Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 42, September 1998
Ron Nicol died in December 1997 at the age of 88 years. He was born in Dunedin in 1909 and attended Otago Boys' High School until he moved to Wellington at the age of 14. He joined the Audit Office and attended night school to gain his accountancy degree, which he eventually obtained at Victoria University.
At school he was a talented rugby player and was selected for Wellington's senior A team from 1928 to 1932. After he transferred to Hamilton, he was chosen to represent Waikato in 1934-35.
He met his wife-to-be, Noreen, a dental nurse, who resided at the same boarding house in Hamilton. They married and came to Paeroa in 1936 where Ron was appointed town clerk for the Paeroa Borough Council. During the War he served from 1942 to 1944 with the 35th Division stationed in the Solomon Islands. After returning to Paeroa he gained his membership of the New Zealand Society of Accountants and later became a Fellow Chartered Accountant. He opened his first office in the Brenan and Company building. In 1953 Norman McMillan joined his business and the partnership of Nicol and McMillan was formed. In 1955 Nicol and McMillan built new premises in Marshall Street.
Ron and Noreen were keen sports people and took part in croquet, tennis, bowls, golf, rugby and cricket. Ron was a very generous financial supporter of many clubs around Paeroa. The Blind Institute awarded him a long service certificate in 1988 and many other organizations benefited from his accountancy skills.