Leading from the front issuu

THANKS PAT!
by john magill
One interesting chapter in our lives was the arrival of
Albert and Jenny Fan and their family from Indonesia.
Pat met the family through Friendly Neighbours when
he visited them at their home and welcomed them to
Napier, as new refugees. Albert and Jenny were chefs
and brought a really welcomed ethnic flavour to Napier’s
dining scene when they opened The White Heron. There
weren’t many interesting restaurants around at the time!
The White Heron was in the basement of the Hawke’s
Bay Museum building on Downey Street, opposite the
Hawke’s Bay Club. Stairs led down to what was a really
cool dining space and the double doors are still there.
We enjoyed lots of wonderful dinners there and Albert
and Jenny sometimes catered for parties at home.
Jenny and her mother kept the kitchen ticking over
and Albert was front of house, which he loved. He and
Pat had competitions over who could eat the most chili.
Albert always won. The restaurant was operating in
the 70s, back in the days when smoking was allowed
inside so smokers simply lit up at their table. I remember
Albert’s amazing draw-backs. An impressive cloud
of smoke would come out of his mouth and be enticed
slowly up his nostrils. I found it fascinating. In 1975 our
whole family went to Indonesia for a holiday for nearly a
month. Thanks Pat — what an experience.
Spending six days tramping around Lake Waikaremona
in 1969 was another holiday that stands out for
me. It was Pat’s first organised walk for the YMCA,
which brought really different people together for a good
cause. Alana and Shelley Hiha were part of the crew as
well. A launch took our gear from camp to camp while
we walked around the lake. Gordon Christie, Napier
Labour MP at the time was the cook. I remember him
jokingly telling Pat off for not washing a pot properly,
kicking the pot around the campsite as he did so. The
evenings were entertaining with everyone sitting around
the camp fire talking about anything and everything.
The next YMCA walk was from Taupo to Napier a year
later. This was a five day event to raise money for The
Pub With No Beer along Latham Street. Again it brought
together lots of different people for a good cause and it
was an adventure we’ll never forget.
I worked with Pat for quite a few years in the carpet
shops and we had our own project for a while, a shop
called the Batik and Asian Trading Company. These
were magical times, working with suppliers like the
Merchants of Narnia and importing cool stuff from Bali.
I’m still selling carpet today, which I enjoy and I’m very
grateful for the introduction Pat gave me to the business
world. Thanks Pat!
Above: Pat organised two YMCA walks around Lake Waikaremoana in the early 70s and everyone who went still remembers what
amazing hikoi they were. Connecting with diverse people, and at the same time gaining so much by happily being held captive in
nature; shipmates at John’s 60th birthday at the Westshore Scouts Hall just a few years ago. Photo, Lake Waikaremoana, by
Anne Johnston.
A big presence in our lives 243