Back in the days before computers were personal and phones were smart, I was a computer programmer, bashing code onto unnumbered punched cards in a computer-free building. Miles away, near the centre of New Zealand's capital city, sat the Government Computer Centre which turned those cards into functional programs. Sometimes. Success was a small lineflow printout. Failure was a three-foot high core dump.
I loved programming, especially the process of breaking down a problem into its component parts. That appealed to my analytical nature but there was also a creative component which balanced it and gave me the joy of creating something out of nothing. I loved the way the world fell away when I was coding – it was interesting, mentally stimulating, and absorbing. Sometimes I still yearn for that propeller hat.
Somehow, twenty-five years and nearly as many computer upgrades later, I became a funeral director. I found it really rewarding to help people navigate through losing someone they love. And again there was a creative component – incorporating into a funeral service the special touches that tell a person’s story. An element of “problem-solving” there too – bringing together all the parts to create the whole – identifying the venue, the time, the celebrant, and the stories to be told. Working out how to get there from here.
Opportunity opened two more doors to creativity - writing and public speaking - with funeral celebrancy blending both, and drawing on my years of funeral industry experience. In 2022 I was engaged by the Open Polytechnic as a Subject Matter Expert, to write courses for the Level 5 Diploma in Funeral Directing. An incredibly rewarding role which led to more opportunities: Matauranga Maori reviews, and Adjunct marking.
2023 saw me back at the helm for the General Election, managing the vast East Coast electorate for my third tour of duty in that role.
In my spare time (ha!) I love to read, write and make jewellery - check out Articles for information and kayree jewellery for sparkly things.