Most days, Summerset Retirement Village resident Rodney Cuckow walks around nearby Karaka Lakes, feeds the ducks with the seed mix he buys, and remembers his wife Marilyn.
They loved to do it together, but Marilyn passed after a battle with cancer and with Rodney not as young as he once was, he needs a place to have a bit of a rest on his daily adventure.
With only one seat around the walkway, Rodney appealed to Papakura Local Board for another seat, and he and his family were on hand when it was bolted into place recently.
“It doesn’t have a plaque or anything like that,” Rodney says, ”but I know it’s Marilyn’s seat.”
His daughter Amanda Gemmell made the plea to the board on her father’s behalf. “Dad will love being able to sit here and contemplate Mum, to be with her spiritually,” she says.
And both Amanda and her Dad are grateful for the kindness and support shown by council staff. “Mum wasn’t famous, her name wasn’t well-known, but she was very special to us, and everyone we dealt with was incredibly kind and supportive.”
It was a family affair when Rodney became the first person to use the seat, with Amanda on hand with her husband Jamie, and his parents Bill and Lois, and family dog Oreo.
“Mum would have liked that,” Amanda says.
Manurewa-Papakura Councillor Daniel Newman was at the board meeting when Amanda spoke.
“Sometimes we can overlook the little things that make a difference to people like Rodney and his family. I’m delighted the seat has gone in and that all those who walk that path can enjoy a rest thanks to Rodney and Amanda," he said.
With the advent of Summerset, the tracks and walkways around Karaka Harbourside and Karaka Lakes are increasingly popular with older residents.
More seating is planned, with Papakura Lions launching a project to add to the amenities in the lakes area, using a board grant originally intended as a contribution to a memorial marking 100 years since the end of World War One, but which did not go ahead.
