What are your family links with Mercury Bay?
Our family moved to Mercury Bay after my father, who had been a sales rep, travelled there for work. He decided it would be a great place to raise his family. My parents purchased Mercury Bay Mobile Service Station on Monk St. I had the best life growing up in Whitianga, with the freedom to ride our bikes, explore nature and build amazing friendships.
Where are you living now?
I’ve built my life in Perth, WA over the last 25 years. I worked in retail for nine years and developed great skills and friendships during that time. I then moved into the disability sector, working for Avivo for the last 16 years.
I’ve had four different roles there and currently work in the ‘Shared Living’ environment. This allows people with disabilities to live with a host family or have a home sharer live with them, providing a natural environment compared to institutions or group homes.
When did you live in the Coromandel?
My family moved to Whitianga in 1984 after my parents purchased their business. I started school at MBAS and stayed until 1992. Highlights of my schooling included the teachers and opportunities available. Helen Scott, my first teacher, made the transition to a new school pleasant. Ron Morgan, the best PE teacher ever, was the driving force behind our amazing school camps at Opito Bay and the ski trip. Living in the Coromandel at that time gave me lifelong friendships from my days at MBAS. I left Whitianga in December 1999 after meeting another local, Conan Taylor, and we moved to Perth.
What have you been doing since school?
I left school in May 1992 and had my daughter. Between 1992 and 1999, I worked locally at the dairy, as a kitchen hand at the Whitianga Continuing Care Unit, full-time at Richardson’s Real Estate, and then at Betta Electrical with Roy and Brenda Herbert. I had a lot of fun in these roles, building great skills and friendships. In Perth, I worked in a women’s clothing retail store across multiple locations, eventually becoming a 2IC. In 2001, our son Baylee arrived while we were building our first home.
We were ready to settle. In 2006, I moved away from retail and worked for Mission Australia in the Language and Literacy programme for troubled youth or ESL students. In 2008, I moved to CAPE, a company delivering training tickets required for the mining industry. Planeloads of Kiwis were flying in to sit these tickets and then go straight to the mines. In 2009, I moved to Avivo, completed my Diploma in Community Services, and I am still there.
What achievement are you most proud of?
Moving to Australia and building our life here has been amazing.
I am grateful for the opportunities we have here in Perth. However, my greatest achievement is my family.
Baylee is a qualified carpenter, and Jaydin is a hairdresser. I have two beautiful grandchildren, Bodhi (8) and Koa (5).
What are your fondest memories of the Coromandel?
Cycling around town with friends, and to the water hole, fishing off the wharf, exploring Lovers Rock, catching the ferry to Front Beach with our bikes on top, and school camps to Mt Ruapehu and Opito Bay. Getting up early on Saturdays, rain hail or shine, to deliver the local paper out to Tin Town (which I don’t think is even there now).
Another stand-out memory is when I stayed over at Amanda Forsyth’s house in Rings Beach for the weekend. As 12-13-year-olds do, we went exploring and stumbled across something interesting, by the creek … banging and tapping it with spades. When we showed her parents they located the authorities. The inspector of explosives came in and it was discovered to be a dangerous bomb used as a flare marker from an Aircraft-Navigation MK1. We made the paper; it was thought to have been washed up onto the beach 40 years ago back then – so a good 77 years ago now.
Plus the seafood the Coromandel has to offer.
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