Dad, It’s hard to put into words what you truly meant to me — to all of us. You were more than just a father. You were our silent anchor, our guide, our quiet strength in the background, always holding us together. You lived with integrity, worked hard without complaint, and loved us with a kind of steady, silent devotion that only now, in your absence, I fully understand and see clearly being a dad myself. You taught us through your actions — the early mornings, the long days, the sacrifices you never spoke of. You gave without expecting anything in return. You smiled through your own struggles so that we could smile without worry. Whether it was a lesson, a laugh, or just your presence, you gave it freely. We miss the sound of your voice, the way you filled a room without needing to say much, your laugh, your advice — even the little quirks that were so uniquely you. Life feels quieter now, without you in it. But your legacy lives on in us — in how we carry ourselves, in how we love our families, in how we face challenges with the same quiet courage you did. Thank you, Dad, for everything — the seen and the unseen. You will always be with us

There is so many whānau and friends that the siblings and mokopuna, want to acknowledge for their sincere heartfelt, initimate, support for our dad / papa (grandfather) 1. To all those who sent condolences posted online from friends and whānau from all over NZ, Australia and as far from South Africa, thank you so much. 2. To those who attended to see dad at some stage throughout the week, thank you for sharing your stories with us. 3. To the queens of the kitchen, Martha, Shonteé and Sari, your sincere admin of the kitchen making sure that family and guests were fed. We love you. 4. To Uncle Tom, brother in law to dad, even though you could not be there, we knew that you saw the live feed. We love you uncle. 5. To Aunty Pheobe whangai sister to dad, thank you for gracing us with your presence. We love you aunty. 6. To all the whanau from Pukepoto, especially Aunty Ann, we love you. 7. To our super gorgeous mokopuna, along with their spouses, partners and kids: Clendon, Haz, Anthony, Jade, Leslie, Suzie, Ayla, Quayde, Shekinah, Cainan, Aimee, Eden, Micah, Hebron, Rachael, Christian, Mikaia, Kaden, Kahurangi, Rylee, Nehemaia. You were all papa's greatest achievements as I know he was so proud of you all. 8. To my brother's and sisters Marsh, Avalon, Trish, Pita, Henri and Lisa. God has blessed me with such wonderful and beautiful siblings that know God. 9. Finally, thank you for supporting us with our dear loss. There were a lot of accolades for dad, a time to grief and celebrate. There were many stories about dad, mostly funny stories especially from his mokopuna about the "shark" story. Anyway, its gonna take some time to get use to dad / papa not being here but his funny stories will always be remembered in who he was. The next journey now is mum and to pour as much aroha as we can into her. Nō reira, mā te Atua mātou whānau hei tiaki i ngā wā katoa. Ngā mihi e te whānau