Newspaper Article 2003 – Scout leader, soft-toy maker

Scout leader, soft-toy maker

A chapter closed in the life of a prominent Napier family on Thursday with the passing of Rosalie Spence at Atawhai Hospital. She was 95.

With her husband the late Mr W B (Bill) Spence, she arrived in Napier in 1944, when Mr Spence was invalided out of the army. Previously they had lived in various South Island towns, and in Wellington.

Mr Spence was a senior public servant with what was then the Social Security Department. Both had been heavily involved in the Scout movement.

On arrival in Napier, Mrs Spence quickly resumed her scouting activities.

Most notably she was Akela of the Wai-Iti cub pack, which principally served the young boys of the Hawke’s Bay Children’s Home, initially in France Road and later at what is now Randall Place. Those young boys are now grandfathers, and many of them still live in Hawke’s Bay.

But it was as a maker of uniquely crafted soft toys that Mrs Spence is most widely remembered.

Many a Napier family still cherishes a stuffed teddy bear, cat or panda – or more exotic animal or doll – made by Rosalie Spence to celebrate a birth or christening. She usually had several projects in hand at one time, so when she heard of somebody’s new arrival, she could quickly finish one off and present it to the proud parents. Her creations were famous for their natural expressions, which appealed to children and adults alike.

Bill Spence was for many years a prominent Freemason in Napier. In the seventies he left the Public Service to become Secretary-Manager to the Te Aute Trust Board, which administered the boys’ college in Pukehou as well as Hukarere on the Napier hill. Mrs Spence took a keen interest in the Hukarere girls and by their decision was voted an honorary Old Girl, despite not having herself attended as a pupil.

The Spence family retains its place in the Hawkes Bay community. One grandson, Andrew, owns Andrew Spence Pharmacy in Onekawa, and another grandson, Michael, is an engineer at Pan Pac. Dr Richard Spence pioneered computer education in Hawke’s Bay and, until recently, was an Anglican priest in Taradale.

Mrs Gail Spence is remembered as a teacher of languages at Woodford House and Havelock North High School. Another grandson, Paul, is an electronics engineer in Christchurch, where he works with high-tech equipment for the partially sighted.

Mrs Spence’s funeral was held in Taradale on Saturday.

Photo caption – Rosalie Spence