Farewell to Ribbonwood

An excellent few days at Ribbonwood. Here are hosts Gary and Robert. A temporary farewell too to #3 daughter Debbie and son-in-law Kevin. We’ll see them on Wednesday.

WHY NEW ZEALAND?

On 27 January 2005, 14 years ago today, we arrived at my sister-in-law’s bedside having flown around the world, and arrived with three hours to spend with her before she died.

Sheila, who was a theatre sister in Invercargill, had married Brin, a Kiwi, 14 years before that. She died at 56 from a rare and untreatable cancer.

NZ had many connections with us then. Brin and his siblings -his parents, both gone now, and his cousins.... All three of our own daughters worked in NZ. the current one is Debbie, living in Christchurch and working with potential earthquakes. Kevin is a Civil Engineer....with a city to rebuild.

So that’s why NZ.