‘Lion King’ Sir Douglas farewelled at Auckland memorial

Generous, passionate and sincere were just some of the words used to describe Sir Douglas Myers at the prominent businessman’s memorial service in Auckland today.

Sir Douglas died earlier this month at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. The beer baron was most known for his involvement with brewing company Lion Nathan.

At the service, before hundreds of people at Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, the Reverend Warner Wilder said Sir Douglas lived the parable of the talents because he made use of his gifts.

In a tribute, colleague Peter Thomas said Sir Douglas was sincere, generous because he mentored young business leaders and was passionate about business but more so about his family.

Sir Douglas’ daughter, Jessica Kimmel, said although her father was a solitary man who enjoyed fishing and reading, he turned into a proficient public speaker.

He was feisty but never came across as superior and wasn’t afraid of being unpopular for the right reasons, she said.

“He was a constant developer of people. He gave his best and did his best to see everyone bloom,” she said.

Mrs Kimmel said when she was young and they exchanged letters, he would often point out her spelling errors and wonder if the school system was failing.

She said she later realised he did this because he believed people were always capable of more.

Sir Douglas’ son, Campbell Myers, opened his tribute by saying if his father were there today he would say something offhand like, “I didn’t realise I had so many admirers, I should die more often.”

Mr Myers said it would be impossible to summarise his father in a few minutes but said he was a true “lion king.”

Sir Douglas had a relentless dedication to personally support and challenge New Zealanders to think big and compete on the global stage, Mr Myers said.

Sir Douglas’ philanthropy to New Zealand sport was part of a broader vision, Mr Myers said.

Mr Myers said his father believed if New Zealand could succeed at the top of the world in sport, this would encourage success in other areas, such as economically and culturally.

In closing, Mr Myers said when he starts his own family with his wife, he hopes to be half the father Sir Douglas was to him.

Many of the people who gave a tribute spoke of Mr Myers’ love of the family farm at Matauri Bay in Northland, where he had several mishaps such as crashes with SUVs and quad-bikes, as well as an 18-metre fall in 2014 due to the side-effects of chemotherapy.

National MP and cabinet minister Paul Goldsmith, who co-wrote a book about the Myers family, told NBR Sir Douglas was not only a “gutsy” businessman but devoted enormous time and energy to public policy.

“At a personal level, he was just a wonderful guy to spend time with. Very entertaining, warm and humorous,” he said.

The minister said although Sir Douglas had so much wealth, he took his greatest pleasures from the simplest things in life, such as walking around the hillside, fishing, and having a good meal and conversation.

After the service, people from Ngati Whatua Orakei performed a haka to Sir Douglas’ family and his ashes.

He is survived by his wife Barbara, and three children from an earlier marriage, Jessica, Laura and Campbell.

His fortune was valued at $900 million in the 2016 NBR Rich List.

See journalist Jane Phare’s tribute to Sir Douglas here and Mr Goldsmith’s here.