Life well ridden, well written

• By Zoë Jonson

A captivating tale of legacy, community and heart, Riding Through Life details a “journey
fuelled by passion and service,” a life led to the fullest by Papakura’s Neville Wooderson.

Written (in part) by Wooderson, the book was completed by his children, Joy Sheehan and
Mark Robbins, and launched at Papakura’s Sir Edmund Hillary Library recently. The book
has something for everyone, Robbins says.

“[Dad] had such a busy life, he was passionate about everything that he did. He had a fierce passion for motorcycle racing and he loved the outdoors and adventuring.”

Born during the Great Depression, Wooderson was not one to make a fuss.

“He was one of the first craftsman plumbers in Papakura, but many people may also remember him from newspaper articles over the years when he travelled to Nepal to help build hospitals and schools alongside Sir Edmund Hillary.

He was one of those practical, humble men of the silent generation who did not make a fuss about himself but simply got on with the job,” Sheehan says.

“His story includes representing New Zealand at the Isle of Man TT racing motorcycles, community service a and long connection with Nepal and the Himalayan Trust.”

A lifetime member of the Lions Club, Wooderson also belonged to a number of other clubs throughout his life. In 2000, he was recognised for his wide-ranging service with a Queen’s Service Medal (QSM).

Wooderson’s story may not have been told – on his death in 2019, his memoir went to the
bottom of a drawer. However, Sheehan and Robbins agreed to finish their father’s book
together.

Alongside photos and stories shared by friends and family, Robbins says voice recordings of his father taken on their travels together also helped ensure his story would be told. With a little help from AI, Robbinsand Sheehan were able to produce an audiobook narrated by their father.

“[The recordings] helped it stay in his words and in his voice as well,” Robbins says

Riding Through Life is available from the Sir Edmund Hillary Library and it will be available from bookstores in the near future. In the meantime, copies can be ordered online via nevillewoodersonbook.com.

“This book is our way of honouring his memory… so that his legacy might live on” Sheehan adds. “It’s been quite the journey!”.