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Wally Sander
Senior Ranger - Te Urewera National ParkChief Ranger - Te Urewera National ParkChief Ranger - Hauraki Gulf Maritime ParkChief Ranger - Fiordland National ParkDistrict Ranger - South Auckland Land DistrictNZ Parks WorkedEgmont National ParkTe Urewera National ParkHauraki Gulf Maritime ParkFiordland National ParkLand Districts WorkedSouth Auckland Land DistrictInternational Parks WorkedIndonesiaDate of DeathAugust 2016Biography In Wally's words:
On the second of May 1963 while still at Egmont National Park, I went into hospital to have my appendix out. I had been back at work for only one day when Gordon Atkinson phoned on the 19th. "The Urewera National Park needs a ranger to look after the place for three weeks, can you get on over there tomorrow and take over" "Hang on a minute Gordon, I can't make a decision right now, I'll phone you tomorrow night" "Well, they want somebody in a hurry, so you had better make up your mind pretty quickly".
Margaret and I had been working at Snow Mace's Stratford Mountain House on weekends the previous winter trying to make a bit of extra money so that we could visit her parents in Queensland (whom I had never met) so we quickly arranged air tickets for Margaret and Dean who was then 2 months old, to go ahead to Queensland with the idea that I would follow them 3 weeks later after I had finished my temporary ranger job at Urewera.
In fact, that temporary job dragged on until 17th September when shortly after being appointed ranger at Urewera on 30 August, I flew to Australia and caught up with my family again after 4 months separation. Margaret and Dean and I finally settled at UNP on 5 October 1963.
We left Urewera National Park at the end of March and I commenced work as Chief Ranger of Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park on 6 April 1970.
Hauraki Gulf Maritime ParkEgmont National ParkInternational ParkIndonesia