It is with sadness that we record the passing of Verne Linkhorn, a Member of the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) NZ Branch.
Verne passed away in Auckland on 5th October 2017, after a short illness, at the age of 73.
After schooling in Otahuhu, Auckland, and then completing his apprenticeship with TEAl, Verne flew for many years in Boeing 747s as a Flight Engineer for Air New Zealand (FE #21137). He became an esteemed member of the aviation engineering fraternity at Air NZ. Verne’s nickname at Air NZ was Links and it was often ‘Drinks with Links’.
Following many years of service in the air, Verne moved on from Air NZ and moved to start a new life of service on the water – as a marine consultant. He traveled to California, USA, for training in corrosion prevention in marine environments.
When he returned to NZ he established Marine Corrosion Services in Auckland. The company specialised in dealing with corrosion problems and finding solutions on small boats, yachts and marinas. Verne was always helpful to his many boating clients and his technical expertise in the field was very sound. If Verne did not know something about corrosion and materials that he thought he should know, he would proceed to find out an answer to the corrosion problem for his client.
Vern was a long time Member of the ACA and during his years working in the marine industry he gained his ACA Corrosion Technology Certificate.
Verne lived a very full and a very active life; he will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. The ACA NZ Branch extends condolences to the Linkhorn family.
Les Boulton