Leading from the front issuu

REBELS TO THE
INDOCTRINATION
of their youth
by stuart manins
which to the south takes in the magnificent canopies of
Kahikitea standing sentinel at Ball’s, and to the north
west, the mighty Kaweka Forest Park with its beech forests,
tussock valleys and alpine shrub lands. The scene
was set for decades of family fun and adventure that
were initially enhanced by being off grid. There was no
power or phone connection for many years, which simply
added to the novelty and enhanced the quality of the
time the family enjoyed there.
These days the bach has a few more comforts of
home, such as hot running water and internet connection,
but what will never change is the appreciation for
the bush, the wilderness, the peace and quiet that everyone
experiences the instant they arrive.
Rebel cousins Pat and Stuart Manins catch up at the bach
in 1994 and enjoy plenty of debate and fellowship;
Painting, Mountain Stream by John Ruth.
I grew up not really knowing my cousins Pat and
Marie Magill. My father John and Pat’s mother Jessie
were brother and sister, which makes Pat and I
first cousins. They lived in Napier and we lived in
Auckland. When they did come north sometimes
in the holidays, they either went to their cottage at
Lake Taupo or to a farm they owned near Hamilton.
It wasn’t until Marie and Dr David Gray married that
things changed. I got to know Marie first and then
Pat later on.
I have always felt close to Pat. In some, quite different
ways we are both rebels to the indoctrination
of our youths. We have both sought to foster the
compassionate ways of the world without maintaining
a close connection to The Open Brethren. We
have an unusual sense of humour and enough in
common to get us evicted from most politically correct
congregations.
These photos were taken at Magill’s forest block
north-west of Napier where Margaret and I joined
Catherine and Pat for a delightful week end somewhere
about 1994.
Puketitiri – the bush, the bach, the legacy 51