Timatatanga no.2

Timatatanga no. 2

Publisher Edwards Whanau Issue no. 2 Date Mahuru

Editors Korero Regular Features

Due to some major technical hitches and ill health + Reunion Plans

this edition of the Panui is very much overdue. Thus + BDM & Anniversaries

you will see this is a much bigger edition. Also you will + Sports News

note that it is the number two edition. The first one we + Recipes

sent out by snail mail but have decided to send future + Whakatauki

editions this way. Well anyway we will see how we go + Guess Who

for space. + Pet Corner

Tihei Mauri Ora. Our first panui went out with a + Calender Events

resounding success. It was posted to various parts + Arts & Culture

of Aotearoa. A count of how many sent was not taken but + A little piece of Aussie

I estimate approximately 22 copies went out. Whanau of + Whanau owned & operated Business's

each tamariki of Hohepa & Ani were covered and I SPECIAL FEATURES

suspect others would liked to have had a copy as well. + Personal Profile: Rebecca Heperi

At this stage we have no funding and are not asking for any

subscriptions but if anyone wishes to have a hard copy

a koha would be very helpful to cover costs and perhaps WHANAU WISHING TO CONTRIBUTE ARTICLES, NEWS, PROFILES

PHOTOS & VIEWS PLEASE

we can even use this panui as a resource for funding

for our reunion. SUBMIT TO: grrlgypsy@gmail.com

This website is growing and i have been getting or forward to: 311a Te Moana Rd

contacts from varying sources where I have put queries Waikanae, 5036

regarding our whanau. Maori.org has a link to this

website. I have put it into the panui noticeboard COME ON WHANAU, ALL THOSE BUDDING

http://www.maori.org.nz This is an awesome site and REPORTERS OUT THERE, GET REPORTING

I spend many hours surfing this site.

Don't forget to sign the quest book leaving comments THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT

about this site and you can reach the MSN site by a link on the home page of this site.

I am jetting off to Christchurch at the end of this month where I will be heading out to Port Levy & Little River, catch up with several cousins who we have never heard of before, head off to the whakapapa unit, and anything else that will help me in our quest to discover more whanau and information about our whakapapa. Dont ask me how I will fit this all into four days. Further contacts that have been made are from Palmerston North, Tokoroa, Pahiatua, several in Masterton and I need to check out an address in Tuahiwi. Even spoke to a lady in Port Levy who grew up with Phoebe. So you can see our little whanau is certainly expanding. We could do with getting a few more people on our komiti for the reunion so if you or you know of someone who is interested in being a part of this very exciting challenge please let either Tina or myself know.

I have also sent away for a Te Reo learning programme through Ngai Tahu called Kotahi Mano Kaika. I hope to learn Te Reo appropriate to Ngai Tahu or should that be Kai Tahu. So combine that with my Mauri Ora lessons I should be able to be a real maori soon.......

Till the next issue

E iti noa ana, na te aroha

A small ordinary thing, begotten by love

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Personal Profile: Rebecca Heperi

Kia Ora Whanau,

My name is Rebecca Heperi. I am the daughter of Gladys Heperi & grand-daughter of Jack Edwards.

My home is in a small place called Stirling, only 10 mins drive from mum. I live in an old two storey house with lots of character and in desperate need of some love & attention. I live with my partner of 12 years and our dog Gypsy, a golden lab, where the highlight of my day is when Kaz, my partners son comes visiting.

I enjoy the simplicities of rural living. Relaxed and uncomplicated. I worked part time, but wasn't happy with my job so decided at the age of 40, I needed a career change. I thought long and hard for 6 months before knowing what it was I wanted to do with my life and it was staring me in the face all along. I worked with a hearing impaired woman and it was working with her I realised I wanted to be an interpreter for the Deaf and hearing communities. I found out everything I needed to do, before being accepted into the New Zealand sign language interpreters diploma and it took a series of procedures for me to be able to be accepted. I had little experience working with Deaf people, so while still working part time, I travelled to Dunedin (a 2 hr drive there and back) every Wednesday for a year and worked as a volunteer for the Deaf Association of Dunedin and also worked as a volunteer at a Deaf lunch group.

Once I gained some experience I applied to go for a 4 week intense course in Auckland, to learn New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) . There was an exam at the end of each week . If I passed all four exams I was told I would be accepted into the Certificate of NZSL & Deaf studies. That was for a full year. If I passed that plus an interview for the Interpreters diploma. Now I am halfway through the last year and can just about taste it. I have managed to pass all my exams, but it is getting more and more difficult. I have since found out that I have passed all 4 papers for the first semester and have been accepted into the final semester. Now, it is make or break time. Interpreting is so much more complex than just having a conversation in sign language. This will be the moment of truth as we now go out and interpret for real under supervision.

Although this past year and a half has been the most taxing, most trying, most demanding and most loneliest times of my life, it has been the most rewarding. My partner told me, it is not always about reaching your destination, but the journey itself, with all the stops in-between. He has been my tower of strength through all this, supporting me throughout without complaint or doubt.

I packed my bags and went north feeling really excited but nervous at the same time. I was off on an adventure. It wasn't until I arrived in Auckland that reality struck me. What have I done! It was such a culture shock for me. The worst thing was, the lonliness. I can count on one hand, the number of times my partner and I have ever spent time apart from each other. It never dawned on me until I was in Auckland. It was devastating. The homesickness was more than I could bear sometimes. I would turn to share something with Trevor and realise he's not there, or see something I know he'd really enjoy but knowing, I'd never get the opportunity to show him. I felt like I was only existing. My spirit I had left back home.

Living rural, means you dont have all the opportunities available that other people have living in the city. So, unfortunately this meant, if I wanted to pursue the career I chose, it involved me having to leave my whole life back in Stirling, for 2 years. Leaving behind my family, my friends, my fiance, his son and my faithful dog. Not to mention postpone our wedding plans and pass up my last opportunity to have children.

I remain focussed, determined, stubborn and as passionate about interpreting as the day I started but after the final exams , it doesnt finish there. When I pass and return home to work, I will need to maintain regular contact with the Deaf communtiy to maintain my skills and gain experience to establish a good reputation. Living rural makes that more difficult. I will need to spread myself further to achieve that. I will have to make myself available from as far as south of Timaru/Oamaru all the way to Invercargill and Central Otago. While at the same time learning Te Reo as I want to be an interpreter for Deaf Maori as well as Deaf non-Maori. That is my ultimate goal. To be a Tri-Linguist.

I cannot wait to return home and be surrounded by those I love, to begin a new chapter in our lives. This alone will have its challenges, but I am really excited.

I will let you all know how it ends. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

Arohanui

Rebecca Heperi :-)

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Reunion Plans

We finally have a venue for our reunion. I had applied to use the marae at Port Levy but unfortunately it was booked for the time frame that we wanted. I wrote to several other marae in the area that we affiliated to and Little River has come up trumps. So that is where we will all be heading come 28 Dec 2007 till 4 Jan 2008, Yeeehaaaa...... ......here we come. Check out the page titled Affiliated marae to read more about this place. Now that the venue is booked we need to get cracking with definite plans, organising and of course fund raising.

HELP.....we need more komiti members and volunteers to get things up and running smoothly. Contact either myself on labrysdonna@gmail.com or Tina papawaidesc@gmail.com to let us know what you can do. Every little bit helps and it doesn't matter that we are spread across Aotearoa.

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Sports News Brian Bridgeman

I look back on my 60 years of involvement with the sport of Softball and ask myself why did I stay so long in one sport? The answer is simple. The experience had everything. Enjoyment, excitement, competition, decision-making, comradeship, highs, lows, etc. etc. The list of descriptive words goes on and on. Any one involved in a sport for any length of time as I have been would know what I am talking about.

My involvement started at the age of 11. Being quick on my feet and having a good throwing arm gave me a good start but the gloves in those days were nothing short of awful! My teens saw me playing different positions (except pitcher) through the grades. I also found myself becoming involved in administrative matters. Fundraising was also the norm. I married in my early 20's ( to a softballer of course) who, may I say, has always been 100% supportive. In my early 30's my club Naenae kiwi's disappeared resulting in my early "retirement" . A few years on while attending a school reunion I was talked into taking up coaching for Marist Hutt Valley and to my surprise was given the top men's team. The first game went 18 innings resulting in a win. We finished second only to the Hutt Valley champions - Cardinals that season. The first 3-4 years were very rewarding but our successess headed downwards and I joined the ranks of many coaches in other sports and was sacked. I was quickly picked up by another Hutt Valley club, Dodgers, and have been with them ever since. During my first 2-3 years as a coach for Marist Hutt Valley I was given the honour of also selecting and coaching the Hutt Valley Colts. I held this positon for 4 years then followed that on with 4 years with the Hutt Valley senior team. Those 8 seasons resulted in 4 National titles - 2 from the Colts and 2 from the seniors. Eight great seasons, thanks to 8 great teams. When I stepped down from my position as coach from the Hutt Valley Association I entered into yet another phase of my involvement with the sport of Softball.

Certain members of the Dodgers Club informed me that they were forming a president's team and that they would like me to be part of it. So commenced a period of thoroughly enjoyable softball that has lasted 25 years and is still on going. The team was nearly unbeatable in its first 5-6 years and this record covered the 4-5 tournaments that we entered into every season. Playing ability and social -wise has made this team quite unique throughout the conutry and these credentials have stayed with the team for 25 years. The team which included the player's partners has been to 2 Masters Tournaments in Queensland and a group of 42 attended the World Series in Christchurch to see the Black Sox win their 3rd World Title. Plans are now afoot for a party of 45 odd to travel to Canada in 2009 to support the Black Sox at the next World Series. Following on from my "retirement" from coaching the men I decided that I would endeavour to put something back into the sport and took to coaching the T-Ball youngsters. This enjoyable and challenging experience extended on for 7-8 years involving many of the same players as they grew up to manhood. One being Craig Bradshaw, selected to represent New Zealand at the Olympics for the men's Basketball team. He is now playing Basketball in the U.S.A. The other is a young fellow by the name of Piri Weepu. I look back on all these years of playing, coaching/selecting and administration and ask myself if I could, would I do it again. The answer is yes, yes, yes. Now in my "twilight" years I sit back and concentrate on trying NOT to let the ball go through my legs, as I do my best for my President Team mates.

BDM & Anniversaries July, August, September July Alexander McKay, Leanne Warner, Cecilia Paranihi, Angela Taare, Manaaki Waerea Te Kowhai, Anthony Taare, Pano Teofilo, Kath McKay, Sarah Taiapa, Isabel Pook, Sam & Nicholas Karaitiana (twins), Nerida Wharerau, Toria Edwards III, Jack Edwards death anniversary, Thomas Wharerau, Marleya Condon, Madison & Nicholas Horton (twins), Vanessa Darcy, Joseph Edwards, Danielle Taare, Shane Taare

August Sonny Paranihi, Joanna Collins, Kuini Rewi death anniversary, Dianne Richards, Moana McLeod, Susan Bridgeman, Erina Wharerau, Reagan Smith,

September Pearlie Smith, Violet Edwards, Jayden Pook, Tammy Horton, Zivana Pook, Herbie Wharerau, Melanie Bridgeman, Kupa Stephens, Margaret Bridgeman, Connor McKay

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A Little Piece of Aussie Geoff Rewi Aussie Correspondant

So back to the drawing board or in this case finger to the keyboard, hasn't the last month flown? It was so pleasing to see many receiving the Panui, full credit to the girls and their hard work. Talking about girls let me introduce my girls to you

My better half is Jody who is my chief bottle washer, friend and confident (ouch that hurt!!). She toils hard at her job at home and at her place of employment as a take away cook. I hate to say this but she keeps me in line. I might wear the pants in the family but she tells me which ones to wear!

I was blessed with 5 lovely children who have since grown up and have children themselves except my youngest Samantha who is only 9 years old and still at school. Those 4 grown up children gave me 9 beautiful grandchildren with one on the way, just telling you that gives me a grey hair!

Where I spend most of the time toiling is a place where steel comes from the mill and we distribute to engineering and fabrication places for the major industries in Gladstone and surrounding areas. The public too come to get their home supplies for building and handyman jobs. One Steel is the company name and it started when BHP sold most of their sub companies to concentrate more on the coal side of things. My main occupation is to drive the semi trailer to different sites with 12-15 metre lengths of steel and heavy material to the sites. I have been there now for 6 years and enjoy the work. (10/4 good buddy). Truckie jargon for ok and message received! It is a good job and the company looks after their employees.

News that happened The Great Escape

As you may have heard 2 miners made world headlines when they were trapped by a cave-in down 900 metres underground in Tasmania Australia for 2 weeks, unfortunately one miner did not survive the ordeal. Jubilation was sounded as the men came to the mine head and entered the surface.

Another amazing story emerged in the news while our eyes were on the events in Tasmania. A group of men were marooned on an island in the northern waters of Australia after losing their watercraft. They were stranded for 22 days living off mussels, oysters and what the sea would offer them. They were found in relatively good health and welcomed being found.

Other not so good news is that New Zealand played Australia in a rugby league match in Brisbane. Well boys you will have to regroup and show them like you did for the Tri Nations series last year.

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I hope all you mums had a wonderful day for mothers day 14-5-2006. What would we do without our wonderful mums? A belated Mothers Day greeting to all the mums.

The meaning of EXPERT: EX - The unknown SPURT - A drip under pressure

Contact me on: geoff100star@gmail.com

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Pet Corner from the nether reaches of Oz

Introducing Samantha Hortons budgies.

And from closer to home we have Navaho and Snowflake who hail from Eketahuna. Keitha is their owner. They live on a cute and cosy little 1 & a half acre farmlet and share their home with 2 dogs and 2 other humans, being Keitha's

children Esther & Eli

Send in your favourite photos of your pets, giving details of name, age and any special things your pet may do

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Arts and Culture Tina Rahui

Kia Ora Koutou, I am very proud to say "Te Puke Ki Hikurangi" Papawai Kapa Haka group performed in the Rangitane Kapa Haka Festival competitions on 19 August 2006 and took the following trophies;

1st place: Lead male 1st place: Lead female 1st place: Haka 1st place: Moteatea 1st place: Kakahu (costume) 1st place: Te Reo 2nd place: Waiata Tira (choral) 3rd place: Whakaeke (entry) 3rd place: Waiata-a-ringa (action) This photo is our cousin Greg Smith almost unidentifiable in his costume. The trophies (ornately carved) are now resident at Papawai Marae, so when you visit whanaunga please take note that you belong to a very special whanau indeed.

If you have art work that can be displayed in Timatatanga please send in a photo and we will ensure it is published. Any Kapahaka pics or other arts and cultural related pics would also be appreciated

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Whanau Owned & Operated Business's

KEITHA'S KRAZY KITCHEN

Cuisine for Cruisin' Kiwi's

Cruisin Cousins call in

Main St, Eketahuna

Unfortunately this place is now closed

Calender Events Guess Who

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Did you manage to guess who for our first Guess Who? Answer : donna

Here is this months little cutie The answer in next months panui

No events this edition that is known of but please feel free to let us know of upcoming events and celebrations of any kind and we will gladly publish them. Also send in any favourite recipes. In fact any thing that you would like to share with the whanau just send to either Tina or myself.

TIMATATANGA

The editors would like to thank all those who have contributed to this Panui

of the Edwards whanau and look

forward to ongoing contributions to

make Timatatanga a success

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(c) donna 2006 2 Sept 2006