Noel Thomas Respected Builder

A married couple with the names ‘Noel and Noeline’ makes most people smile and this was a good fit as smiling and laughter were an important part of daily life for the Thomas family. Noel often said ‘If you can’t laugh every day then life is not worth living’.
Born in Martinborough in 1922 at Aylstone, (which was built by his father two years previously) Noel had one older brother, Owen.
He joined his father (and brother) in the building business ‘N.H.Thomas and Sons’ once he left school and has lived and worked in Martinborough his entire life apart from time in the Air Force during WW2, when he spent one year based in the Pacific.
After the War, Noel met Noeline Francis (who was also born and raised in Martinborough) at a function in the Town Hall. Their paths hadn’t crossed because of a 7-year age gap but it wasn’t long before they were happily married with two sons and a daughter: Grant, Jacqueline and Brent.
‘N.H.Thomas and Sons’ and then ‘Noel C.Thomas’ built much of the backbone of the town, including the Fire Brigade, Power Board, WFCA buildings, some sixty houses and numerous farm buildings as well.
Martinborough Wine Services now occupy the WFCA building, which was built as a large general store similar to Pain and Kershaw. However, Noel’s most challenging job was later building one of the first pole houses in Wellington with his son, Brent, requiring all eighteen poles to be placed by a helicopter. 
With all three children ending up with successful careers in Australia, the number of trips across the Tasman has been too many to count and the family has remained close.  
Community work has always been an important part of Noel’s life, often carried out in his own quiet way and he felt he must be getting old when he was made a life member of Lions, RSA and the Sport and Aviation Clubs all in the same year!
He was president of Lions in the 1976 when the club had to find a new venue before the old Club Hotel (Pukemanu) was pulled down and he led the purchase of the Oddfellows Hall across the road still used today.
Noel installed a new kitchen in the family home while in his eighties and was still cracking jokes shortly before he died just shy of his 92nd birthday, surrounded by his loving family.
St Andrews, where Noel had been a vicar’s warden, and the Lions Den were overflowing with people who had come from far and wide to farewell Noel and celebrate the life of a popular man who has well and truly left his mark on Martinborough.