you both left to soon mum 11 months lata dad
havin fun up in heaven
love to you both
Happi b-day dad
 

 Your Nan and Koro both loved to cook, Nans favourites were all the different kind of boil ups u can have, fish heads, mutton bird, pork n puha and watercress, and koro’s were the stews, and goulashes, pies n the gravies to go with our chops and Sunday roasts and mashed potatoes yum we also use to sit by the fire late at night cooking toast and heating spaghetti or bakebeans off the embers,

I remember going with koro to work. when he was foundation laying and woodcutting, he did quite a few homes here in Kawerau, there was a time I also remember visiting him in his camp while he was a chef in the army.

We always had a garden with potatoes peas, carrots, lettuce, cabbages etc which was healthy enough to have leprechauns living in there, (I used to spend hours trying to spot them) your koro’s console sitting in the back yard where I would pretend I could drive with my friend who lived in there?? I remember koro introduced us lol would you believe a big black spider??

Nan and Koro were often sitting at the kitchen table doing their crosswords or playing solitaire with their cup of teas n hand, koro would have his Tea mug strong with 2 teabags in one hand and his glass of opg in the other, I use to come home for lunch every day, having hinu sandwiches, and as I got older young n the restless and days of our lives would be playing on the telly.

Every one and any one was welcome at our house, We used to have lots of parties  If anybody needed anything, nan and koro always helped, Your Nan and Koro they had unconditional love for all living things’ They had many close friends and our door was always open’.

Koro told me about a dog we had, he really sounded awesome like the darlings dog on peter pan lol, anyway maybe someone remembers him He was our guard dog, a tan Labrador I think??’ I can’t remember how many stray dogs your unty Laurel and I brought home between us, and every one of them were welcomed,

 I remember Koro being very athletic strong, generous and funny as a clown, probably because he was working as a clown in the circus when he met your Nan  They had stopped in TeTeko and she was a Nurse working in wgtn,  she had jus come home for a holiday, They got married and lived in TeTeko.

They moved to Kawerau for work, Koro was working in Downers it was called then be fore it became Tasman,.He had allsorts of games he would play with their friends, He was the best, he would always win a extra coin for us kids, remembering what 1 or 2 cents could buy (a big bag of lollies). I used to try see the toothfairy leaving me money in Nan n Koros bedroom, but she was always smarter than me :)I Remember riding on his shoulders going to the park. Standing on his feet and dancing with him, playing horsie rides on his back and him showing us his tricks and the awesome atheletic skills he had, He taught us heaps.

He was a very talented generous man you’re Koro, A jack of all trades. There was nothing he couldn’t do and a real gentlemen.

I remember he would always shout me to the movies or the fair when it was in town, When I was younger he showed me his coin pocket, from then on I was allowed to help myself to any change left over from the night before, He always had change in his pocket for me’,

We were brought up close with our 1stst and second cousins so it was let be known to us at a young age that we were as close as brothers and sisters’ We used to go stay in Texas at Uncle Percy’s and Aunty Mokai’s and in Whakatane with Aunty Sally’s, go to Rotorua at Ngapuna Whakarewarewa Ohinemutu etc or vice versa,. We spent a lot of time with our cousies’ Sitting in the car while they were in the pub talk about fun and some scary times, and going to the beach for kai moana the farmlands for puha, mushrooms or to the bush for pikopiko etc with nan . man I got so sick of pikopiko, I would get sick just going near the bush so yep we very much lived off the land’  

Nana Dawson used to come over to our home in 30 Onslow St almost everyday, and everyday Mum would ask me to walk her home she would always offer me ice cream, coconut ice or try to give me money’ I remember Nans sister my Aunty Tangi would always give me money wen we‘d visit them in Rotorua, I tried saying no once and she and mum told me about how rude it is to say no. now its still hard for me to say no’

Nana Dawson had beautifulist long hair, it was way down her back and some days she would let me brush it, She cut it short when Koro Bill died, she was very close to Nan she was a very elegant beautiful lady our Nana Dawson.