From Carole Brookfield (nee Carter) on the occasion of Windsor Lodge's Jubilee 28 August 2008....
On behalf of my sister and other members of my family, I want to thank Rich and Sandy for taking the time to honour what my parents started almost 50 years ago and for allowing us to be part of it. The last couple of weeks since I learnt of this event, have been something of an emotional roller-coaster for me. There have been some lengthy phone calls to New Zealand sharing memories with my sister June and Yvonne Carrick, my very good friend from the Waitahanui days when we were just kids together! I just wish I could have been there in person to share it all with you. Would you believe that I am actually starting a 2 week vacation here in Canada today?
For me, Windsor Lodge is my childhood. I was 11 when we moved to Waitahanui so I grew up here and it is an important part of the fabric of my life. It is the place to which I ALWAYS return whenever I am in New Zealand and where I try to spend some real quality time. My last visit in 2001 left me truly gratified that Waitahanui had changed so little. It is human nature to want things that we remember with such fondness to stay the same! Last time I was back, I stayed in Acacia Bay with Yvonne and Graham (who are with you tonight) and, of course, I did some fishing. I even caught a couple of fish, one under the Waitahanui Bridge, in the truest fashion with a young fellow up on the Bridge telling me where to place my fly! He was as excited as I was when the fish took it. The second fish I caught at The Point in Taupo- somewhere I had never fished before but I got lucky. Graeme fishes there regularly and told me I should give it a shot. Thanks Graeme!
Wandering the paths along the River on my return revived many happy memories of my childhood. I had no local playmates and was something of a loner- but happily so. Mum and Dad had no worries about me spending hours down the River. Sometimes I went fishing down there and would come home with a fish on the end of the line because I could not take the fly out of its mouth myself. I am so over that today! I can even gut one myself, something I would never have done then!
I was always a river fisherman. Dad arranged casting lessons for me on the front lawn of the motel with a Hungarian who had written a book on trout fishing. He taught me the proper way to cast before I had time to develop bad habits. There have been many times over the years when I have had comments on my technique! Learning how to do something properly at such a young age taught me more than just how to fish. I also came to love it so much that taking a fish was just a small part of the experience. Fishing is the one thing that will pull me voluntarily from my bed on a cold winter morning at 5am. Standing in the river and seeing the sun rise and watching nature wake up is as rewarding as hooking a fish. I remember being in Waitahanui in 1988 with my parents and my son David, and getting up every morning at 5am to go fishing. At 10-11am, Mum would walk the river paths looking for me to come home for breakfast. I would have stiff and cold hands but there was nothing to compare with the experience. And then there was the day I was using Dad's Hardy rod and a large fish managed to snap the end of the rod. Ouch!! Cost him a fortune to get it fixed! I still have that rod and Graeme has forbidden me to use it! It's now a Trophy Rod-a real treasure to me.
Windsor Lodge was the first motel in New Zealand. No-one would predict whether it would succeed or fail but Dad was a dreamer and had the drive to make his dreams come true. But it took courage to do what he did there. In time it became much more than a collection of buildings on the side of the Wellington-Auckland highway. It became somewhere that families gravitated towards at certain times of the year, assured of warm hospitality, great company and a comfortable place to stay. The same people returned year after year and we came together for parties, outings and adventures. The Feils and their 3 daughters became fast friends and that is evidenced by the presence of Yvonne Feil Carrick and her husband Graeme who moved smoothly into the fold in later years though it had by then shifted to a new venue. I think when we all met Graeme, my parents were on to their next establishment, the Chalet Chevron in Parnell, Auckland, which also endures! We shared so many happy summers together at Waitahanui, water skiing, fishing and even collecting Scots Guards. Maybe Von will tell you that story! We attended one another's weddings and shared the grief when tragedy struck and we lost Yvonne's elder sister Liz in a car accident. Liz is such a part of those summers and Windsor Lodge that we cannot fail to mention her and honour her memory here tonight. Younger sister Chris I am sure would be there too if she had not just left on vacation in the States. Their father, Ru Feil, was a devoted fisherman but my sister will remember him mostly for the Sunday morning rides into Taupo to attend Church and poor June would get car sick. I think it was those rides that resulted in her learning to drive because I recall everyone said it would cure the car sickness. As far as I know it worked but she remarked last week that it was real trial learning with 3 small children in the car. Can you imagine? How times have changed! It is funny that 2 of her children who are with her here tonight- Linda and Susan-are the ones that came along after Windsor Lodge.
Even the local and Part-time residents of Waitahanui became part of the Windsor Lodge Community and participated in the parties and jocularity that ensued. And there was no shortage of that, let me tell you. You only have to look at photos of the parties and the enduring impression is one of a group of people having a jolly good time. My mother's supper spreads were legendary and there was no shortage of fortifying beverages to liven things up. Some of the names I remember were Hector Fisher, and the Holts from Napier, both of whom owned lakefront properties; Ernie and Mrs Walsh who lived across the road on the property adjacent to the cemetery; the Camerons who lived on the Taupo side of the cemetery where there is now a motel; then from further afield, the Busbridges, the Hendersons, our good friends the Clarks (who later died at Mt Erebus) and from Taupo, Harry and Lily Cox. An outspoken Londoner, Harry ran the AC Baths for years and was a well-known character in Town. I visited him in 2001 and his learned that he died in the last year. His lovely Parisian wife, Lily must really miss him.
My parents would be quite overcome that this gathering happening. They worked so hard to build something special here and as a family we are excited that the present owners have formed a connection for Windsor Lodge and Waitahanui that we have held in our hearts for so many years. We are excited that the competition for the Cup is as fierce as ever and I look forward to one day returning and checking it our for myself. For four years I attended Baradene College in Auckland and next year is the College's centenary. I hope to return to NZ for that event and a visit to Waitahanui will be high on the list of priorities so that I can dip a rod at least once or twice. Unfortunately it will be September so a swim in the Lake will be out of the question. However I hope at that time to have a chance to renew my acquaintance with Windsor Lodge and meet the new keepers of the Traditions! Thanks Rich and Sandy-you will never know what this means to us!
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