In February 1964, Queenstown’s first chartered accountant, Bruce Morris, set up shop — remarkably, he only retired on Thursday, 60 years
later.
Now 84, Morris has been in various local partnerships, but has been a part-time consultant with Findex for the past 20 or so years.
He first worked for a Dunedin firm while studying at Otago University, when its younger partner asked if he’d like to open an office for them in Queenstown.
He was told: ‘‘We have no clients, but we will ship work up to you and we will guarantee your salary for two years.’’
‘‘I wasn’t even fully qualified.’’
Morris says in 1964 the population was only about 1000 and there was only one doctor, one solicitor, two cops, one full-time real estate agent and two part-timers and a dentist who visited from Cromwell.
In his first year his office was a 4×4 room in an old Beach St building, and if someone wanted to see him and he already had a client, they had to wait on the street.
He quickly became secretary/treasurer of a number of organisations and played cricket and rugby and later squash and tennis — the two latter clubs conferring him life memberships.
In 1969 he married Sheila, an ICU nurse from Christchurch — they had four children — and in 1972 moved into the first house in Dalefield, having paid $8500 for a four-hectare section.
Morris says he’s kept working as he’s enjoyed his clients, the everyday routine, working with young people and being involved in an interesting community.
Notwithstanding a heart attack in 2012, in which Sheila saved his life, he’s also kept good health.
And till August last year he had the ‘‘extremely capable’’ Bev Cason as his PA for 51 years.
‘‘I was simply spoilt having Bev there to support me,’’ he says.
In retirement, Morris — who’s still on the Anglican Church vestry — says he’ll play a bit more tennis and also help out a son who has a vineyard north of Cromwell.
