Harley Boulton, one of New Zealand’s early heart patients farewelled – Stuff

MARK TAYLOR/Stuff

Gloria Boulton talks about her husband Harley

Harley Boulton exceeded everyones life expectancy expectations after being one of New Zealands early heart operation patients.

The 79-year-old died in Hamilton on July 10, after 55 years of marriage to Gloria.

Harley was one of the first Kiwis to have heart surgery in 1964, when he was operated on by the late Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes at Greenlane Hospital.

Harley had undiagnosed rheumatic fever which resulted in the pericardium around the heart setting like concrete when he was 20-years-old.

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Hed previously led a normal life which saw him pig hunting and swimming at Taumarunuis Olympic pool.

He spent nine months in hospital waiting for the operation, with Harley describing himself as one who could no longer move like a young man, but like someone who was 100-years-old.

Having been given a 50-50 of success, Harley went under Barratt-Boyes knife, he was on the table for 7 and a half hours to have the calcium build-up removed from around his heart.

The operation cut across the chest rather than down the chest as it is done these days.

It wasnt until Harley was in his late 60s, having since moved to Hamilton, that he found out the extent of the operation and the unexpected run of life none of the medics thought hed be able to achieve.

And his heart was being held in the correct position by strings of sinew.

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Harley Boulton worked on all types of diesel vehicles over the years

Gloria, who he met at the start of 1967, said the pair were married by the end of year and she soon had to look after him.

If he did anything juddery he would be sick in bed, so I wouldnt let him mow the grass, cut the hedge or dig the gardens, I took over all that too.

I liked it when he cooked meals, he would cook beautiful meals, and run me a bath after I had finished working outside.

Harley worked on diesel vehicles as an engineer, which took the family to the Cook Islands for three and half years, as well as Papua New Guinea and a stint in Fiji.

He was sent over to the Cook Islands to design and build a garage for all land vehicles attached to the new airport. Which included two fire engines and a rescue boat.

He had to fix anything that had a diesel engine, Gloria said.

He started getting sick at 40 year-old, and he was in and out of hospital. Eventually it was found the sinews holding his heart in position were breaking, meaning the heart was slipping out of position.

Harley never grew tired of fixing things. Gloria said he had a Morris 1948 car which he gradually put together in Hamilton.

It was called a cruiser, air conditioned - the top went back, and he had a winder and the windscreen went out. Its now in a museum in Auckland - because old cars like that you need to keep maintaining them.

The couple have five children: Timothy, Shane, Phillip, Keren and Terepai, along with 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

We had his 79th Birthday on the July 6 and the kids did a really lovely job, sat us like King and Queen, and they started discussing their memories of Papua New Guinea and Cook Islands where we had lived together.

Boulton was farewelled in Hamilton on July 27.

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Harley Boulton, one of New Zealand's early heart patients farewelled - Stuff