A restored 1962 Austin Cambridge with a story behind it will go under the hammer for Hospice South after its owner decided the car should do some good rather than sit in storage.

Ken Officer, a former Southland butcher and lifelong classic car enthusiast, and his wife Yvonne have gifted the Austin to the hospice, which is caring for Mr Officer. The couple settled on the idea after talking it through with Hospice South chief executive Pete Thompson.

The car can be seen at the Reloved by Hospice South shop on the corner of Leet and Deveron Streets in Invercargill. The hospice says auction details will be announced in the coming weeks, and people who register their interest by email will be the first to hear about viewing and bidding. Proceeds will go towards specialist palliative care and support for patients and their families.

A car bought on the way home

Mr Officer had spotted the restored Austin Cambridge for sale in Mosgiel and bought it on the way home from a trip to Dunedin some years ago. When the couple later moved to a new home with nowhere to keep it, he chose to give it away rather than put it in storage.

It is the latest in a long line of cars. Over the years he has owned a 1950 Vauxhall, a Hillman 80, an Austin A40, a Morris Oxford and an MG roadster once owned by racing driver Bruce McLaren. His current favourite is an S-Type Jaguar.

Decades in the trade

Mr Officer trained as a butcher under Ron Simpson and went on to own eight butcher's shops across Southland. He trained a generation of apprentices, among them Jan Harpur, who became Invercargill's first female butcher.

Away from the shop he served as president of the Invercargill East Lions Club and as a trustee of St John's Girls' School.

Mrs Officer has her own record of service. She received a Queen's Service Medal in 2021 for services to Victim Support and volunteers with St John at Southland Hospital.

The couple have been married for 65 years and have two children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

The hospice is encouraging classic car fans to call in and see the Austin before bidding opens, and to register so they hear first when the auction date is set.