Community
Adventure Southland’s founder Bill Roxburgh has won a Central Otago sports award for his long serving commitment to sports administration.
The retired multisporter is currently living in Alexandra and last year joined the ice rink (IceInline), as its main manager.
He’s also just handed over the ropes as race director for Challenge Wanaka – which he was involved with for 17 years.
Now living a semi-retired life in Central Otago, the former ironman still enjoys helping young people with outdoor pursuits, but these days its mostly on the ice.
Teaching curling to different groups keeps him busy, as well as taking groups of special needs clients from Living Options to the gym to keep fit.
“I still love outdoor education and helping young people and this ice rink is a wonderful community facility. It’s all about getting young kids into sport.”
A life member of the Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club, Bill started Adventure Southland back in 2000 and the business is still going strong to this day.
In 2009, Adventure Southland was named as the best outdoor adventure facility in the country at the Outdoor NZ awards, which recognise achievements in delivering outdoor recreation and education.
It has an 11m-high rope course and offers industrial health and safety and height training, kayak courses, abseiling and rock climbing programmes.
Bill and his wife initially moved to Cromwell where he started swimming and competing in the Challenge Wanaka half, but a knee replacement slowed him down in his 50s.
“I hit a rabbit hole coming down the Remarkables,” he said.
Nowdays you’ll find him on his E-bike for exercise often cruising from Alexandra to Cromwell, where he’ll stop at the pub and wait for his ride home.
Last week he was awarded the John Fitzharris Memorial Trophy for services to sport at the Central Otago Sports Awards.