Geoff’s family left Melbourne in November 1920 for Wellington, New Zealand; they then moved to Dunedin about April 1923. Geoff attended primary schools in Melbourne, Wellington & Dunedin, two secondary schools in Dunedin and passed metriculation in 1929. He intended to study architecture, but because his father was made redundant at the start of the depression in 1930, it became necessary for Geoff to seek immediate employment. He began wor on the 10th September 1930 with the South British Insuraance Co., & remained with them until his retirment on 31st March 1974. He also undertook part-time study at Otago University (at that time, a college of the University of NZ) for a B.Comm. degree which he completed in 1936 at Canterbury University, Christchurch, having transferred to Christchurch in January 1936. In August 1936, he was transferred to the company’s branch in Japan & actually sat the final exams for his degree at the British Embassy in Tokyo. In the meantime, he had qualified & had been accepted for membership of the NZ Society of Accountants (now known as the Institute of Chartered Accountants NZ) & had passed exams for Associateship of the Insurance Institue of NZ.

Early in 1937, Geoff was transferred to the company’s Honk Kong branch where he took up rowing & sailing. He joined the coastal defence artillery section of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force, who granted him 16-weeks’ home leave in October 1941 on conclusion of his five years’ foreign service. Due to following a roundabout route home & commandeering of shipping for war purposes, it took most of the 16 weeks to get home! As the attack on Pearl Harbour, Malaya & Hong Kong begab=n on 7th Decemebr (the day that he arrived home), he could not return overseas & instead was sent to the Wellington Branch pending being called up by the NZ Armed Forces. About this time (March 1942) the RNZAF was recruiting yachtsmen, etc., for the motor-boat crew needed for servicing flying boats. Geoff was accepted for this & while in training camp at Harewood, Christchurch, managed to abtain weekend leave to get married to Fay. Accompanied by his new wife, he went to Auckland for trade training at Hobsonville Air Station before being sent to Fiji for duty. He returned to Auckland for further training & local service before being posted to air/sea rescue in Bougainville about August 1945. He was eventually posted back to Auckland & discharged in December 1945 & sent back to the company’s Wellington Branch where he did further insurance. studies & activities of the Accountancy Students’ Association. He transferred to Head Office in Auckland in January 1960 & there he remained until his retirement in 1974.

During retirement in Auckland, he occupied himself with gardening, church affairs & the New Zealand National Party. He had a small-scale hobby making fruit wines, using the surplus produce from his and his neighbours’ gardens. The results were surprisingly popular. He & Fay managed to attend the Second Osmond Reunion at Woodford, Salisbury in 1987, togetehr with Gerald & Joy Symes & Osmond Bridgewater. They celebrated their Golden Wedding (21-23 May 1992) at the historic homestead of Bushy Park, Kai Iwi, Wanganui. With Fay’s health deteriorating quite rapidly, it was decided for them both to move in MAy 2000 from their Epsom home of 40 years to an apartment adjoining the house of a semi-rural property near Wanganuia purchased by daughter Jillian & her hsuband Denis.

FAy was dux of Waimataitai primary school and went to secondary school at Craighead Diocesan School where she passed matriculation. She attended the School of Art at Canterbury College of the University of NZ at Christchurch in 1933 & 1934, but having passed several subjects, had to give up tha course because of dermatitis to the hands caused by an allergy to turpentine. Thereupon she took up employment with J Ballantyne & Co., department store, doing display & advertising work in Christchurch & Timaru until her wedding in 1942. Fay together with her parents & sister Joy visited England in 1938. She was refused any war work because of the allergy problems with her hands, so she did cosmetic work between 1942 & 1945. She resumed the cosmetic work in the late 1960s until Geoff retired in 1974. Fay’s health detiorated in her latter years & she rapidly became very frail & forgetful, such that in May 2000, she & Geoff moved from their Epsom home of 40 years to an apartment adjoining the home of their aughter Jillian just outside Wanganui. She was diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s Disease, but still remained very cheerful & positive, although osteo-arthrititis prevented her walking much & confined her to a wheelchair. Falls robbed her right arm of muscle movement & caused constant pain. She loved her new home with an outlook to the roses she has always loved. She attened a Day Care Centre on Thursdays & went to church with Geoff & also some music & art meetings, but she become very thin & lacking in energy. Eventually pneumonia added to her brain & heart problems & despite devoted care at Wanganui Hospital, she quietly slipped away on 30th July 2001. (Steve Osmond 30.9.2001)