Syd (103), Wairarapa's oldest resident, was just months short of being the longest-lived man in the district since European settlement. The oldest male longevity was set by Henry McDermott (104) who died many years ago. Syd was Australian born and he worked in Wellington as a jeweller before spending more that four decades at Kaiwaiwai in rural Featherston. In his younger years, he was a first-class cricketer and top order batsman for Kilbirnie and played for Wellington in the Plunket Shield. He was also a senior Wellington rugby player, playing as wing and later flanker. Bowling was another of his sporting loves. He and his late wife never had any children of their own.