Obituary: Ivan Anthony Pervan

"Be happy in your family," Ivan Pervan would remind his nieces and nephews, who looked on him as a surrogate grandfather.
Mr Pervan died suddenly in Wanganui on December 9, aged 65. Family was all-important to this bachelor who lived with his parents.
When his father died, Mr Pervan took care of his mother until she died two and a-half years ago. He then moved into his own flat until his death.
Ivan Pevan lived life to the full and was loved by all his family.
"He was a generous older brother and a great listener," John Pervan said.
Born in Wanganui, Mr Pervan was the eldest of nine in the family of Dalmatian couple Perina and Wally Pervan and a nephew to chiropractor the late Steven Nolan.
This gentle, uncomplicated man who had an acute ability to help people, was born with half-hearing in one ear and was aged three before his disability was discovered ? the young Ivan had learned to lip-read so well his deafness was not detected.
When he was aged five he would go to a hard-of-hearing tutor above McGruers ? where the Slippery Saddle is now ? and he was at secondary school before he was fitted with a hearing aid that had a box attached to it, unlike the inconspicuous aid he wore many years later.
His brother, John Pervan, and sister, Mariea Schimanski, spoke of the times he sat on a cushion on the arm of a chair with an ear to the valve radio, in the family home at 66 Dublin St, now the CES rooms.
Young Ivan started his schooling at Catholic schools that have all been demolished in the changing scape of Wanganui ? St Monica's in Guyton St, St Mary's in Hurworth St on the Collegiate estate, and Marist Brothers on the site where the Ucol flats are now.
An avid reader of sporting books, cricket, rugby and athletics ? his tastes reflected his sporting activities. As a young man he helped the Tech Old Boys play against Naenae in a Bone match, and 18 years later he was still playing for the team.
Mr Pervan was renowned for calling at the after-match housie and the length of time it took.
"Sixty-six, that's my old address, eight the corporal, half-way 50 and number six... oh, no ? it might be nine."
He will always be remembered for his 15 years membership with the Aramoho Bowling Club as "Coach" ? always on hand to offer tips for play. Peter Belliss' winning form was all the better for tips from Coach.
He played cricket for Marist, and team-mate Jack Walsh recalled the game when Ivan caught the ball but did not hear the umpire call "no ball".
"Ivan threw the ball into the air with glee and did not hear us screaming to throw the ball ? meantime, the other team scored five runs."
After his stroke, he would go out shopping for his mother every day, wearing his hat and walking cane, and the only clue to where he might have gone was when he returned with a different supermarket bag.
These daily trips for milk and bread became his social outings and the shopping trip took on a new dimension. Many friends and acquaintances who knew the popular postie stopped for a chat.
He was a Wanganui postie for 33 years from the days when they blew their whistles to tell you the mail had arrived.
He saw the changing face of Wanganui over the years and knew where everyone lived ? he had a memory for names from his many years as a postie.
In 1997, Mr Pervan suffered a stroke. At the time of his retirement from the postal service in 1998, he felt well-capable of lasting the distance to 40 years' service, he said.
During his retirement he played bowls, watched cricket, read and had a small flutter on the horses down at his local, the St Johns Club.
There is a huge gap once filled by this caring, friendly and trusting man ? a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, brother-in-law and friend. ? MERANIA KARAURIA