A beautiful Tauranga couple, whose lifelong generosity and life-changing bequest have left an indelible imprint on the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing them, are being honoured and remembered in a tangible way.

In a testament to their enduring impact, the Omanu Golf Club is establishing the inaugural Deakin Golf Cup, a fitting tribute to the unwavering commitment to fostering young talent and promoting the love of golf exhibited by Ken and Nori Deakin.

Ken and Nori were both involved in the Omanu Golf Club junior team, who became ‘their children’ over the years. Nori, who died in 2012, was the Omanu Golf Club junior team coach. Ken passed away in 2022.

Nori was an inspiration for a lot of kids at the Omanu Golf Club. Photo supplied.

“Nori was just a great inspiration for a lot of kids here at Omanu, I remember how she was always encouraging us to keep playing, teaching us how to improve our golf skills,” says one of Nori’s former junior team members, Mark Grant.

“I only have good memories of her and this is just one chance to pay back for all that she did. They were like grandparents.”

“They had the biggest hearts,” says another of Nori’s former junior team, Stephanie Grant, in tears. “They were selfless with their time and energy.”

“They will be remembered mostly for their involvement with the junior golfers,” says Omanu Golf Club administrative manager Waimakariri Wyatt. “They loved them like they were their own children.”

They were very much loved and respected by the juniors and their parents, says Waimakariri.

“Nori was a member of the club for more than 30 years and it is probably her great heart and her smile that people will always remember,” says Waimakariri. “They were both very involved with the club.”

“They were very focused people and golf was very important to them”, says Janice Craig who says she played “quite a bit of golf with Nori over the years”, and did the eulogy at her funeral.

They have a memorial bench on the Omanu Golf Course on the 16th Tee. Many golfers have memories of the couple from this tee making it an appropriate place for them to be remembered. Photo supplied.

“It’s very appropriate that they are where they are. They’re on the 16th Tee on the Omanu golf course, I think that’s very appropriate that they are together,” says Janice.

“That hole is a dogleg and Nori always used to say ‘You have to bend it’. She was sure we should all be able to bend that golf ball around that corner. A lot of us still think of her when we play that hole for that reason.”

“On the 1st September 1952, two months before he turned 17, Ken caught a train to London and joined the British Merchant Navy,” says one of Ken’s closest friends, Graham Duston.

“Ken worked for the Swire Pacific Ship Company in Hong Kong and then for China Navigation Company for 32 years and served on 27 ships.

“He rose to become a chief engineer and while he sailed the seas he saw the different sides of humanity. Ken was a ‘man of the world’, he had many adventures during his career.”  

Ken was in the midst of his adventurous career in the British Merchant Navy when “he came down with a mysterious illness while based in Kobe Japan that affected his eyesight,” says Graham.

“This entailed visit, after visit, after visit to the local optometrist to make adjustments to his glasses and get multiple checks.

Young Ken and Nori. Photo supplied.

“It ended well with Ken getting two very expensive pairs of glasses, and a fiancé called Noriko or Nori, who happened to be the receptionist at the Optometrist! Ken and Nori were married shortly after and began married life,” says Graham.

“They travelled the world after getting together,” says Stephanie, “Their story was quite romantic.”

“They were very devoted, they were a close unit,” says Janice.

Ken and Nori chose Tauranga as their place to retire due to its charms and climate. During their retirement, the couple got involved in serving the community and donating to charities.

“As part of their will they donated to four entities, Hospice, UNICEF, the junior golfers at Omanu Golf Club and the SPCA,” says Omanu Golf Club general manager Neil Weber.

The couple were unable to have children of their own so they made sure to always ‘pay it forward’.

The Deakin Golf Cup is an inaugural event hosted by UNICEF New Zealand and Omanu Golf Club to honour a lifetime of dedication and work of Ken and Nori.

“It was created in their memory, for their legacy and the charities they donated to after their passing. It was about remembering them,” says Waimakariri.

Ken and Nori Deakin's memorial bench. Photo supplied.