Farewell 1942 - 2022

Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face.  
This is the proverb or whakatauki that has been used by the New Zealand Police since 1996 to inspire them in their often difficult work.   My brother was a policeman and served from the north to the south of the country.   My nephew opened his tribute with it.  His mother, my older sister had helped him put our brothers life in chronological order and he filled out those details with personal stories.  I like to hear these social history stories.  They show how organisations and society change over time.    Being a visual person I would have liked photos.  My part was to read a poem which I did perfectly in the car on the drive down but there was more emotion in my voice than I expected when I did it in front of people.  That is fine.  My father was also a policeman and at his funeral the police flag and his helmet were on his coffin.  I like those examples of continuity down the generations.  It was neat to see his two grandchildren and three great children there.  The great grand children  were so well behaved.  The last time I saw the grandchildren they were small children running around after my mothers funeral.  In the background of the blip are the senior members of my whanau/family.  The extra are the sister in laws now in their eighties and they have been in each others lives for just over 60 years.    

In My Life  
 
There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all . . .