The New Zealand flag flies at half-mast at Clint Baddeley’s home in Raglan; the man who was a get-things-done kind of guy died peacefully on 10 March 2022 after a hard-fought battle with prostate cancer.
A stalwart of the Raglan community, Clint represented the Raglan Ward on the Waikato District Council, served as deputy mayor, and was DJ at the Raglan Community Radio. He co-founded Raglan junior soccer, helped with major fundraising for Raglan Kindergarten and spent five years as a voluntary Raglan ambulance driver.
Such was his impact in the Waikato he was made a made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to local government and the community.
The MNZM citation covered a wide range of roles in which Clint had served over five decades.
Those roles ranged from his work as convener of the Council of Trade Unions for 10 years to stints as a Wintec board member, chair of the Waikato Community Trust, Raglan district councillor for 12 years and deputy mayor for three.
During his time as a district councillor, Clint was known for shaking things up and he wasn’t afraid of making his opinions known on the radio – especially when the local body elections looming.
Clint was proud of what he achieved on council, with his personal highlights including the new Raglan Museum and Information Centre, the Papahua playground upgrades and helping Xtreme Zero Waste become the council’s preferred contractors.
He was a man who committed long periods of time to the many roles he undertook.
Awarded a Wintec honorary fellowship in 2015, Clint served 18 years on the Wintec Council, with the $25m Wintec Engineering and Trades facility at Rotokauri Campus among his many achievements.
He was also pivotal in the development of Wintec House, the Rotokauri and City campus student hubs, the Wintec multi-storey carpark building and Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa marae.
Clint had a huge passion for music and Raglan got to benefit from this with his long-running Raglan Community Radio show which saw him share the tunes he loved for over 20 years.
A teenager in the 1960s, Clint was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Animals, Small Faces and Amen Corner.
But his self-titled show was far from being a golden oldies’ session, he loved the sounds of Americana and relished serving up new and unreleased sounds.
Even though he was set up to do the show from home, Clint was at the mic in the town hall studio for his last show on January 16.
A life member of Raglan Community Radio, he also served on the committee several times and ever the practical man, Clint also built the microphone stands and CD shelving unit that are still in use in the studio.
The oldest son of John and Ethel Baddeley Clint was born in Hamilton and grew up in Fairfield.
Clint met the love of his life Jackie when they were at Fairfield College and they married at the Anglican Church in Bow Street, Raglan in 1969. It wasn’t long before they moved to be closer to Jackie’s parents, who had retired in Raglan.
Clint was initially interested in a creative career and started his working life as a window dresser at Farmers in Hamilton. He went on to become a fitter and welder and worked at the Golden Bay Cement Company at the Raglan wharf before moving to a job at Horotiu freezing works.
His commitment to workers’ rights started as a shop steward at Horotiu and he went on to work as a full time organiser with the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (now E Tu).
When he retired from the union, his farewell was attended in equal parts by union members and employers – he was well respected by both sides for his pragmatism and his negotiating skills.
Clint served as chair of Waikato’s largest philanthropic trust, Trust Waikato, as a board member for Community Waikato, on the WorldSkills New Zealand board and has undertaken many volunteer roles in Whaingaroa
He was a man who always had three jobs on the go.
Daughter Sarah says her father was kind, hardworking and committed to making long lasting change. “Dad loved Raglan, and in the last years of his life Raglan really loved him back.”
Son Jamie and Sarah say the standard of care and support Clint received from medical professionals, friends and neighbours was higher in Raglan than he would have received in Wellington or Auckland – something they are particularly grateful for.
John Clinton Baddeley will be deeply missed by his wife Jackie, he was a loved father and father-in-law of Jamie and Nikki and Sarah and Graham, and proud poppy of Jacob, Leon, Louis and Tilda, and loved brother of Barbara.
Janine Jackson
