Bron Fleet hugging former Mamaku Grocery Store owner Rameela Patel (on right) Photo / Supplied
Bron Fleet hugging former Mamaku Grocery Store owner Rameela Patel (on right) Photo / Supplied
"We wanted to show Rameela how much she meant to us all. "
That was the sentiment behind the large gathering of Mamaku residents who wished to farewell a much-loved iconic shop owner who has handed the reins to her niece after 18 years.
Rameela Patel, 57, has owned MamakuGrocery Store since 2002 and worked in the store for 16 years before that when it was owned by her late parents Magan and Vimla Bala.
Her niece Vashti became the new owner last month.
Patel was the third generation in her family to own the store - her father died in 2016 and her mother in June 2020.
Her mother Vimla had worked in the store for 60 years since she was 10, which previously was owned by Vimla's parents.
Patel, born and bred in Mamaku, said she took over the store after her husband Satish died and their two children had worked in the store at various times as well.
It has truly been a family-owned and operated business for more than 60-plus years and could possibly have been in the family for nearly 100 years, she said.
To celebrate the significant end of an era, more than 130 adults and children came together on January 29 for a pot luck community dinner in the Mamaku domain.
More than 130 people attended the Mamaku community pot luck dinner in the domain. Photo / Supplied
Organising committee member Bron Fleet said the idea to hold the community dinner was something she had thought about prior to Christmas.
"I first mooted the idea on the Mamaku Community Noticeboard to see if anyone else was interested and I was just blown away by the response."
Fleet said the pot luck dinner was not only the opportunity for long-term residents and newcomers to the area to connect with each other but to also mark Patel's retirement.
"I was also born and bred in Mamaku and this was a perfect setting to say a massive thank you to Rameela for everything she has done for this community over decades of service.
"We all really love her and she has been such a huge part of our lives. This is truly an end of an era and saying farewell to her was tinged with sadness."
Fleet said Patel was a huge community supporter in countless ways, including supporting the local school and sponsoring lots of local events.
"We've always been able to rely on her to be there for us 100 per cent. Rameela is a really caring, kind, loving person and always asks after our families. She is like one of my family.
"Her customer service was "second to none'. She always opened the store early and closed late and rarely took any time off, even on Christmas Day, and never let us down.
"We wanted to show Rameela how much she meant to us all. "
Another longstanding Mamaku resident Charlene Preston and her sister also organised an adult-only evening function at Mamaku Memorial Hall for Patel the same day.
Preston, 39, who has lived in Mamaku since she was 3, said she and her sister Miranda Te Kani also wanted to ensure Patel's retirement was marked in an appropriate way.
"Rameela has always been willing to help out anyone in the community whenever they needed it and her parents were just same," she said.
"She even attended my wedding two years ago and in September when we lost Miranda's partner gave us food from her store for his wake.
"She was always doing something for someone. Everybody knows her and loves her. She has a heart of gold and we will all miss her very much."
Patel was gifted a trophy inscribed with the words: Mamaku's best shopkeeper.
Patel, whose health was part of the reason behind her decision to "semi-retire", said she felt "very honoured" to be recognised by the community.
"I think it was very gorgeous and special to be recognised in this way ... It has been a privilege to have served the people of Mamaku for so long."
