Stories from the Heart - remarkable pasts

Adele Jones

“Oh well, that would be OK I suppose. Why not?”

These were the ten little words that launched Adele Jones into an epic round-the-world sailing adventure with her late husband Rodney...

Vaughan Preece

When a University of Cambridge lecturer had a heart attack in 1952 the die was cast for a young Kiwi from a hill country sheep and beef farm in the Hunters Hills up behind Waimate in the South Island, in a “beyond anywhere” place called Waiau Forks.

Pat McClenaghan

Life’s little ironies are not lost on former banker Pat McClenaghan. Shoulder-tapped for compulsory military training in 1952, during the Korean War, young McClenaghan sweet-talked a full Colonel into commuting his training from an ordeal spread over several years into a single three-month stint as an orderly in the officers’ mess. Years later, as a senior member of the Howick RSA in Auckland he found himself taking salutes during parades from veterans of battles in Europe, North Africa and the Mediterranean.

George Smallholme

There’s a certain kind of kiwi who personifies the national characteristics that the rest of us like to think of as quintessentially New Zealand. Soft-spoken but steely-eyed. Mild-mannered yet determined. Understated, unassuming, with a wry, self-effacing sense of humour. Tough in the face of adversity yet gentle with those who need a helping hand. 

George Smallholme is one such ‘typical’ Kiwi battler.

The late Wilma Sutherland

When Wilma Sutherland laughed it came from her core, explosive waves of hilarity and an expression of such delighted mischief that it was impossible not to be utterly captivated and drawn into the moment. It was infectious, compelling and, frequently, more than a little naughty.

The late Nell Graveson

It was January 1917 and the First World War – the ‘Great War’ – was still raging. The north of England was buried in snow. A fierce snowstorm had been raging for days and people were struggling. Into this challenging environment was born a girl who would later travel halfway around the planet to carve out a pioneering new life for herself in the strange and distant land that we all call home.

The late Liz Berry

Young people were at the heart of Liz Berry’s life for as long as she could remember. As a teacher. As a tutor. As a mum and guardian. And then, as a grand-mother. Even the retirement cottage she and her husband Des lived in overlooked the playing fields at Kerikeri High School; the presence of the students providing a welcome backdrop and reminder of the contributions they both made to their vocation over the years.

The late Francis van den Berg

From tales of suffering under German occupation in World War 2 through to his drive to succeed as a newcomer on New Zealand's shores, Francis' story is one of determination laced with his conviction that, in life, you reap what you sow...

The late Henry Driver

Henry's stories of life in the north of New Zealand, when some of our largest towns were just simple settlements, makes for compelling listening.

The late Joan Pasche

Joan Pasche is an ‘independent living’ resident at Kerikeri Retirement Village. This means she lives unaided in one of our retirement cottages. She has first-hand knowledge of our Care Facility and its importance to those residents who can no longer fend for themselves.

“I had a nasty fall. Following surgery I was in respite care there for a couple of months and I found the staff to be absolutely marvellous. But then, I’m an ex-nurse and I could boss them around! That’s naughty, isn’t it?!”