Evey | Todd Valley, Nelson

“I’ve lived in quite a few places. Not all of them have felt like home, I have to say. I certainly feel at home here, and I think home is about a sense of belonging, more than the physical structure of it.

It’s a feeling that I’ve arrived home. You know, feeling really comfortable and at peace. I think I’m so lucky to have that in my life. I could hate to think of people having no home, or having no place where they just feel totally themselves and totally accepted for who they are.

So, I grew up in Dublin. I’m the youngest of six children. It wasn’t always a happy home and I think that certainly has shaped my life. There were wonderful aspects, but there were also very dark aspects, and I think that’s what brought me to the furthest corner of the world. I grew up in the Catholic faith, and I call myself an occasional Catholic. If there’s a good occasion, I’ll be there, but I think it instilled me a great sense of justice. So I’ve always worked in the area of rehabilitation. I trained as an Occupational Therapist. I’m retired now. My last paid work was as a coordinator for the multicultural councils, helping migrants and former refugees to settle in Aotearoa, so I really enjoy my volunteer work now with the Red Cross, making a difference for people who have fled oppression, and who have come here with so little, but have so much to offer our community.”