Piri and Loughlin | Papakura
“My son is five years old, and we live in Hunua. So, my happy memory for today was picking up Loughlin after him being away for a week with his mother. So I get the next week to spend with him and do fun things, and we’re off to Butterfly Creek and Miranda Hot Pools, but he doesn’t know about that. That’s meant to be a surprise, but now he does.
He’s definitively made me a way better person. Life’s just so much better and enjoyable, and he definitely brings out the best – well kids in general do. I grew up just down the road from here in Manukau with quite a big family and a solo mother. I’ve got three older brothers, two younger sisters and one younger brother, and I’m the middle child so I’m probably the one who rebelled the most. We grew up in Manukau and I went to Papakura High just around the corner here, which was brilliant, and a great school. There’s a great community around here and I was fortunate enough to meet Loughlin mother at Papakura High, and this little one came out of it.
So it’s definitely the best thing to have happened to me going to school around here. Right now I work as an account manager for Southern Hospitality and it’s good fun, exciting, keeps me busy, and keeps me on my toes.
I did read an article a couple of weeks ago about a school just up the road from here and I mean they do a lot of great things with the kids, to the point where they take them out into the harbour and they go flounder fishing. Then, they take that flounder back to the school, and they do a lot of different learning. I think it’s good for the kids to learn that sort of stuff, and I would have loved to have learned that sort of stuff when I was growing up, but I’m glad they’ve brought it into schools now. Like for Loughlin, he loves his farming, and his granddad and his mother’s side are a huge farming family, and I mean you ask him anything about cows and he’ll be able to tell you just like that, which is a good thing. He’s probably more knowledgable than I am.
What colour are the cows?
Black, brown and white.
And what colour’s your calf that you got from calf club?
Brown and white.
And what’s her name?
Strawberry.
No, it’s Katyberry.
No, Strawberry.
It’s Strawberry.
And Lachy, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Ah, policeman.
Why do you want to be that?
Because my uncle’s a policeman.
Yeah, your uncle’s a policeman. Who else is a policeman?
And my grandpa is a policeman.
Your grandfather. What’s your grandfather’s name?
John. I mean Jonathon.
We’re quite open with that [mum and dad being separated]. He is quite intelligent. Like he’s a lot smarter than he should be, so he deserves to know as well. I mean we live in two separate houses, so he’s got a certain understanding. I think what’s worked for us, we’ve just been honest all the time with him, and yeah I think that’s the way to go. There’s no point hiding it, for starters, because it’s obvious. Yeah, so like we’ve got a good relationship. Well, I like to think we’ve got a good relationship. I’m pretty sure she’ll tell you the same thing.”
