Tūroa skifield to close for ‘critical’ staff to attend funeral of highly respected staff member and counselor

Tūroa will be closed to skiers and guests tomorrow so that staff can attend the funeral of respected and veteran staff member Ben Goddard.

Goddard, a longtime district councilor who had been working for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts in his shop repairing and maintaining elevators and vehicles, for more than a decade died last week due to a medical event.

His funeral will be held tomorrow morning at Ohakune Elementary School.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts will close Tūroa tomorrow so many of its “critical staff” can attend.

“We wanted to inform you in advance that Tūroa will be closed tomorrow for many of our critical staff to attend a funeral. Unfortunately, one of our longtime and highly respected team members passed away last week,” RAL posted in a statement on Facebook. this afternoon.

Whakapapa will stay open depending on the weather.

RAL CEO Jono Dean said Turoa would close tomorrow out of respect for Goddard and his family, and that many staff members would attend the funeral.

“It’s a fitting tribute to a stalwart of the community, plus Ben is a member of the RAL team. He was a key member of the community, giving back a lot to the community in volunteer and local council roles, and will be missed “.

Before working at RAL, he led Goddard Automotive at Ohakune for 35 years and spent years volunteering with the Ohakune Fire Service, where he previously held the position of fire chief. He was also instrumental in the creation of the St John ambulance station and health transport services in the city.

Ruapehu Mayor John Cameron said Goddard was a beloved councilor who made a significant contribution to his community through many years of dedicated service.

He has represented the Waimarino-Waiouru ward on the Ruapehu District Council since winning a by-election in 2011.

Cameron hoped there would be a lot of community participation for his funeral.

“There will be not only councilors, community board and also the Ruapehu District Council staff, obviously the RAL and St John staff, where he was the president of St John Ohakune and also was the director of Ruapehu Health … it will be a great funeral “.

While Cameron was not aware of the closure of any of the other organizations, he expected that some, such as the council’s Ohakune office, were operating with a small staff.

A close family friend also created a Givealittle page to cover funeral costs and any other expenses.