You rarely get a second chance to make amends for such laxity, but I have been given such an opportunity. On January 12 this year, my mother, Lady Ainsley Russell (the last surviving child of John and Myrtle Coull), my cousin-in-law Barbara Hammond and I were guests of the Department of Conservation on an exhilarating jet boat trip from Pipiriki to the John Coull Hut, which is pretty much the mid-point of the river trip.
John Coull, although born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1884, had lived most of his life in Wanganui. He had run a colourful auction mart from the end of World War I up until his death in 1963, aged 79. He was barrel-chested, avuncular, known for his expansive personality and his down-to-earth sense of humour. Of special interest, he was a man who had a broad vision for his community, a deep commitment to it and long insight into aspects of its future. He played a key role in the establishment of the city's airport, and he was passionate about the Whanganui River. From 1957 until his death, he chaired the Whanganui River Trust Board. In that role he made a major contribution to ensuring the spiritual significance of the river was understood and respected, its environmental qualities were preserved and that it would be increasingly accessible to those seeking to be nourished by the river in all its wild beauty and varying moods.
John Coull had a warm connection with the river iwi, Te Ati Hau.
This was reflected by the fact that a choir from Pipiriki was invited to sing at his funeral.
And so, quite apart from the excitement of the trip, the pride in visiting the hut named for our ancestor and the opportunity (at last) to be surrounded by the cathedral-like beauty of the middle reaches of the river itself, we felt the warmth of the river iwi we encountered on our journey.
The trip had a particular purpose. DoC had found, from among its own archives, the original brass plaque that sat outside John Coull's business premises. It reads: "John Coull Auctioneer and Valuer."
DoC decided to install it in the hut and sought the views of the family, principally his daughter Ainsley, as to its placement. This task was accomplished and the brass plaque will be mounted and displayed in good time.
DoC senior ranger Jim Campbell and his team were gracious hosts. In particular, Leianna Heremaia did a fabulous job of enveloping us in the tangata whenua elements of the day. My mother had, she acknowledged, one of the great days of her life.
Notwithstanding her 84 years, she loved the trip to and from the hut in the expertly driven jet boat. She appreciated the honour done to her father in just having such a strategically located hut named for him. The finest possible tribute had been paid.
She, Barbara and I were also moved by the sight of several canoes, filled almost to overflowing, with younger Te Ati Hau iwi, languorously moving downstream while their elders instructed them on points of interest to their history.
As we passed each other and waved, we seemed to acknowledge we understood each other's pilgrimage.
We all come from somewhere and are linked to our own people, their heritages and the acts they performed to shape the world they would inevitably leave behind. In a blended society, such as New Zealand, mutual respect and understanding is critical to the success of our national vision and purpose.
Our January 12 trip left all of us involved not just with happy memories but a strong sense of our own family having been involved, alongside others, in ensuring the Whanganui River is better preserved, better respected, better enjoyed and ultimately better cherished.
