Farewell, Uncle Eddie

My Uncle Eddie was always my favourite Uncle. He had some great gifts that I very much enjoyed: his sense of humour, his kindness and his ability to discuss almost anything, anywhere. I loved his passion for unearthing history, and his energy in putting time in to find out the smallest detail.

An absolute gentleman, in the truest sense of the word.

My Aunty Diana chose her husband very well :-)

He has a very special place in my heart and memory. My first boxer was named after him (our family always was weird ;-D).

I put together a video clip of him, as I did for my Aunty Jill (of my Uncle Tom), using a favourite piece of music for both of them at:



:-(

Sam

My Uncle Tom's Funeral

Hi all,
My Uncle Tom died in January this year, after having been in some rest homes and a hospital room at Oakwoods in Richmond for a wee while.

I learned at his funeral in Mapua that his favourite piece of music was Ivan Rebroff's Evening Bells, so I made a wee movie for my Aunty Jill, using some photos that I had, the funeral and a little of the music:


Aunty Jill seemed in reasonable health, and was well looked after by my cousin Gavin and his wife Estelle. Another of my aunts, Diana, came up from Christchurch (with a friend of hers), my parents and my brother and I went. It was very nice - despite the circumstances - to see everyone and to catch up.

Sam

News from Nelson - February 2014

Wow - where have the days gone?! I can't believe it is February already.

More sad news this year. My cousin Susan's husband Peter died recently. He has been battling cancer. Our thoughts are with her.

Susan & Peter on their wedding day

Jan has been very busy down in the gully putting in irrigation to the orchard, which is awesome. I have been busy pulling out pig fern again. I have also been waging battle on couch grass. Three months of daily attacks now, and I am finally starting to feel like I am making ground.

The tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers are going ballistic in the garden. Once more it is that time of summer where you leave a courgette on the plant over night because it is just a tiny bit too tiny to eat, to find by the next day it has turned into a stonking great marrow. But at least we some great marrow recipes!

Speaking of marrow recipes, dice the volume of marrow/courgette with a half measure of diced mushrooms and a half measure of onions, liberally dose it with Maggi green herb stock and whirl it about on the barbecue. Delicious!

We have had Lara & Otto here to stay for a few days, just as Tina left to go to Germany. We had a great time, taking them to the Sarau Fair, Rabbit Island, shopping in town and to Founders. We had lunch with my folks at Founders Brewery (where Otto & Lara sampled the fruit juices, naturally, not the beer!).

We all took a trip on the train at Founders

Lara beside a sculpture at Founders

Otto & Lara outside the Horticulture exhibits, eating the old welcome to Nelson sign

Otto & Lara at Founders

Otto, Jan & Lara (distance) at Founders

Otto & Jan at Rabbit Island

Jan dragged out his old Märklin train set and he and Otto had lots of fun on the dining table. Maintenance was done. Switching was sorted. A very educational time was spent by both chaps. Lara did some baking, while I rode shotgun. She made a peppermint chocolate cake which was consumed very quickly - so can be considered a triumph. They also re-read all Jan's Tintin books, watched some movies and managed to get quite a few real fruit ice creams during their stay.

Otto with the train

While at the Sarau Fair they both got a henna design on their hands:

Lara's henna

Otto's henna

It was just a pleasure to have them here, and we are looking forward to them coming again. The dogs also loved the company and the extra attention. Perhaps in the winter term break... we will see what works out for Jeremy & Tina.

Otto & Bonnie, Lara & Coco

Tomorrow there is a family gathering in Germany to remember Oma Friedel, then Tina comes home on Sunday. Hopefully it is a healing time for everyone.

Jan has announced to the NSO Committee that he is stepping down as Chair at the next AGM, and stepping off the Committee. I was at the meeting, and there was lots of disappointment from the other committee members. They may persuade him to stay yet - it would make sense if he felt that he could do a 'Past-President' year. But we will wait & see.

The first two of our Niles speakers from the US have arrived, and Jan has installed them. They look fantastic. Only four more to go, and three sets of string lights, and the lounge is finished!

Two Niles speakers in the ceiling

We caught up with Sharon & Ian last weekend for a BBQ at their place and went home feeling like pâté geese. We were both so full we could hardly bend, and it was all our own fault. The food was just lovely. We had also had a fairly big night the night before at our place, as there are some German engineers visiting from Anthon in Flensburg. They came to dinner at our place along with Steve & his wife Linda. Jan barbecued, I made salads and bread, and we finished with a Cointreau chocolate mousse (Gerhard's recipe), shortbread and melon. We took the table outside and ate alongside our wilderness - and I guess tackling that lot will be our next job! A big weekend.

Eating al fresco at Roses Road

So, speaking of food (!) we have booked for the annual Suter Dinner which is a fundraiser for the Bishop Suter Art Gallery, and for the Kahurangi Long Lunch (where we will catch up with Alex & Caroline Peckham, as well as the other usual suspects).

I had a couple of days up in Auckland at the end of January, catching up with my AUT compadrés. It was a great couple of days. Learned and shared lots.

There will be a birthday party on May 24th at the Boathouse for my father. He turns 80, and we hope to make it a real trip down memory lane for him. There will be lots of people here (including our rediscovered cousin Kim and her family). If any of you can think of someone we should contact from here or overseas, please let me know.

Right, better get back to the thesis writing.

Jan & Sam

News from Nelson - September 2012 #2

Hi everyone,

Wow, nearly another month has passed, and here I am talking to you all again.

Our sympathies go out to Janet, Robert and the boys as Janet’s mum died recently, after a relatively short illness. Janet had just been down in Nelson & we had all had a catch up, so it was rather shocking – though somewhat expected – to get the message about her Mum so soon.

The pool table is still proving great entertainment: largely because Jan is rehearsing so much at present for Les Mis, there is not much time for anything longer. 

We seem to have had weekends based around the weather of late: we have had lots of fine weeks and wet weekends. However, last Sunday we managed to have a session sorting out the gorse as the rain stopped for a couple of days. Got some good weather-oriented photos though!

I got my Masters research proposal in, and was told that it was one of the best my supervisor had ever received (which was very kind of him). I had a very productive day at Auckland Uni, meeting all sorts of people and asking millions of questions. I even had time to get a book out of the library for Jan. I caught up with Tessa and we had Japanese at Kabuki Teppanyaki restaurant at the Stamford; I met her friend Lisa who seems really nice.

On Thursday I delivered a Leadership diversity lecture at the AUT Manukau campus. Wow, that is the most fantastic campus! It is like being in a park!

This weekend Jan is playing in a Les Mis performance both days, so I will get on with some housework and study. I also have a good chunk of marking to do, with the study break coming up, there will be a bit more time for doing all those ‘nice to do’ things like cleaning :-(

Life is pretty full of Les Mis at the moment.

I will be up in Welly briefly in a couple of weeks (Oct 13-14) for Sunday - Monday meetings, which is the weekend that Camila comes to stay. Jan will get her safely installed, though I don’t know how he is going to find time to do some required furniture repairs. I might need to get Michael Bender onto the job and take the pressure off him.

Dogs are well, though both Coco and Fliss took themselves off for an unsupervised walk today. I caught up with Fliss down past the winery, heading determinedly along the road to our bottom gate. She is so deaf she couldn’t even hear the car, but got in the car sheepishly enough when I tooted RIGHT behind her.

Barb has been the US having a tiki-tour, and hopefully she will catch us up on how she enjoyed that now she is back.

Jan & I are both in Welly from 7-9 December (next Exec meeting) so any ideas for catch-ups would be great. 

Andreas, Katrin & Christian will be with us for Christmas and maybe New Year in Nelson. Flights are booked, should be loads of fun, and we are really looking forward to it!

Happy birthdays to Andrew R, Ana Silvia WHO IS TWENTY ONE, KT, Aunt Uta, Robert dB, Jenny L, Bertie, Guy, Barb, Kelly A, Erica, Julie T & Tracey M! 

Right – better start my marking  :-D

Jan Kuwilsky & Sam Young

Sad News - death of John Hannah

Hi Everyone,

I didn't post this news yesterday, as I was still trying to get my head around it. A long-time friend of mine, John Hannah, was killed on Friday night in a tramping accident. I haven't managed to catch up with Hetta yet, but have left messages.

The Nelson Mail's Anna Pearson (10 December 2011) had this to say at http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/6120333/Another-tramping-trip-ends-in-death:

A 63-year-old Nelson man with a love of cricket, family and the New Zealand seafood industry has died in a fall while tramping in Kahurangi National Park.

John Leo Hannah was negotiating difficult terrain with friends in the Adelaide Tarn area when he fell 20 metres to his death about 7pm yesterday.

He was tramping with two others, after a fourth member of their party was airlifted from near Lonely Lake by the Summit rescue helicopter earlier in the day with a suspected broken ankle.

Mr Hannah joined Sealord in 1988 as a business development manager, and was said to be responsible for the company's successful move into aquaculture.

He went on to take the helm at the New Zealand School of Fisheries, as the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology's marine studies chief.

His friend and long-time neighbour Alan Winwood said the pair had been Rotary members together for more than 20 years.

He said Mr Hannah was one of the "leading knights" [sic] in Rotary cricket circles, with a trip to India with the New Zealand cricket team planned for next year. "He was a family man and community-minded." He said Mr Hannah was an experienced tramper, and was on a five-day trip with "three of his closest mates".

Nelson Tramping Club president Lawrie Halkett said he had been tramping in the Adelaide Tarn area in the Douglas Range twice, and it was "very steep".

"There is a tramp that you can do from the Cobb Valley through the Aorere Valley. It definitely is only a route for very experienced trampers," he said.

Senior Sergeant Stu Koefoed of Nelson said police were speaking with the other members of the tramping party to ascertain the full circumstances relating to Mr Hannah's death, and the matter would be referred to the coroner.

He will be sadly missed. I will post when the funeral is, once I know, for those of you who want to attend.

Sam

News from Nelson – November 2011

Hi everyone,

A short one this time. Wow, spring is hustling along, and we are nearly heading into summer! It has been quite changeable though – this month we have had to pay $13 for power, as we haven’t had enough consistently fine weather to net off our usage; and of course we have used a bit more power than usual, as John has been staying with us too.

And double-wow, we have applied for an inspector to come and sign off the CoC. We are expecting someone to come out in the next couple of weeks, with our builder, so it can all get ticked off formally. That will be good.

Jan’s still looking for the Electrical Engineer – at least the HR firm they have engaged is at last going to contact IPENZ and the Alumni organisations.

Last weekend I went to Wellington for a Career Development Association national executive meeting and AGM, staying overnight with Tina & Jeremy. The meetings weren’t too bad, and it was great to see Otto & Lara (they have both grown so much!). Tina & Jeremy put on a BBQ on Sunday night, and Brigitte & John came along, so we managed to catch up before they head over to Europe for three months. All good.

Jan & I have both been so busy that we haven’t really had a chance to draw breath. Days seem to be whistling past in a slip stream, and we are a bit dazed and confused about exactly where we are. I have been marking like a mad thing, and Jan has been trying to be himself and three others. He also has the added complication this month of having two of his electrical guys away on a commissioning job in Vietnam.

A couple of sad bits of news to relate this time: Jan’s step father, John, had his mother die. She had been unwell for some time, but it is still hard to lose a parent. In addition, a close friend and work colleague of my Father’s, August Vavasovsky, died last Thursday. He had a major stroke.

This Friday we have the Business Awards to go to, so we are staying in Nelson overnight at Trailways. We can leave the Trafalgar Centre, where the shindig is being held, and potter across the footbridge across the Maitai straight to our room. I like that!

Jan & I will be up in Welly on 3, 4 & 5 December. We will be busy with family on Saturday and Monday, but if any of you Hutties etc are around on Sunday, we would love to catch up. Let us know.

Also a party on New Year’s eve – about 6pm onwards. BBQ, BYO. All welcome :-)

Right – I think that’s all for now, aside from wishing all the party season’s birthday people a wonderful coming year: Lara, Jeremy, Donna, Neil, Janet, Jamal, Tina, Murray & Carl.

Eberhard – good luck with your new apartment.

Catch you all again soon.

Alles liebe!

Jan Kuwilsky & Sam Young