15 Fairway Oaks Drive
Waikanae
New Zealand 5036 [we are here some of the year, to harvest the garden]
Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2011, but above all else remember to have fun. For us the 12 months of 2010 have been a better than usual adventure. Retirement seems to go faster and faster and there are more things to do than we can fit in. That has meant that some of them have been put on the side burner for now but we are healthy and well enough to begin planning next year.
As for 2010, the year began with a three week Caravan Club rally around the southern part of North Island. Assembly at Raukawa YMCA Camp on 8 Jan led to a happy group of a dozen campers touring north via Karioi, Ohakune, Taupo, Mangakino, and returning south via Pureora Forest, Waitomo, New Plymouth, Hawera and Wanganui. Our membership of Palmerston North Caravan Club also enabled us to join the weekend rallies at Bulls, Shannon, Fielding, Himatangi, Kimbolton, Palmerston North.
Another major slice of the year was taken by rowing regattas. Kerry has long been an official at Wellington Association regattas but this year he also became involved with events at Karapiro leading up to the World Rowing Championships in October/November. In all, he took part in four other regattas over several weekends. At the end of February, after the NZ National Championships, we drove our motorhome [aka Jili2] from Karapiro, to Matarangi, Whitianga, Opotiki and home via Gisborne. So you see we made good use of our trips away by looking up friends and family on the way.
23 March to 7April was a planned drive to the west coast to stay with Dean, Toni and 3 yr old Alex. From Hokitika we drove to Wanaka via Haast and spent a day at the Wings Over Wanaka flying show before the four day return north through Twizel, Hamner and Kaikoura to catch the ferry at Picton.
About then, Kerry learned he had been selected to join the 23 Veterans as part of the official New Zealand contingent to the 95th Commemoration of the Dardanelles Campaign in Turkey. They left home on 17 April and returned on 30 April having flown to and from Turkey by RNZAF Boeing 757. The 135 strong party included NZ Defence personnel and 22 senior secondary school pupils. This latter group proved to be outstanding people in every respect and contributed well to a memorable event. Kerry’s selected photos are on his FaceBook page. Kerry and another New Zealand soldier [Eddie Marr] had also been at Gallipoli on 25 April 1975. The youngsters convinced Kerry he should join Facebook to keep up with their photo collection [2700 pics] so he is now in the electronic age.
Six days after Kerry returned home we set off for the Northern Hemisphere summer for 58 days visiting friends and relatives in Finland, Sweden, France, Scotland, Ireland and England. More photos from FaceBook here. We were able to celebrate Sherryn’s 40th birthday while we were in London. We visited Esko Heikinnen and Matti Vuolevi from Kerry’sUNMOGIP days [1970-1] and Lennart Nilsson and Brian McKevitt from UNTSO [1975]. We caught up with Chris Steele, Jules Dunn and Caira Ferguson, ex-pats from Timor Leste. All of their families made us most welcome and added to the enjoyment of our journey. We also visited Lyn’s rellies in France, Leeds, Hayward’s Heath and Croydon, visited friends in Brighton, East Grinstead and Bourne End. Going to and from Europe by Malaysia Airways let us take four day stopovers in Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi respectively, so the return to Wellington on 5 July was rested but right back into winter!!.
Having been a spectator at the 1978 World Rowing in Karapiro, Kerry had set a goal of being an active volunteer at the 2010 Event. Having some experience in local regattas he was able to join the Competition Control group and worked hard both before and during the main event. The World Rowing Championship regatta ranks as one of his lifetime high points. Significantly, in spite of being an avid snapshot photographer, he has no pictures of himself at the event.
From 26 August to 13 September we were off south in Jili 2 again, staying at Hokitika for some of the time and completing a much anticipated journey to Karamea on the way home.
The Artillery Association annual reunion and meeting was held in Taupo over the weekend 12 - 14 November, proving to be another friendly, relaxed and enjoyable rest for the retired.
The end of the year included a hustle of activity for Lyn as she has joined the committee of the local Genealogical Society. They staged a very successful event known as “Why You are You” [YURU], using a well known local identity to demonstrate research capabilities. Kerry had to miss three rowing regattas because each one was called off for windy weather. By Xmas Waikanae has become so dry that a week of rain has been greeted with much delight.
And now we are looking forward to celebrating Lyn’s 70th on 1.1.11. The party will be a lunch and afternoon affair at the Longbeach Cafe in Waikanae Beach.
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