Tom | Waiheke Island
“Life choices make you ponder what happened – what went wrong, I don’t know about too many I regret doing. I suppose getting into crime and stuff like that doesn’t help.
Yeah, I suppose I could have made different choices in my life. Things might have turned out a whole lot different, but it is what it is, try not to live in regret, but unfortunately, we do, and it’s just something we’ve got to live with.
Tell your kids to stay out of trouble. Peer pressure, just make correct choices in life, and you’ll live to be able to live with yourself better, I suppose. Tell people you love them while they’re here, because tomorrow’s not granted, especially family. Spend time with family and grandparents. They may not tell you they love you, but it’ll shine through everything they do for you.
I was born in Auckland, but I’m third generation Waihekian. There was a very strong community feeling 20, 30, 40 years ago. Now, everybody doesn’t know each other. It can be quite daunting on newcomers trying to fit in. Waihekians are quite set in their ways, and Aucklanders bring their think big ideas here, and we like to live life on island time. It’s a paradise within a city where there are all walks of life. A lot more millionaires now, so they kind of dictate what happens, but people and numbers – majority rules, hopefully.
Presently today I’m at Artworks in Oneroa, Waiheke Island, about to start a computer course at an adult learning course, just trying to upskill myself and change of employment. I’m hoping to take away a bit, and hopefully, I can contribute to the class. It’s important to learn something new every day, otherwise, you’re just going to fall behind the times. What you do know, if you don’t use it, you might lose it. So, yeah my advice is to just keep on trying. Don’t let things get you down. Stay motivated, and strive to lead a better life.”
