Leading from the front issuu

JAN HONOURS
CATHERINE
a small but no doubt effective cell that was run
from our lounge. After Catherine’s funeral two
lovely ladies came to offer me condolences and
recalled how they had so many good times at
their Amnesty meetings; agreeing to write to a
prime minister somewhere, telling him off and
asking him to release a particular prisoner. A
wine or two could have been called for. “We
enjoyed the meetings so much we felt guilty”, the
ladies shared with furtive smiles.
• Dim Wits — A fun group of mostly Marist School
parents; they met and used quite a bit of silliness
to stay in touch, travel places and generally have
fun. In fact they had so much fun, us kids were a
little envious
• More fun and special times in between
• How Catherine would set an extra place at the
Christmas table in readiness for someone to
appear who might be without fellowship on
Christmas Day
• Pat weeding the rockery garden as penance after
coming home late. He would con us: “Tell Mum,
‘Gee dad is doing a lot of work in the garden’”, in
an effort to shorten his sentence. “Is that what he
said?” would be her reply
• Catherine put so much effort into the important,
optional, fun, creative and peripheral activities
of her life and ours, that perhaps as a result,
she struggled to have the house as tidy as she
would like. She was a giver, without needing
recognition or fuss and she is still remembered
for her humility and grace
Opposite, clockwise from top: Happy Tot; creative dancer;
Catherine loved her Sacred Heart days; the gracious matron of
honour at Lois Burgess’s wedding; winner of the highest award
for a nurse in her year, the Florence Nightingale Cup; a glimpse
of the serene beauty she was to become; Above: doting
grandmother to Ash and Bailey, Tim and Jenny’s children.
We have so many fond memories of our mum, Catherine.
Most of course stem around her as a mother,
busy as, keeping us all nurtured, both spiritually and
physically. One recent story relayed by my aunt,
Pat’s sister Marie, concerned Catherine’s choice of
a small galley kitchen for Whakarire Avenue; oh so
small, to cater for a big family and lots of parties.
Apparently the architect Martin Yeoman tried
hard to convince Catherine to increase the kitchen’s
footprint but she was adamant. Marie explained that
Catherine wanted it small to keep people out. She
didn’t want well-meaning people saying, “How can
I help?”
Catherine often used to say, “A woman is a fool
in another woman’s kitchen”, and now the galley
kitchen and this adage all make sense to me. When
we purchased our house recently in Napier and it
had a galley kitchen, I fell for it straight away. Perhaps
I like galley kitchens for the memory factor, like
I love retro designs because of Whakarire Ave. Or
just because I’m a messy cook. Galley kitchens are
small and intimate and only the brave will enter or
are invited...I am my mother’s daughter!
In Chapter 6, you’ll see that Puketitiri was a big
feature in our lives. I well remember our first visit,
all staying in the Puketitiri Hotel. Mum sewed for
weeks making us all special outfits to wear in the
rustic hotel dining room! She had a sense of romance,
as if we were all off on a big fancy cruise or
staying in a grand lodge instead of a rather humble
country pub, where a local farmer rode his horse
into the bar!
I am so grateful today for our parent’s vision in
purchasing the land nearly 60 years ago at ‘Puk’ as
the property came to be called; regenerating the
bush and transporting the old store from the Puketitiri
village, and which is now our humble bach.
Recently the property has been rented out. Pat was
keen to do other things and the family too, but time
and circumstance have brought us all back to Puk
with a renewed love for this unique place and it is
lovely to see and experience its renaissance in our
lives.
Remembering Catherine 231