Retiring Auto Electrician Looks Forward to Boats and Whānau at Ōmokoroa

After nearly five decades serving the Katikati district, auto electrician Allan Crapp has hung up his tools and is looking ahead to a well-earned retirement at Ōmokoroa, where his family has lived for generations. In his early years Crapp was the town's only auto electrician, doing a great deal of outside work called in by contractors needing repairs to machinery, starter motors, and alternators.

One of the quieter aspects of his legacy is a battery recycling project he helped run in Katikati for around 20 years, originally started by the late Roy Diggelmann. Community members could drop used lead-acid batteries at Crapp's business, with Rotary's Neil Calver collecting them fortnightly. On average, roughly 500 kg of batteries were picked up each fortnight, generating around $200 per week for Rotary's community kitty — funds that supported local primary and secondary schools, student trips, and various Rotary projects around town.

Crapp said he could have pocketed the proceeds himself but chose to keep the benefit within the community. "If it were going willy-nilly into a big consortium then I'd have pulled the pin. But the fact that it stayed in Katikati was the important part," he said. As lead prices rose over the years the project became more financially worthwhile, but Crapp said he'd always felt it was simply the right thing to do for local people.

In retirement, Crapp is planning to spend more time on the water after years of having his boat sit neglected. He formerly operated a family-owned slipway at Ōmokoroa on weekends before regulations made it impractical. He also has three daughters, a son, and seven grandchildren to keep him occupied, and he was quick to reassure the Katikati News: "Oh, I've got plenty to do!"

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).