The Roberts family connections with Te Anau span almost one hundred years as it was Tom's grandfather, Captain Thomas Roberts, who first laid roots in what was a remote settlement in 1906. As skipper for the government steamer, Tawera, there is already printed documentation about Captain Roberts and his years spent in Te Anau. This interview, therefore only touches lightly on Tom's ancestors. The focus is more on the achievements made by Tom and his brother, Ted Roberts, in the local building trade in the 1960s and 1970s, Tom also reflects on his involvement in the formation of some of Te Anau's sporting and social organisations, particulady the Marakura Yacht Club.