18 minute read
29 Creating a garden paradise from the ashes
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John and Diane's travels have taken them around the world.
Creating a garden paradise from the ashes
The McKinnons have a special connection with Nepal. From climbing its mountains with Sir Ed to working in a Nepalese hospital and now creating their own slice of Nepal in their Nelson garden. Frank Nelson speaks to the McKinnons about their incredible life.
Almost three years after a raging wildfire left their Nelson property a blackened, barren moonscape, John and Diane McKinnon have created a new garden that promises to be even more beautiful than the original.
Though it’s still early days for some of the flowers, shrubs, bushes and edibles, there are signs that this prominent Iwa Road site, with its sweeping views over the city and sea, is being transformed into something special. The flames of February 2019 took out about 70 percent of the established Douglas firs planted by the McKinnons to suppress gorse and broom on the upper reaches of their roughly four-hectare block. From there the fire, which authorities believe was deliberately lit, raced down through about an acre of garden and was threatening the house before aerial fire-fighters saved the day. John, undaunted by the steep terrain and an 84th birthday later this year, still does much of the gardening, however, when it came to starting again almost from scratch, he and Diane turned to Nelsonbased professional garden designer James Wheatley. Together they have created a network of grassy pathways meandering between rhododendrons and daphnes, canna lilies, radermachera, agaves, bird of paradise, pieris, mahonia, azaleas, osmanthus, orangeberry and juniper.
Further up the hillside is a significant stand of white Himalayan birch and nearby some olive trees that somehow survived the fire. And higher still, above the garden, the remaining Douglas fir trees have been under-planted with manuka. The McKinnons are looking forward to enjoying the fruits of their labour including citrus, quince, plums, blueberries, red currants, figs, grapes, tamarillos, guava and New Zealand cranberries. The garden includes an elevated sitting space created inside four carved stone pillars shipped from India; climbing up the structure are table grapes and the native flowering vine, tecomanthe. This area, along with a few other intriguing features and the many plants originating in China or the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal, lend this garden a distinctly Asian feel. Which is no accident… John and Diane have deep connections in that part of the world where they lived for two and a half years, have visited many times and plan to return to again next year. John was born in Dunedin and grew up on dairy farms there and in South Canterbury. He went to St. Kevin’s College, Oamaru, but left at 16 not knowing what he wanted to do in life.
He worked on the family farm for a few years then as a labourer on the wharf and at a freezing works before, at age 21, going off to medical school and becoming a doctor. For some time he’d been an enthusiastic and adventurous mountaineer, and in 1962, while at Otago University, he joined several climbs in the Mount Cook area which caught the attention of the late Sir Edmund Hillary. Just nine years earlier, Hillary and Nepalese climber Tenzing Norgay became the first to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Now he invited John and one of his climbing colleagues to join an expedition to Nepal.
FRANK NELSON
Diane and John McKinnon in their garden overlooking Nelson.
There John was in a group of four that made the first ascent of Mount Thamserku, a 6608 metre peak described as being extremely difficult and technically challenging. Indeed, according to Wikipedia, the route they took has not been completed by anyone else since. John’s twin passions for medicine and mountains fired his fierce affection for the Himalayan people and meant he shared Hillary’s ongoing commitment to improving their often meagre and impoverished lives. “I experienced Sherpa life and enjoyed the Sherpas immensely,” John said. “So when Ed started planning a hospital in that same area and asked if Diane and I would like to be the first couple at the hospital, it was an instantaneous ‘yes’.”
AIMEE JULES
John and Diane were married in 1965 and the following year became the first volunteer staff at the new Khunde Hospital. “It was like stepping back into a medieval medical environment,” said John. “There was a lot of serious disease, like tuberculosis, and infection from things like fractures and burns.”
“A lot of it was extraordinarily simple stuff really but there was no tradition of adequate medical care.” For example, he said people who had been suffering with severe toothache, perhaps for years, were extremely grateful to have anaesthetic injections and teeth removed.
Tuberculosis was extremely prevalent in Nepal. Treatment was a long-term course of injections and pills, and John said people were very compliant because they quickly saw the startling recovery rates. Another common problem was goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland which can produce grotesque swelling of the neck. In pregnant women the condition, caused by a lack of iodine, can also cause mental deficiencies in babies.
However, a single injection of iodised oil was enough to protect unborn babies while “more amazingly… the very big goiters, some the size of a football, gradually over a few months shrank away. That was magic.” John’s experience in Nepal also led him to complete his training in ophthalmology. “When I worked at Khunde it was very obvious there were a lot of eye problems, particularly cataracts. People were blind, being led around by the hand by their grandchildren.” Once fully qualified, John returned to Nepal every few years throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s to carry out cataract surgery in remote hill villages, helping people he described as “stuck with their blindness by geography”. John and Diane have long been involved with the Himalayan Trust, Diane is a trust board member, which Hillary and his wife Louise started in the 1960s to administer schools and other aid work.
Diane was born in Nelson but grew up in Hokitika. She trained as a teacher in Christchurch, taught in Greymouth, Hokitika and Mosgiel, and also spent about a year as a professional actor. She was first invited to lead a tour to Nepal in the late ‘70s, a role that morphed into the couple establishing their own trekking company, Footprints Tours. Diane has been primarily running the business for about 40 years with the latest planned trip scuttled by Covid two years ago. Over time the company moved into more specialised tours focussing on subjects like textiles (Diane’s specialty), botanicals… and Buddha. John, a practising Zen Buddhist for about 30 years, is the author of "Homeland of the Buddha: A guide to the Buddhist holy places of India and Nepal", which explains the historical significance of the locations where Buddha lived and taught. The couple have two children and three grandchildren. Their son Dorje (a Tibetan name) was born in Katmandu, “the first Kiwi born in Nepal,” said John, and now lives in Lyttelton. Daughter Rebecca lives in Auckland.
The last time John and Diane went to Nepal was in 2019 when they escorted (former New Zealand Prime Minister) Helen Clark shortly after she became the trust’s inaugural patron. However, they are planning to return again next year for a very special occasion. The original aluminium school building built for the Sherpa community is being converted into a visitor centre and museum, and is due to open in May 2023… exactly 70 years after Hillary conquered Everest.
AIMEE JULES
on the couch
WITH MORRISON SQUARE CENTRE MANAGER ANGELA LEONARD Community support and encouraging people to back local retailers are important factors in today’s climate. We talk to Morrison Square Center manager, Angela Leonard, about ‘shopping local’ and helping to assist the wider community.
How long have you been in the role of centre manager, tell us a little about your background? I have been in the role at Morrison Square for five years. My background started in the hotel and hospitality industry, then onto export freight forwarding and logistics. My husband and I owned a very successful retail and wholesale seafood business called City Seafood Market in Christchurch. I also have worked in the fashion industry and am a qualified stylist.
How important is the ‘Shop and Support Local’ movement to our smaller retailers? This is extremely important in today’s climate. Without local support your favourite eatery or retailer may not be operational when you pop into town next. Ongoing support will be needed. There is also a necessity to remain positive and thoughtful towards others. We need to get on collectively. Businesses have had to change and adapt especially over the last two years with Covid and think outside the square without fault of their own. Having to rethink business and financial plans, forward planning and staffing changes, numerous businesses have had to make significant changes that have affected them and their staff.
I understand giving back to the community is an important element to you, what would be some of the highlights? Giving back and supporting the community is a high priority and something we feel strongly about here at Morrison Square. We are part of the community and want to assist where we can. Highlights over the past years would be namely our annual fashion show for the Nelson Regional Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Trust. We have raised close to $100K over the last four years for this amazing organisation that supports local breast and gynecological cancer patients and their families throughout the top of the South Island. With use of some of these funds, we also assisted with the purchase of the breast sentinel probe at Nelson Hospital. We also support a number of charities, community groups and schools with sponsorship and donations. Including The Brook Sanctuary and an NCC initiative called Makeshift Spaces and Cultural Conversations, a community-based hub which involves empowering and building relationships with former refugee and migrant communities.
What can visitors expect from Morrison Square in the future? We are currently in the process of painting the center and the amenities area. We have just completed the family room which is now a great area for parents to visit with their children. We have just had Flo & Frankie join the center which has been a fantastic addition to the mix we currently have. We look forward to welcoming more businesses into Morrison Square. We hope we can host more fun filled community events here again soon.
Emma McCashin is looking forward to using her experience with property development and selling home and land packages in her new role at Summit Real Estate.
A passion for property
Some people exude abundant energy and enthusiasm for life and Emma McCashin is one such individual. Whatever she puts her effort into she does at full throttle.
Twelve years ago she and husband Dean arrived in Nelson to help re-establish the McCashin family’s brewery after the lease to Lion Nathan, who purchased the Mac’s brand ten years earlier, ended. A huge task ensued to produce a new generation of beer under the Stoke Beer label and reintroduce the famous Rochdale Cider. It was a substantial undertaking that included re-establishing the bottling line and setting up a café on site. Emma relished being part of the process for nine years but along the way developed a hankering for property. Having trained as a lawyer specialising in property conveyancing, she and Dean initially did a two section subdivision on a block of land they owned themselves. “It was a fantastic opportunity to get experience in all aspects of residential property development and I absolutely loved it,” says Emma. “My legal background helped enormously and I took a hands-on approach to every aspect of the process. I soon realised that people were sometimes being pushed into selling properties without considering the opportunities that subdivision can bring and I realised that I had a real passion for helping them to look at all the options. Currently there is such a shortage of sections and many people just aren’t aware they are sitting on a great opportunity to develop what they have into something much more financially viable than they imagined”. “Years ago I had been given advice by a real estate salesperson to sell a property for which the financial rewards would have been far greater had I subdivided it, but I didn’t know where to start in terms of the process so it has become one of my passions to provide potential sellers with easy access to the information they need so that they can make a properly informed decision”, she continues.
Recently adding real estate qualifications to her CV, Emma worked previously as a contractor for Mike Greer Homes, selling land and home packages. The experience gleaned from that role has energised her even more with enthusiasm to work in the property field. “I am very familiar with the details of building and resource consents and can guide people calmly through what can otherwise be an overwhelming process”, she says. “I also have a good knowledge of building costs, site development and many of the finer details of buying and selling property and am absolutely loving my new role at Summit Real Estate where all my experience can come together to help both purchasers and sellers.” Emma keeps up her high energy levels and enthusiasm thanks to her passion for cross-fit training in which she is now competing in the Master’s division, and hers and Dean’s three children. “I love getting up in the morning and knowing that everything I am doing at this stage of my life is enjoyable and I am contributing in a positive way to the lives of others too”, she says.
E: emma.mccashin@summit.co.nz P: 021 682 787
Apps are a big part of our life and a new app can open up a whole new world. We ask some locals what their favourite app is and why.
Arron Redmore
SVP Creative, Shuttlerock
Google Lens
The Google Lens app has awesome image recognition technology that lets you search the real world using just your camera. The uses are infinite but I use it when I travel to translate anything from signs, to menus in restaurants. If I see a plant or animal that I have not seen before I will use it to find out the specie. I also use it to identify and learn about various landmarks. If I see a product I like the look of I’ll use Lens to scan it and then visit a shop to purchase it. It’s one app I am lost without. In the IT industry we use plenty of great apps. Top of the list for me would be Microsoft Teams. It allows me to chat and make and receive voice or even video calls and access a lot of our documentation directly on my phone. It also features excellent collaboration features allowing me to work on something with one of the team in the office while I am mobile.
My grandson introduced me to the The Times Crossword app. I do ‘The Mini’ which is usually orientated around American things, but also often includes topical matters. The idea is to get it done as quickly as possible and then when I crack it in under a minute (not often) I can share the results with other family members. It’s a way to stay connected with them.
Aaron Roberts
Client Services Manager, CNX
Microsoft Teams Christeen Mackenzie
Waimea-Moutere Ward Councillor
The New York Times Crossword
Telehealth Monitoring Telehealth Monitoring Telehealth Monitoring Coastal View Village is owned and operated by Qestral. Qestral villages use Spritely, a leading pioneer in telehealth technology in New Zealand and winner of the 2020 Best Digital Innovator award and also the 2021 Emerging Business of the Year award. Coastal View Village is owned and operated by Qestral. Qestral villages use Spritely, a leading pioneer in telehealth technology in New Zealand and winner of the 2020 Best Digital Innovator award and also the 2021 Emerging Business of the Year award. Coastal View Village is owned and operated by Qestral. Qestral villages use Spritely, a leading pioneer in telehealth technology in New Zealand and winner of the 2020 Best Spritely allows residents to receive direct communication from management, plus two Digital Innovator award and also the 2021 Emerging Business of the Year award. way communication from other village residents via a video chat function. Users can track health vitals such as weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and heart rate to monitor and record symptoms to relate to the village telenurse, or their own GP. Spritely allows residents to receive direct communication from management, plus two way communication from other village residents via a video chat function. Users can track health vitals such as weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and heart rate to monitor and record symptoms to relate to the village telenurse, or their own GP. Spritely allows residents to receive direct communication from management, plus two way communication from other village residents via a video chat function. Users can track health vitals such as weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and heart rate to monitor and record symptoms to relate to the village telenurse, or their own GP. Residents in a Qestral village are connected no matter the alert level. Residents in a Qestral village are connected no matter the alert level. Residents in a Qestral village are connected no matter the alert level.
To find out more or book a tour, call Breffni (027 410 9668) or Pen (027 257 9324). 50 Clarence Drive, Tāhunanui Hills, Nelson | www.coastalview.co.nz To find out more or book a tour, call Breffni (027 410 9668) or Pen (027 257 9324). 50 Clarence Drive, Tāhunanui Hills, Nelson | www.coastalview.co.nz To find out more or book a tour, call Breffni (027 410 9668) or Pen (027 257 9324). A subsidiary of 50 Clarence Drive, Tāhunanui Hills, Nelson | www.coastalview.co.nz A subsidiary of A subsidiary of
Lydia Chadfield and Jess Patterson from Apex Accounting.
Not your traditional accountants
Lydia Chadfield and Jess Patterson are not quite what you think of when imagining traditional accountants studying screens of numbers, filing Inland Revenue tax returns and dealing with people’s financial crises. They do all that but with some extra skills in the mix that are making their clients very happy indeed.
Following several years in the accounting section for a legal firm, along with a spell in management and valuation of property, Lydia became a fulltime accountant twelve years ago. “I was born with a natural aptitude for numbers,” she says. “She must be the only person in New Zealand who actually read maths books in bed,” says Jess laughing. “She is a great clean-up person,” Jess continues. “She is the Marie Kondo of the accounting world. She likes to help people tidy up their accounting lives and get them clean and structured.”
Jess came to accounting via a different route. For seventeen years she worked in hospitality, noticing along the way that she had an aptitude for identifying the things that could help businesses improve their profitability. A complete change saw her transitioning to the role of dairy farm manager. It was during that time she met her husband to be. Together they developed their own very successful business ‘Total Breeding Services’ based on their Tail-mate® product which provided her with an abundance of practical business experience. The decision to study accountancy felt like the right step to bring all her skills together. “Apex Accounting started over a glass of sauvignon blanc and the ambitious idea to transform NZ business accounting from boring, overwhelming and endlessly complicated to approachable and stress-free. At the time we thought this was just a crazy dream, but here we are today making that dream a reality,” says Jess. The pair makes a formidable team. With complementary skills across a wide range of business and industry types there is nothing more they love than getting to know how client’s businesses tick so that they can develop strategies to help them improve profitability. “Even in very sound businesses there can be ways to do things more easily and to improve results,” says Lydia. “Every business is different,” says Jess. “There is only so much you can see on paper. The numbers only tell so much of the story and having the opportunity to work with clients to take their businesses to a new level is something we love to do.” They work across the whole of the top of the south from Nelson to Marlborough and even down the West Coast. “It is a tough time for many businesses at the moment,” says Lydia, “and this is when they need sound accountancy support. We can help them find solutions for eliminating waste and generating income along with planning for tax to avoid penalties and liaise with the IRD on their behalf. Mostly we want them to know that with us on their side and sound financial planning, their stresses can be relieved.” With so much practical business and accountancy experience between them, Apex clients are already reaping the benefits of Lydia and Jess’s abundant energy and expertise.
Level 1, 218 Trafalgar Street, Nelson P: 03 539 0446 W: apexaccounts.co.nz
