyoto University in Earthquake Engineering.

He worked in hydro electricity, resource management, earthquake and typhoon disaster recovery and was a professor in climate change, bridge, earthquake, environmental and geotechnical engineering.

He helped in the recovery of the 7.1-magnitude Bohol earthquake in 2013 and advised the Department of Energy Natural Resources.

While campaigning for a West Coast Regional Council seat he pledged to tackle coastal erosion, relocation of Franz Josef and upgrading Civil Defence for the pending AF8 seismic event.

* Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said he had eight children.