Peter | Point Chevalier
“My wife died last October. So, that was pretty stressful.
I really don’t, I don’t know. I’ve got nothing, nothing more to add. It was stressful.
I took a long holiday out of the country, and I think that did me good.
I came over on holiday, and met someone, and came back for good, now she’s died, and I’m living at a (retirement). She was a girl from, they call it the Rimus, she was from Ararimu, she was born in Ararimu. That’s where the people came over from Ireland in the, the 1800s I think. She was one of the late arrivals, or I should say, she was born here.
She was a lovely woman, and I miss her.
I suppose the day we met, she came to visit my sister who lived right by her. She came in with the eldest daughter, and they were introducing me, and the daughter said, he’s a bit of a hunk, Mum. And ah that’s where it all started. I met her actually coming over to see my sister, and after I met her, I kept on coming back, until in the end I stayed, and married, and it’s been pretty good till now.
I suppose I grew up on Merseyside. I lived through the Blitz, in and out of air raid shelters every night. It was, that was stressful, I suppose, but as a kid it wasn’t really. We loved it.
I served my time on Merseyside. I worked for Unilever, did 50 years, and then retired early, and came to live in New Zealand.
I live in a village. I call it the orphanage, but it’s actually Selwyn Village, and got a lot of mates in there now. I’ve been there five years. So, I’m 81, coming up 82, and I’m still okay, so pretty good.”
**FEELING STRESSED?**
Check out these resources from the Mental Health Foundation: Stress and how to Handle it and the Five ways to Wellbeing. Need to talk to someone? Free text or call 1737 anytime.
