Crosbie (78) was an umpire at the New Zealand bowls championships.
''I have been working weekends all my life and couldn't play any sport,'' he said.
''But once I retired, I joined the St Heliers Bowling Club.''
He was over 70 when he started playing bowls and quickly realised that he couldn't make the grade as a player.
Crosbie was always able to adapt to technical matters so he became an umpire four years ago.
He has been officiating at his third New Zealand championships during the past two weeks.
''Umpiring gives me a chance to keep my grey matter grinding,'' Crosbie said.
He spent three days in charge at the Outram Bowling Club, which was a homecoming for him. He grew up on a dairy farm in North Taieri and went to school at Taieri District High School.
His father, Norman Crosbie, was president of the Outram Bowling Club in 1956.
Crosbie learnt to fly at the Otago Aero Club before joining NAC as a pilot in 1960 and flying with Air New Zealand for 20 years from 1965.
He was a freelance international pilot for the rest of his career before retiring to Auckland.
