Welcome to our third edition of Community Champions, celebrating the remarkable individuals who make our communities special. Today we feature a Reluctant Hero Heather Lindsay.

When it comes to supermums, they don’t come much better than Highlands Motorsport Park Operations Manager and single mum of three, Heather Lindsay.

Heather’s a pretty good juggler. She not only gets the job done with a hug and a cheery smile, but she’s renowned for going the extra mile.

Heather’s the one you also want around in an emergency. When her youngest was a baby Heather’s ex-partner, the children’s father, had a heart attack at home on Mother’s Day right before they were to sit down for a celebration roast.

She performed emergency CPR and saved his life before medical help arrived. A huge recovery period followed with her partner in Dunedin Hospital for a month and Heather managing the family while also commuting to work in Queenstown at Shotover Jet.

“Shotover Jet were amazing during that time,” she says.

“I am just so thankful to live in a small community where everybody rallies round. The amount of food that came through our door!”

Heather having some fun with her kids on the back lawn back in the day PHOTO: Supplied

It was merely payback time. Heather’s renowned for dropping off food to others going through a hard time.

Friends and workmates say she has ‘care’ imprinted all over her heart. ‘She’s always first to organise meals for the team if someone is going through a bit of a challenge,” Highlands CEO Josie Spillane says.

“It’s inherently in her to care for people. It’s as natural as breathing.” Heather is now a vital part of the Highlands’ team as Josie’s deputy.

“I couldn’t and wouldn’t want to do it without her,” Josie says. “We’re a formidable duo.”

Heather, fourth from right, Josie, in the red hat, and Highlands with Scott McLaughlin at the Indy. PHOTO: Supplied

Born in Winton, Heather grew up on a farm in Otautau, until unfortunately her farmer dad died, aged 40, when she was 12 and they moved into the township.

When Heather was 17, her mum moved the family to Cromwell.

After a stint at Jackson’s Orchards fruit stall, Heather made her first foray into hospitality at the Golden Gate Lodge. Here her friendly, outgoing, personality shone. “I absolutely loved the social environment,” she says. “We worked hard but knew how to play hard too.”

In the late 90s, she and her ex moved to Christchurch, where Heather waitressed.

“At the time the drinking age was 20 and I was only 18 but that was the time of paper licences and I had an older sister,” Heather grins.

After another stint back at ‘The Gate’ in 2002, she applied for a job as photographer at Shotover Jet with no previous experience and landed the role.

“They were so lovely. I walked out of that interview knowing that I really wanted to work there.

”It was a 45-minute commute, but it was at “Shottie” that Heather found her “customer service wings” working with an incredible team.

She had three children during the 12 years she worked there, taking only three months paid maternity leave after each one, working her way through the ranks quickly.

“I did beach control, drove the bus, took reservations and managed the photo and retail department.

Tourism’s just such an amazing industry in terms of the people it attracts.

It’s not dull. People want to connect, and you enjoy the variety every day.”

In his early 20’s, Heather’s ex-partner was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she was the sole breadwinner.

“When we had the kids, my ex stayed at home with them, and I returned to work.

”They were long days commuting but the drive gave her time to switch from “work mode into Mum mode”.

“I loved my job, but often think how I’d love to have had more time with the kids when they were little. That can be really challenging.

”With her personal circumstances changing, it became more difficult to commute to Queenstown daily for work.

While it was sad leaving Shotover Jet, Heather received a traditional Shotover Jet hero’s send-off.

“They egged and floured me and threw me off the end of the jetty into the river,” she laughs. “That was a sign of respect.

You knew you were well liked if you got worked over before you left.

”Heather needed a job in Cromwell to spend more time with the kids and Highlands was the only place she really wanted to work.

Heather with Tayla and Baylee at a Taylor Swift concert. PHOTO: Supplied

She started out as front desk supervisor, but when Josie became CEO and the company’s reach spread nationally, Heather became the membership manager and began stepping up when Josie was away.

“Josie has allowed me a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to being a working mum as she knows that I will stay late and get the work done, when it’s necessary,” Heather says. “I don’t know that I could work as a single mum without her.”

It's been a family affair too, with all three kids working weekends and school holidays at Highlands at times.

Tayla is thrilled to be training as a track marshal these school holidays.

Her kids are the centre of her world and Heather wouldn’t have it any other way.

With Baylee now studying in Christchurch and Dylan off to uni in Wellington next year, Heather’s spent a busy few years as manager of youngest Tayla’s Flames U15 Ice Hockey Team in Alexandra.

She’s regularly on duty at tournaments around the region, with the Flames competing as far away as Dunedin, Gore, Tekapo and Queenstown in the Southern Ice Hockey League.

Last year she was right in the thick of a huge fundraising effort to take the local U14 team to Melbourne to compete.

“It was a busy season with a huge number of BBQ’s and an epic fundraising night with Nadia Lim and Matt Chishom, but we raised a phenomenal amount,” she says. “I’m lucky to be part of an amazing club with so many dedicated and fun-loving people.”

There’s been another key ingredient to this supermum’s success – her own mum.

“My mum is the real hero. She lived over the back fence when the kids were little, and we had a wee gate the kids could get through to go to Nan’s. The kids absolutely dote on her and were always over with her enjoying being spoilt, something only grandparents can do.”

One morning, Nan awoke early to a three-year-old Baylee standing beside her bed. “Baylee had unlocked the ranchslider and climbed through Nan’s doggy door to spend some time with her.

“Needless to say, we got deadbolts after that,” Heather laughs.

When Heather got to travel to the Indy 500 with Josie and some Highlands members this year it was Nan to the rescue again.

“I’m so grateful for her. She makes everything so much easier for me. I couldn’t do it without her.”

“I tell my kids, that when challenges arise you have to choose how you deal with them and what attitude you’ll face them with,” Heather says.

“Concentrate on what you can control and don’t pay too much mind to the rest.

Be determined and channel your energies into what’s important to you.” It’s advice that’s stood this Superhero Mum in good stead.

Do you have someone in the community you'd like to nominate as our Community Champion for November 1? Contact Us and let us know who and why. Thank you! We love to share stories about the heroes walking the streets of Central.