Leading from the front issuu

THE GENTLE
REVOLUTIONARY
by sally crown
napier city councilor
What to say about a man with such depth? Not an easy
task and for those lucky enough to have known him
longer than I, I’m sure the assignment is even more difficult.
We are all a sum of our parts and Pat has so many.
Following is a bit of a round-up of the Pat that I am lucky
enough to know.
“As you start to walk out on the way, the way
appears” — Rumi
One can’t think about Pat without thinking about
walking. Out there each day at the estuary. The power of
walking. His resolute commitment to it in his own life as
a tool to not just physical but also emotional and mental
wellbeing. The adventures he’s taken others on with him
all through the simple action of going for a walk. The
young, the not so young. The trails traversed, the realisations
had, the bonds built and the shackles broken. Pat
walks the talk and magically makes others walk too.
“A city not too large to learn about itself” — Napier
Pilot City Trust
In the short time that I’ve been a part of this community
I have had many conversations with Pat about Napier Pilot
City Trust. Its conception, its intention, his crusade for
social justice and belief in our city and its people. That we
have the ability to be kinder and fairer. The trust is a vehicle
to help us learn about ourselves and face the realities
of the society we’ve created but it is also a vehicle of hope.
“People need meeting places. You need places
where ideas are exchanged and you see each other’s
faces once in a while” — Debra Granik
Pat and his meeting places. The couple of hang outs I
connect with Pat are the café called Poppies and more
recently, outside The Pie Man in Maraenui. I remember the
first time I met Pat at Poppies. Busy with folks from the
civic precinct. Lawyers and loiterers, council workers and
justice staff. I knew none of them but they all knew Pat.
We ended up crashing Philip Jensen’s lunch when I was
interviewing Pat for a story in He Ngakau Hou. It was a
memorable exchange involving false teeth. I still laugh
and I still remember my first trip to Pat’s Poppies. The
place where the real conversations go down. That’s what
Poppies and “Outside the Pie Man” have in common.
You catch people in the throes of their day and ambush
them with real talk. A very smooth operation!
“Good company in a journey makes the way seem
shorter” — Izaak Walton
A people person is our Pat. Working for the people,
surrounded by people, cajoling the people, supporting
the people. But there is one person I think about most
when I think about Pat. Minnie Ratima. For as long as I’ve
known them both she’s been the salt to his pepper and
the reliable shipmate to his many adventures. Bound by
their beliefs of a greater cause and belief in each other.
Oh the stories they could and sometimes do, tell.
“The Revolution has not yet succeeded. Comrades,
you must carry on” — Sun Yat-Sen
From all my dealings with Pat I am always buoyed by
his conviction and energy. He is a fighter for the underdog
and a chap that truly sees the potential in his fellow
humans; often when others have thought that light
of potential has been extinguished. I know that he has
done many great things and led in lots of different areas.
Rugby, YMCA, Pilot City Trust and so on. So what does
success look like for Pat? I know it’s not accolades and
acknowledgements and though these aren’t his words
this is what I think Pat stands for. He stands for revolution.
For change that sees all of us live kinder and more
equitable lives. Revolution for Maraenui. Revolution
for minorities. Revolution for people whose hope has
dimmed but have so much to give. I’m so grateful we
have Pat. I’m so grateful to know Pat even just the little
bit I do. He is a “can’t quit, won’t quit” kind of guy and we
need that. That revolution goes on.
Above: Sally Crown and Pat have been comrades on the hustings for years.
Restorative Justice – for an unjust justice system 185