Papa Charles' Unveiling 2016

Papa Charles' Unveiling - Auckland 2016

Hui Review by Rachael Stowers and Merv Priestley

At first it seemed like a big ask to get this hui off the ground but despite this apprehension there was also a quiet confidence that whanau could pull it off. Knowing what we already knew about the Priestley whanau we should not have been surprised by how quickly such a diverse and geographically spread whanau could align their thoughts and priorities and move as one towards a common goal. But the power of our whanau quickly made itself known to all of us and guided by our tipuna and each other we quickly organised ourselves and got the mahi done. We all temporarily broke away from our individual lives and answered the call of whanau. Much thought was given to the wording on the stone, the logistics of making it happen and what funds were required.

The Hui

By August 2016 our fundraising, which had only been going for a few months had already exceeded our financial goal and by Father’s Day weekend 2016 we were all in Auckland to be with Papa Charles. Those who helped but could not attend were still there. The whanau who were there made sure of that. We felt their presence and the presence of all our tipuna.

The day of Papa’s unveiling; September 3 2016 dawned warm and bright in Auckland as we all gathered at The Airport Holiday Inn for breakfast. Those who had managed to get there the previous night had already taken the chance to catch up and chin wag with long unseen whanau as well as newly met whanau. Others like Rachael and her partner Ian "Mr. Winks", could not get there before that morning so they had their own much needed catch up with the whanau. The morning was filled with lots of smiles and kisses and cuddles and warm words. It could only ever be the best day for our whanau.

During that morning we also met, for the first time Juanita Herbert (descendant of Amelia Robinson nee Priestley - Dine 1898-1986) and her husband Sam and daughters Alyssa and Leah who had travelled all the way from Gisborne. A couple of days before the unveiling Gisborne was hit by a fairly substantial earthquake. Luckily Juanita and her family were not hurt and there was only minor damage to their house and property. What I loved about Juanita though is that she and her family still got to Auckland to be with Papa and the whanau. Another whanaunga to answer the call was Lou Stowers who travelled at short notice from Perth, Australia. This just shows the calibre of our whanau and the lengths we all went through to ensure we were together that day upholding our whanau links and strengthening the bonds that we already shared. I thought a lot about the whanau who could not be there and despite their absence I felt their presence very strongly that whole weekend.

By about 9.30am that morning we all piled into a couple of hired vans as well as a ragtag fleet of additional vehicles and started one of Cuz Merv’s meticulously planned tiki tours which as always, were still flexible enough to allow for unscheduled pit stops through the Auckland landmarks that feature strongly in our whanau history.

In the first van Mr. Winks and Rachael had the good fortune of sharing company with Auntys Hariata and Kitty and Aunty Kitty‘s daughter Kirsty (descendants of Pani Leach nee Priestley - 1906-1980), Cousins Heather and Carol (descendants of Wi Kepa Priestley 1896-1969) Robin Edwards and her moko Kellie (descendants of Amelia Robinson nee Priestley 1898-1986). They were driven with great skill and patience through the confusing maze of roads that is Auckland by Robin’s husband Alan. Their van was filled with loud laughter and chatter and warm exchanges throughout the entire tiki tour.

The other van included the Herbert whanau, Richard Nelson (descendant of Karaitiana Carrington - Chris 1892-1959), Lou Stowers and the Priestley brothers Rob and Merv, who also enjoyed their time together, making new and reviving old acquaintances, absorbing our family history, and negotiating the maze of suburbs and the famous chaotic traffic that is Auckland.

Our tour took us through several historical places that day, right across Auckland. It included a visit to Waikaraka Cemetery where Great Uncle George Patterson Priestley is buried, a look at Auckland from the top of One Tree Hill, and a munch at Bastion Point. The highlight for some was the drive through Paratai Drive and the homes of the reality show "Real Housewives". There, the drivers were instructed to "slow right down" so that the passengers could take pictures of our drive past their multi-million dollar mansions. We then headed to the CBD where we drove past the famous old haunt of cousins Albie and Paul... The Pink Pussycat which happens to be next to Aunty Dine's old cafe shop, and then past the property where Papa Charles' Hotel was in Avondale.

Rachael Stowers remembers: Eventually we ended up in West Auckland where I found myself standing in front of what used to be the Avondale Lunatic Asylum where Papa Charles saw his last days. The weather had turned by this point and what had started out as a warm bright day had now clouded over and rain was looming over the horizon. The external structure of this building looked to be relatively unchanged from how it had appeared to Papa when he first arrived there from Gisborne. When I stood looking at it I found myself returning to the same thought that occurred to me when I first read Papa’s Coroner’s Report. “I hope you were already lost to this world before you came to this place Papa Charles.”

The Asylum is still in use today by students of the AUT campus. As we were standing in the carpark looking around and talking amongst ourselves Mr. Winks looked up at a window on one of the upper storeys. It appeared a painter with a macabre sense of humour was at play at some point. The window had two “bloody” hand prints sliding down it. As sombre as the occasion was I could not fail to see the humour of it and like most of us had a small laugh about it. It lifted the mood slightly for me but only for a short time. When we got to the front door we saw that it was open. And like any other self-respecting Priestley we all walked in. Nobody stopped us so we made sure we had a really good look around. I was both glad and disturbed that we got this opportunity. I had the company of my whanau while I walked through these awful rooms but it was still so easy to slip back in time to how it could have been for Papa.

Shortly after our Asylum visit we arrived at Waikumete Cemetery. Michael and Pat Stowers had already gone ahead of all of us and covered Papa’s stone and laid out flowers for him. It also has to be mentioned that Michael in particular put in a lot of work for the memorial with getting it manufactured and permits and permission to get it installed from the various authorities... no easy task. All his hard work paid off because on the day, they had Papa looking so good!

Unfortunately at this time the heavens finally opened with the rain it had been threatening us with for the previous couple of hours and we were all forced to don raincoats and shelter under umbrellas. The service celebrant was Kitty Bennett and the service was opened by a greeting by Bernie Priestley. The headstone itself was unveiled by the (Merv) Priestley, (Robin) Hodkinson and Herbert mokopuna. The veils were a family korowai , a New Zealand flag and the Priestley Coat of Arms flag. The inscription was read by Graham Hodkinson (descendant of Amelia Robinson nee Priestley - Dine 1898-1986) who was another who had flown over from Australia with his wife Brittney to support the hui. The rest of us tried our best to support the service by the singing of the designated whanau himine and waiata.

A passage from Papa Charles' bible was read by Rachael Stowers who was nervous and worried that she would drop the bible, so held it tightly with white knuckles protecting it from the lightly falling rain. Albie Stevens (descendant of Pani Leach nee Priestley 1906-1980) brought a smile to many faces when he temporarily interrupted proceedings to place a framed photo of his Nan Pani on Papa’s stone, so she would not miss out. Maurice Priestley (descendant of Uncle Charles Priestley 1918-1987) sung a beautiful song of his own creation that brought a tear to many an eye while the rain continued to fall. Then, shortly after the formal part of Papa’s unveiling was completed the rain stopped and for a moment a beam of sunshine descended from the heavens and shone directly on Papa’s stone. Fortunately cousin Wendy (who descends from Great Aunty Dine) and her husband Doug Gerry managed to catch this image which floored all of us.

After the unveiling service, we made our way to the Onehunga RSA where we partook in some informal whanaungatanga. It was great to see how everyone were able to converse on a personal level even though many of us only knew each other through online conversation and had just met in person for the first time, it was like we had known each other all our lives. We talked fondly of our parents, grandparents and Papa Charles himself and how they had influenced our lives and the upbringing of our own families. The over-riding feeling was how wonderful it was to be part of such a close-knit whanau once again. The atmosphere was one of pure joy and totally rewarding beyond anyone's expectation.

At one point, some of the whanau led by the Herbert girls Alyssa and Leah, treated us to a stirring rendition of Paikea. It was a wonderful gesture to cap off such a wonderful day, albiet a rather long and tiring one.

In Review

Looking back to this day it cannot be over stated just how much wairua of our tipuna lives on in all of us. It is a wairua that brings with it honour and loyalty and integrity. We are a whanau who loves and respects each other as well as all those who came before us. At times we can be stubborn and perhaps we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture because of this trait but we are never afraid of hard work and we will always answer the call of whanau. Our unveiling for our Papa Charles also revealed another very wonderful character trait of us Priestley's. None of us are alone. When one amongst our number is missing, we will not rest until they are back within the loving embrace of whanau. Papa Charles was lost to us for the longest time but we found him and he is at rest now, safe within our embrace.

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