I am so glad my Uncle Tom traced and contacted his sister, my mum Brenda, over 30 years after she was adopted as a baby. Tom didn't have an easy childhood but he never let self-pity take hold and he grabbed every opportunity life threw at him. He was canny as they say in the North East of England, meaning generous, funny, considerate, warm and wise, one of life's good guys. He remained enormously fond of the North East (and pies!) throughout his life but was also incredibly proud of his new home country and the life he had forged. He invited me and my now husband to visit NZ as an early wedding present in 2005, paying for all flights in his usual generous style including flights to visit the South Island although he had never visited himself. My trip to NZ remains the best holiday me and my husband have taken together in our 25 years as a couple and one of my fondest memories of him. You're going to be missed Tom. Xx

Uncle Tom was such a joyful soul he was loveable and funny and always had amazing stories to tell about his life and his adventures. It always made me smile as he talked about his favourite soap (Coronation Street) and his favourite football team (Newcastle United) and his memories of the UK. Tom invited me and my family to New Zealand for a trip of a lifetime and I have so many fond memories of it thanks to you ! I loved getting to spend time with you and getting to know you and how funny you were. I’m thankful that I got to see how happy he was in New Zealand as he showed us around. Myself and Tom particularly bonded over our love of music and our passion for singing. Tom brought me a keyboard and spurred my passion on further. I’ve treasured it so much and I’m so happy that we have this memory. I wish I could write him one more letter to tell him how amazing he was and I wish my little girl could have met him as I’m sure she would have loved him as much as I did. Until we meet again you incredible man xx

Tom invited myself and my two daughters to visit him from England. I didn’t know what to except but the minute I met you and saw the twinkle in your eye, I knew we would get on! You shared lots of stories and we talked about people and places back home in England that you remembered. We kept in touch and wrote to each other, often joking about when you were coming back home to England and finding out if you had been to Sky city for the karaoke. I’m so glad we got the opportunity to be part of your life, safe journey to the next one. Lots of love Sharon, Alice and Grace.

Tom was a near neighbour in Auckland for 18 years and we continued to keep in touch with him when we moved to Tauranga. Tom was one of life's colourful characters with a big personality - definitely not beige! He led an interesting life ending up in New Zealand. He kept us entertained with his stories and loved to tell a yarn. Tom was someone who was perhaps easy to underestimate if you didn't listen carefully - because he wasn't interested in material things and forged his own path. However, underneath a gruff exterior there was a man who thought often about his family members in the UK - he was so pleased that his sister visited him a few years back; he was musical and played several instruments and when we first met him he loved to dance and frequently went dancing in SkyCity; he enjoyed animals - dogs in particular - and spent hours watching and feeding the birds in his wild garden; he was well read and intelligent and kept a close eye on world affairs; he didn't spend much on himself but he gave generously to charities over many years. In short he was a man of many parts and we wish Tom safe passage and thank him for the memories.