Selected words from Betty’s Celebrant tribute:

BETTY was born on the 18 July 1927 in Oxfordshire, England to Harold and Georgina Crisp

When she left school, BETTY attended a secretarial school.

Her first job after that was as a shorthand typist in an office.

Then she joined the Royal Airforce and trained as a truck driver around Blackpool in the summer season.

She met her husband to be Derrick when they both belonged to same cycling Club.

They married in Dec 1954 and had two children, Jacqueline, born 1960 and Timothy 1965.

In 1973, Betty, Derrick and family immigrated to Auckland, New Zealand where her brothers were living.

Sadly, Derrick died suddenly in 1979 and Betty raised her children on her own. She continued to work and became involved in cycling, driving son Tim around North Island for races. 

She became involved in Women’s cycling and competed in many events in both the North and South Island.

BETTY was president of the North Harbour Cycling club, Auckland Ladies Cycling Club and Auckland Cycle Tourist Association at various times.

She loved cycling, even winning age group national medals in her 70’s and was enjoying regular Sunday and Wednesday morning rides with her friends into her late 80’S

Selected words from Betty’s Son – Timothy - Eulaguie

My Mum, Betty had a lifetime love of cycling.  In her youth she raced and toured extensively around the UK and had summer trips to France. in 1954 Mum and Dad rode over one of the legendary Pryonion Tormalat Mt pass – a close on 1400 vertical m climb - on 5 speed steel bikes with enough camping kit for a three-week trip. I rode the over same pass as a fit racing cyclist on a lightweight race bike with an impatient girlfriend waiting in the car at the top and it took me close to 1 and half hours of slog. I can’t imagine how long a grind that would have been for them. I do know mum would have gone down the other side a hell of lot faster than dad. Even when a well mature women mum still loved and could go downhill very fast on a bike. 

She was a voice for change for women’s cycling in the early eighties, pushing for and riding in the very first ever New Zealand road cycling champs for Women in 1982. She has a collection of gold medals won in the over ‘70’ age group nationals and literally thousands (iv sorted through them!) of photos and trip diaries of here fun cycling tours and trips away with her friends in her beloved ACTA cycling club.