2023 Person of the Year
Kaipaki’s Shirlee Bennett. Photo: Jeremy Smith
Jeremy Smith
Shirlee Bennett loves seeing Kaipaki flourish.
“If something needs doing, I do it. If something needs fixing, I fix it.”
It’s the perfect summary – she’s passionate about family, and about helping others.
To some, Shirlee is known for helping facilitate the Kaipaki Christmas Market, she emceed this year’s event earlier this month.
To others, she is known for her work as a Cambridge Lifeskills counsellor.
The organisation – funded by the community and grants – provides complimentary counselling to Cambridge’s public schools and Shirlee worked with the “amazing” team for seven years, resigning last month.
Over Easter weekend though, much of New Zealand was introduced to her as ‘Supergran’ when The News broke the story of the Cambridge grandmother who turned the tables on thieves by ramming ram-raiders.
See: Supergran ‘humbled’
See: Ram raiders get … A taste of their own medicine
She had suggested Rammy Granny – and speaking on the condition of anonymity at the time, Shirlee recounted how – while making an early morning coffee trip on Easter Monday – she saw one car rammed into the Spark shop in Victoria St and a getaway car in waiting.
Making a snap decision, she drove over the median strip, ramming the getaway car and ultimately thwarting theives’ efforts to steal from the shop.
Roy Pilott
Her description to The News’ editor Roy Pilott was classic.
“Builder’s crack – it was hilarious.”
“My kids said ‘mum, you can’t go around ramming people,’” Shirlee recalled last week. “And I know that. For the longest time, I agonised over whether or not I did the right thing.
“I believe people over 60 like me still have a job to do – we can’t retire. We must make our streets safe for our grandchildren. If not us, who?
“I’m still of the same mind that I want to be actively sticking up for my community and making it safer.”
Picked up by multiple national media outlets, The News’ online version of Shirlee’s story garnered 200,000 hits in a matter of days.
It became The News’ most viewed online story ever.
When a Give a Little page set up to help cover the costs of repairing her damaged car raised more than $10,000, she donated it to charities.
Supergran’s Toyota Rav 4
Now, she caps off her year by being known for something else – she is The News’ 2023 person of the year.
“When you mentioned that, I laughed out loud. I was gobsmacked. My life is just normal, it is so kind of the team.”
For The News team though, the accolade is not just due to Shirlee’s actions at Easter.
Her award recognises the wider care for the community she is known in these parts for displaying.
On the day The News sat down for a chat, for example, she had been at a Cambridge Stroke Support Group meeting playing ukulele for members.
Shirlee doesn’t want too much of a fuss made of the ways in which she serves.
In fact, she’s had multiple national media outlets wanting to name her in an interview since Easter.
Yet, this is the first in which she has been.
“I said no, I was too shy.”
So, why now?
“Alan said I could.”
Affectionately known as ‘Steady Eddy’, Alan is Shirlee’s “good, steady” husband.
The pair have been married 40 years, in Kaipaki “forever” and on the same 4.5ha that once belonged to Shirlee’s father Bill Clayton – a “character who got things done”.
Shirlee grew up there, has 10 cows and it is her happy place.
And given the opportunity last week – with life pretty much back to normal – Shirlee was keen to again thank people who supported her that day.
Saying police were a “godsend”, she will be forever grateful for her “main street angels” – including the first person on the scene who let her use their cellphone to call police, then Alan.
“So many othersgathered around me, it absolutely warmed my heart.
“I don’t want to be portrayed as particularly anything special and I’m not necessarily squeaky clean.
“I just want to help others,” Shirlee said.
Kaipaki’s Shirlee Bennett down on the farm. Photo: Jeremy Smith
