Mourning a local hero - Joe Heberley dies

A much-respected member of one of Marlborough’s great whaling families has died.

Joseph Arthur Heberley, known as Joe, died in Blenheim last night after a long illness at the age of 78 years old.

Born in Blenheim in 1943, Joe grew up in the Tory Channel and worked as a deckhand and later as a gunner; the youngest harpooner in the southern hemisphere.

Made an honorary life member of Coastguard Marlborough in 2015 for his decades of help in hundreds of search and rescue missions, Joe remained humble about his achievements.

He was also renowned for his conservation efforts, helping the Department of Conservation record whale sightings from his 900-hectare Arapawa Island home in the Tory Channel.

Joe is survived by his wife Heather and four children.