“I often think this, holidays at our bach up 90 Mile Beach, stuck in behind the dunes, when I was 6-7-8, my mum & sisters and I would go there probably every May school holidays while the cows were out, are some of just the best memories of my life. We lived off the beach pretty much, the sound of surf – I love that so much – it’s such a strong memory for me. I loved the freedom at the beach, to do what you like. I’d be out the door by daylight, my only instruction from Mum to be home by dark. No parent would do that these days. I remember reading to mum, reading was a big part of my life, and I would listen to the weather. The bad weather was almost better than the good weather because you could light the fire and listen to the wind and rain on the roof.
I was originally going to be a schoolteacher, but I dropped out of university and came home, went to social welfare because I couldn’t find a job. I was told to go away when I wanted to go on the dole, so I found a job cutting scrub under telephone lines, and then the day I turned 20 I got a job as a barman at the hotel but that was cramping my social life so I got a job at the substation in Pamapuria. When that job finished, I got a job from a friend who was 2IC at Aupōuri Forest, I was absolutely useless at it but I stuck at it. 90% of the guys I worked with were Māori which was good for me because I was in the minority, which I had never been before.
One day when I was married, and we had our first child, I did a correspondence course in journalism because I did not want to spend the rest of my life pruning trees, and offered myself to the Advocate but they didn’t give me a job and then one day I got a call from the Age and I got a job. That was the beginning of 44 years at the Age.
One of my most memorable experiences during my career that truly impacted my world view was in the 90s when the government was going to downgrade the hospital to a super clinic. That went on for 7 years… one year, there was a march for the hospital. It started outside the Age office, it went right up to the hospital, full width of the street… Some reckon there was 20,000 people that day, who knows.
But they came from all over, right out from the Hokianga, busloads of them! And there were patched gang members linking arms with businesspeople and little old ladies, everyone was totally united.
That was the real Far North… A lot of people were in tears. It was an amazing display of solidarity, I had never seen anything like it before, and I don’t know if we ever will again. That changed the way I thought about this community. It’s the first time I remember thinking ‘very few people are all good, and even fewer people are all bad.’ Everyone had a mix – everyone has something to offer. That was sort of a light bulb moment for me.
I’ve never knocked on doors after death in my career… I realised because I value people more than the story. I knew I wouldn’t get a positive reaction in door-knocking in a sensitive situation and upsetting them really wasn’t worth getting more readers of the Age.
Early on in my career, I realised I had to let people decide that they can trust you… Trust is so very important, and I would never, ever do anything to put that trust into any kind of question. If something was off the record – it was never published by me. Even if it was a really great story, I wouldn’t jeopardize the trust by doing anything with it. Accuracy was also a big part of gaining trust, as well as treating an individual with respect and giving everyone a fair go. My philosophy was always to give someone a fair go. If someone wrote to the paper with an opposing opinion to my own, I would still publish it – why wouldn’t I? I don’t think I would’ve gotten very far otherwise.
The biggest hurdle I had initially… I was reporting in this community where I have lived all my life and I’m related to a lot of people – where a lot of people I was writing about somewhat negatively were friends or people I knew… That emphasised to me the importance of accuracy and respect. Although it was tough, a lot of people ended up taking it on the chin.
My biggest achievement in life is my kids and grandkids, who are all growing into good, normal people.
Other than that, I was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit some years ago, that was special because it came from people who know me.
One year, we had a gentleman working on advertising for the Age who went up and down the main streets of Kaitaia asking people what they thought of the local paper… the main feedback that came back was that the paper was credible. That also meant a great deal to me.
There’s always been critics and there always will be, and bless them, because you need them – you seriously do. I’d do something I thought would be brilliant and I’d get completely slandered for it. It was definitely what kept me grounded.
This really is a fantastic community – some extraordinary people and so many of them just fly under the radar. It just about brings me to tears when I think about the division happening across our country, and I hope it stops soon.
Nowadays, I spend a lot more time tending to my roses and they are looking better than ever because they’re getting a lot of attention… I’ve slowed down a bit and am enjoying having more time.
A part of my daily routine is still reading the rainfall. It’s something that funnily enough I have done every day since I was asked to on 6 May 1977 at the Age. When I walked into my office that morning, I was told that I needed to read the rain gauge every morning… I’ve continued that habit, still collecting the rainfall every morning, simply out of curiosity and habit I guess.
I am relatively happy with the legacy of being the former editor of the Northland Age, but I guess more than anything I just hope I will one day be remembered as someone who really values this community and always did what I thought was the best for it.
There are things I’ve realised since I’ve come into retirement that I didn’t have the time to even consider before. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self that you don’t stay young forever, and the things you do now are almost certainly going to have an impact on you later in life… Take your time to smell the roses.”