Ch.7 - Pani (b.1906)

The Leach family moved to Rotorua in 1949 where Pani taught first at Rotorua Primary School, then at the Rotorua Hospital. At one time Pani's moko Albert came to live with his Nan and Koro at 11 Lytton Street, Rotorua where he started school before returning to his Parents in Okama.Pani was a well-respected teacher and believed in having respect for her students. During her first week teaching at Ratana School in Whanganui Pani knocked heads with the Headmaster. He had asked her to supervise the senior girls as they emptied the cans from the toilet block. Pani refused and would not permit her students to do a task that demeaned them in this way. She spoke with a kaumatua at the nearby Ratana Pa and he agreed this was not a job for the young girls to do. He arranged for some men from the Pa to empty the cans and they did it from that point on.Pani could also see potential in many of her students when other teachers couldn't. An example of this is a young standard one boy she taught. At the start of his year, this boy had a terrible stammer. He could barely read and had some behavioral problems. Pani soon realised that her young student was left handed. She encouraged him to use his left hand; a practice that was frowned upon at the time. Pani was only interested in the progress of her student so she stuck to her guns and continued to encourage him. He ended out his year with Pani having no stammer at all and his behavior as well as his academic and sporting capabilities had improved dramatically. He rounded out his school days as the dux of his High School.Her last teaching position was in 1961 at Glenholme Primary School at the age of 55. the principal at Glenholme insisted it was time for her to retire from teaching. It was with great reluctance that she did retire.

Pani loved teaching and even after she retired from the teaching profession, she still played a part in nurturing many young minds.

Home crafts and Pastimes

During their 33 year marriage, Pani and George indulged in a wide variety of activities.

They had a shared passion for gardening and lovingly nurtured all the gardens in every house they lived in. Quite often these gardens started from nothing to become vibrant in colour and rich in the scents of all their favorite flowers; violets, roses, gerberas, gladioli, irises, poinsettias, dahlias, daffodils, hyacinths and hibiscus. The Leaches also dedicated their gardening skills to growing fruit and vegetables which not only made it to their dinner tables but also the dinner tables of their extended family, their friends and also their neighbours. The fruit would make excellent preserves, jams and fruit pies.

She became a bit of a gun at preserving fruit such as plums, peaches, golden queen, nectarines and apricots. She used to win prizes for her jams; plum, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry and pine melon jam especially. She would bake delicious scones, pikelets, sponges and small cakes. She also used to produce luscious fruit pies, especially blackberry and raspberry. Many of these used to be included in their picnic fare. The family were certainly amazed and very proud of their mother's cooking skills especially when other mothers would ask for her recipes.

The family used to have many summer picnic days together on the Whanganui River, Raorikia, Hipango Park and Castlecliff Bach. Pani, with help from her children, would load their picnic baskets to the brim with her homemade baking, sandwiches, homegrown fruit, cordials and thermoses of cocoa. These were some of their most enjoyable and memorable family days together.

Pani was also an excellent dressmaker. She made all her own clothes as well as the clothes of all her children and husband. Her dressmaking, crocheting and knitting skills were appreciated not only by her family but also the people of Putiki. She sewed the wedding and Bridesmaids dresses for several Putiki weddings. For a time during World War Two, it was almost impossible to find professionally made suits and shirts so Pani tried her hand at making these for George. It was fair to say he was probably better turned out than anybody else at the Land Court Office.

To indulge her love of the arts, Pani attended pottery classes at Auckland University during the summer holidays of the 1950's where she became good friends with up and coming young potters and artists such as Len Castle, Helen Mason, Colin McCahon, and Barry Brickell.

During one of these visits, Pani took daughters Hariata and Kitty while she attended her classes. The girls did an adult embroidery class with their Mum. Hariata made a sampler during this class and Kitty made a little handkerchief sachet. Pani also arranged educational activities for her daughters during their time in Auckland. There were trips to the Wintergarden, live musicals, museums and art galleries. There is a sense of wonder at how Pani managed to cram so much into this time with her daughters and made it so enjoyable for them.

Pani had a pottery wheel and kiln had at 11 Lytton Street Rotorua. She would collect her clay from Pukeroa Hill with the help of her tamariki and mokopuna. It is needless to say that she was to become quite accomplished potter during this time as many of her family still having, at least, one of her jugs or vases or bowls, would testify.

Photography was another interest of Pani's. She gifted her mokopuna Albert, a Box Brownie camera when he started boarding school in 1968. The fact he still has this camera along with some of his Nana's pottery pieces and her binoculars is a testimony to how relevant she still is to him and no doubt all her family.

Sport also played an integral part of Pani's life. She would become a bit of a useful hockey player for Wellington University. Her husband George participated in rugby and running. Together they enjoyed playing tennis and golf together.

They used to involve their children and mokopuna in many of their sporting pursuits. The oldest four Leach children followed their parents around Fordell Links in Durie Hill golf courses in Whanganui acting as their caddies and had a great time doing so. Pani's moko Albert Stevens (son of Pani) also went with his Nan when she played at Arikikapakapa Golf Course in Rotorua which not only had the normal sand traps and bunkers golfers but also mud pools and geysers. There can't be many golf courses around with those extra hazards.

A famous family golf story tells of a time when George and two of his mates arrived back at the Fordell Clubrooms and one of his mates announced that George had scored a magpie, to which the other members all said "there's no such score." George then brought out what he was carrying behind his back and got a huge laugh when he displayed his dead magpie which he had hit on the second to last or the last hole. He was not allowed to forget that for a few years.

George and Pani were both staunch Anglicans and in 1959 she joined the St Faiths Choir. Under the direction of Nick Carter the Choir performed Stainer’s “The Crucifixion” in 1960.

Retirement

In 1961, the same year Pani retired from teaching, George died. It was a huge blow to Pani but she continued on being a supportive Mum and Nan to her family.

As a pakeke with the St Faith’s Youth Club she performed with the Club on a 3 week cultural tour of NSW and Victoria, Australia in 1962 under the direction of Rev Manu Bennett.

She worked for a couple of years as a proofreader for the local newspaper then in 1963, moved to Auckland to be Matron at Pentland Hostel, Mt Eden. This hostel owned by the Presbyterian Maori Mission provided accommodation for Maori girls from rural areas attending Auckland Girls Grammar School. Aunty Dine and Uncle Hugh stayed at the hostel for a while too.

In 1968, she retired fully from paid employment.

By this time she had developed a love for the West Coast of the South Island. She liked its grandeur and slower pace of life. She decided to move in with her son Paki Kaiwhiri and his family who lived in Moana just outside Greymouth, but later bought her own cottage in Moana overlooking the beautiful Lake Brunner. She was well respected within this community and not quite being able to give up the teaching that she loved, she continued to help the young children at the local school with their reading and arithmetic. She also traveled the district with the District Nurse to teach young mothers her own homemaking skills.

Many of Pani's siblings incuding; Kitty and Ray Dorn, Marie and Ted Ward and Bill and Margaret Priestley all stayed with her at Lake Brunner and whenever she traveled North she would visit and stay with them also. These years were very enjoyable ones for Pani.