Leading from the front issuu

TIRELESS ADVOCACY
FOR THOSE ON THE MARGINS
from: merania karauria
I met Pat Magill when I was working as a jounalist on the
Whanganui Chronicle.
As arranged, Pat arrived in Whanganui and I collected
him from the bus and took him to where he was to stay.
The place was a bit of a ‘joint’ and luckily he hadn’t paid
so I was able to ’rescue’ him from this ‘den of iniquity’,
and took him back to my home. This was the start of a
long, and present friendship.
Pat’s sense of social justice and tireless advocacy for
those people on the margins, is beyond compare. His
tenacity is like a dog with a bone, in his quest for equality
and social justice. Do I mention age? Only that Pat
shares the same birthdate as my father.
To sum up what I think of Pat, there’s one word that
comes to mind — Legend. But there’s more. Pat’s legacy
is one of love to continue his mahi.
He told me when he and his wife, Catherine, were in
a car accident in Australia which was fatal for her, Pat
wanted to give up. But his wife came to him and said he
must continue with his work. This is why I think this mahi
from Pat’s heart is so extraordinary and so courageous,
so tika (right).
Ngā mihi e rangatira Pat
Photo by Anne Johnston, Whanganui River mouth.
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Restorative Justice – for an unjust justice system