1973

A new property

1973 was the year of Judy's illness and eventual death. I have posted the story of that year in her life last November, at the time of the fortieth anniversary of her death.

But things were happening for me as well.

When Judy finished intermediate school at Takapuna, the plan was for her to join me in the Bay of Islands. So I found a roomier two-bedroom flat at Te Haumi Beach on the road between Opua and Paihia.

When Judy got sick and was due to come home from Auckland Hospital, I realised that we needed more privacy and space, so I looked around for a house.

 

Properties in that part of the world were scarce, and the only house available that was at all suitable was a three-bedroomed house on Maori lease land at the bottom of Puketona Road, a few metres from the beach at Te Tii. Puketona Road is the one that leaves Paihia and heads to Haruru Falls and then on towards Kaikohe and Kerikeri.

I had saved enough for a deposit at this stage, and because I was a teacher on my first stint in  the country, I was entitled to a 5% State Advances loan.

 

When Judy came back from hospital in Auckland, it was to this house that she came.

 

While Judy was living there with me, and with Mary also with us to help look after Judy, I was involved with another tragedy.

 

I had become friendly with Ginny Hastie, one of my school colleagues, and we regularly shared transport to and from school. There was no particular attraction involved; we were just good mates. Ginny had two teenaged daughters, one of whom was still at school at our College.

 

One night after Judy, Mary and I had gone to bed, the phone rang, and it was Ginny's younger daughter to say her mother was very ill, they couldn't get a doctor, and could I come and help, because she couldn't think of anyone else handy to call. So I dressed and went round.

 

Ginny was sitting up in bed looking pretty sick. Her daughter said they had tried to get a doctor, but the nearest was at Russell, twenty minutes away by launch. The ambulance had been called from Kawakawa.

Almost immediately Ginny brought up her dinner. I said "So much for dinner!" trying to make light of it. She said, "So much for tea....(ching!)" and dropped dead.

We were assured there was nothing we could have done to help; it was a massive heart attack.  Ginny was pronounced dead when the ambulance arrived a few minutes later.

This episode left me feeling very shocked and depressed for about a week. I wandered around in a gloomy daze, going through the motions of normal life.

 

t the end of the year, after Judy's death, I bought a sunburst sailing dinghy, named "Solace", which seemed appropriate, and learned to sail it, largely with the help of Derek Challis.