Tim Shadbolt might be about to celebrate his 70th birthday, but Invercargill’s colourful, vibrant and larger-than-life leader is still full of energy and excitement as he heads into his eighth decade.
And, don’t think for a minute that he’s slowing down.
His mayoral duties, he tells the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, help to keep him in tip-top shape – or as he puts it, “there’s always fun runs and stunts, or a bit of celebrity rugby! It never ends”.
Of course, being a dad to a four-year-old son helps, but Tim’s passion for his Southland city has never been stronger. And if he lasts six more months in the top job, he was officially claim the title of New Zealand’s longest-serving mayor.
To be fair, it was a title he thought he already had until recently.
“I thought I was, then I got this letter from an old guy saying, ‘No, you’re not!’ Never get too big for your boots, eh! There’s a 30-year record held by the mayor of Port Chalmers.”
Despite his many years as a mayor, of both Waitemata and Invercargill, there’s still quite a few things that surprise Tim – such as the advent of social media.
Only last year, he had his first experience of going viral online with the now infamous scooter video – a 10-second clip featuring His Worship the Mayor riding home after visiting the dairy for milk, which a local managed to capture from the window of his lounge. It sent the country into hysterics.
“It got three-quarters of a million views!” exclaims Tim, who bought the scooter to keep up with young son Declan. “I thought, all of the work I did in the elections, I should have just ridden around on a scooter!”
For more, see this week’s issue of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly. Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram, and sign up to our newsletter.
