He was married to Lathee for 49 years, a Maldivian who came to New Zealand on a Colombo Plan scholarship and who he met at teachers’ training college.
They raised two daughters, Saeeda and Ayesha, who became a Labour MP and Minister of Health. Perhaps typically, Bill was out fishing when the news broke.
Having taught at Kingswell in Invercargill, the couple moved to Te Anau and were associated with Fiordland College for many years, Bill as a teacher and principal and Lathee as an English teacher.
After their retirement they were approached to write a history of the Fiordland Medical Centre, which was published last year.
Having got the writing bug Bill approached the Otago Daily Times and pitched a series of opinion pieces. Perhaps aware he did not have long left to him Bill had some things he wanted to get off his chest, and the ODT published several of his passionate but thoughtful pieces.
They had arrived regularly but stopped suddenly as Bill confronted his final illness head on. Bill Verrall died on February 4, aged 74. — APL/Agencies
