A eulogy and a few memories of Dad, Jim Pennycook

By Jill

Sadly, on Tuesday we lost a Legend! Our Patriarch. Our Dad, Grandad, Bidda, Great Grandad, Uncle and Friend.

Born on 22 July 1925 in Auckland, Dad grew up in South Street Newton with his mum and Scottish Grand Parents. This was where he had his fondest memories of growing up. The house was just as he liked it full of family and he enjoyed listening to his uncle playing the bag pipes and being spoilt by his grandparents.

He attended Newton East school until, I think it must have been when Nana’s marriage broke up and they moved house and Dad then transferred to Newton West school. It was at this time that his beloved sisters Thelma and Jean were sent to Dingwall children's home because Nana couldn’t afford to look after them on her own.

Dad being the youngest remained with Nana where he suddenly had a life at home without his sisters being there. Nana struggled financially and he talked of sad memories, like lining up at the social welfare office to see if his dad had paid any money for support. They would get to the window in anticipation and the clerk would search through the large pages of the register and more often than not would look up and say, “Sorry nothing today”. He and nana would then head home wondering how they would get through the week with little food. Sharing just one egg between them was very common.

His education at Kowhai Intermediate came to an abrupt end when he decided at the age of 14years old to help support his mum and he went off and got a full-time job on the Olive Launches. This is where he ended up joining the Coast guard where he served during the WW11 as a home guard. He wasn’t quite old enough to enlist and serve overseas.

He and Nana soon moved to Grey Lynn where his she got remarried to Albert, who Dad detested. He treated Dad terribly and they didn’t get along. One day Dad was so angry he was going to belt him a hunk of 4x2 and throw him down the stairs. Thank, goodness, for level-headed Mum who stepped in and stopped him. Perhaps preventing a jail term for Dad.

Hard to believe that Dad could get that angry. An emotion we never experience from him. Can’t say I ever remember Dad being angry. That’s Mum role lol. Dad was the push over.

Dad saw many changes in his lifetime, from the days of horse and cart, soup carts and ice deliveries. He told stories of running out onto the street with the Billy to get some soup, and of the night cart man coming to collect the dunny can, to empty it. The night cart man wore like a sack hood over his head to protect him as he threw the can over his shoulder to carry it.

Dad was a lover of all creatures and would often talk about a penguin that he found and brought home for a pet, and it lived in the bath. Can you imagine doing that today! I remember wanting a pet and when I got quite sick at about 8 or 9 years old, Dad arrived home one day with a cute as puppy poodle which I named Lisa. Not sure how he got that past mum cause she’s the opposite and didn’t have time for animals. She still to this day doesn’t like them at all. She had to change her attitude though with a puppy in the house and grew to love our Lisa.

His goldfish at Acton Place, were the best fed and cared for fish in town, and he would talk to them as he fed them, which he did like clockwork, at the same time every day. He would even feed and talk to the birds, much to mum's disgust as they would poop on the deck waiting for him to come out and feed them.

Nick named Butch by his mates. We’re not sure how or why they called him that? Dad played Drums in a Band in his late teens, and it was at Oneroa Beach Waiheke where he was playing at a dance that he met mum, and they started courting until they married on 25th October 1947.

They went all the way to Mairangi Bay for their honeymoon. There was no Harbour Bridge back then, so it was a long drive and was seen as their big overseas adventure.

Mum and Dad didn’t quite make it to their 77th Wedding Anniversary. They did, however, receive a card from King Charles and Camila for their 75th though.

Fortunes must have changed from his poor childhood because he told me that in his married years, all of his clothing was tailor made to fit. He didn't buy off the shelf clothing at all. He would never go out with-out getting all dressed up in his best gear. Casual wear was not acceptable, even if you were going to the shops.

Shooting rabbits and helping mates build speedway cars and bikes in Grey Lynn and crewing for Ron Ross at Speedway was one of Dad’s early pastimes. His enthusiasm for Speedway stuck and he continued to go every Saturday night until his eyesight failed him, and he could no longer distinguish the cars on the track. Growing up, our home in Western Springs was the parking and meet up spot. As most of you will all remember the men and kids all went to speedway and the women stayed home to gossip and prepare a great super for everyone when they got home.

Other earlier hobbies of Dad’s were water skiing, and there were many weekends spent with Auntie Joy and Uncle Arthur out on the Manukau harbour or off the jetty in Reid Road either skiing or fishing. Their home in Reid Road was right where Ash Street passes through Reid Road today. You now drive right through where their home and the Jetty would have been.

Sadly, Dad lost his sister Jean when she was only 29 and both Mum and Dad did all they could to be there to support her four children. Just yesterday Little Jimmy, Jeans oldest boy called from Sydney and talked about his fond memories of Uncle Jim (Big Jim) and Aunty Flo being like second parents to him and his brothers. And I know that Auntie Thelma's family all feel the same. Dad was a very special and cherished uncle to them all.

Neighbours have always become great friends of mum and dad. From Pat and Graham and the girls from Western Springs, to joining us in the Acton Place cul-de-sac where Dad enjoyed the close friendships of Rick and Annette, Mum and Dad’s Casino mates. Mum and Dad would often get the call at 11pm or midnight and they’d jump out of bed and head to the office aka the Casino with them.

Tony and Yvonne and the whole Moreland Clan also became very dear friends along with all our other Neighbour's who were always in boots and all for our Street parties and BBQ’s. We even enjoyed a couple of cruises together.

It wasn’t all play in Acton Place though, Dad had his street responsibilities. He inherited the duties of Neighbour-hood Watch Coordinator and took on the title of Lord Mayor after Jimmy Scott passed.

A dedicated family man, our home was always full of family and friends. Everyone was always welcome and nothing was too much trouble.

He was so proud of Mike and I, he always tried to make his work fit around being home as much as possible to be there for us all. Supporting all of our hobbies, scouts for Mike and undertaking countless bottle drives in the old J4 Van. Mike also remembers at 13, Dad letting him back the van up and down the driveway over and over and over again. Little did Mike know at the time, that Dad was really killing two birds with one stone and getting the gravel compacted and ready for concrete.

I always remember when I took up gymnastics and really loved the trampoline, Dad got me up early one Saturday and we went and bought a Trade and exchange from the dairy, and we found a Trampoline for sale, which was quite a rare thing to find back then. Dad called and we were on our way to pick it up before 9am. I couldn’t believe my luck and Dad’s words on the way home were, “See, the Early bird gets the worm”. A mantra that has stuck with me and I’ve always made sure to never be late for anything.

I also have very fond memories of our family holidays down to Cambridge where Dad and Uncle Bob would get us up early and take us for a walk down past the pig farm. I would have my little bucket and have to stop under the big oak trees along the way and fill my bucket with acorns to bring home so I could grow my own oak tree. Every time Dad happily carted those acorns all the way home, often spilling everywhere in the car. I’m not sure what happened to them when we got home, but I never ended up with an Oak tree.

Being quite the handy man, at Warwick Street, Dad and Mike knocked out the internal chimney together, lowered the high ceilings and swapped out windows in an attempt to modernise our old home. He was also a dab hand at woodwork and together he and Mike built a pool table, and that kept us occupied for many hours. In later years he turned to making Mum an intricate Dolls House with lights and even a fireplace and picket fence. He made Blake a candle powered boat, and he restored many gramophones. His collection of Gramophones along with old radio’s became quite extensive and his passion for restoring them kept him busy for many years in his retirement.

Dad was always very organised and everything had its place and god help you if you used something and didn’t put it back where it belonged. I went out to the garage one day not too long ago and as I reached to get a screwdriver from his bench, there was a handwritten note pinned to the shelf. This is not a warehouse. Do not help yourself. I had a little chuckle, and I made sure that screwdriver went right back where it belonged!

Spending time with his Grandkids and Great Grandkids was one of his favourite pastimes and when Craig was young, he would spend most nights during the week next door with Dad sharing a can of creamed rice for supper while watching Last of the Summer Wine, their favourite programme. Dad and Uncle Colin would often collect all their Grandkids and take them off for great fun excursions together. And he and Mum were always up to babysit right into their mid-nineties!

Selfless to the end and always thinking of others, Dad wouldn't let me bring one of his gramophones into his room at Selwyn Village. I thought it would be a good idea for him to have one to tinker with, but he wouldn’t have a bar of it as he didn't want to drive other residents mad with having to listen his music.

Every day that we visited him in the care home he would ask when he was allowed to come home. He always thought he felt well enough and just wanted to come and be at home with his family in the sunshine. He didn’t understand why he was there and next breath he’d be telling us how lovely everyone was to him there and that they took such good care of him. Every day he would do his laps of the corridor usually up to 3 times a day and he’d stop in to check on Auntie Joy and the other residents to make sure they were ok.

Still always caring about others right to the end.

We are all going to miss him so much and we are so very lucky to have so many beautiful memories of Dad etched into our hearts.

Rest in peace, Dad. Thanks for being our guiding light and biggest supporter. I hope you are now enjoying the forever sunshine with Nana, and Auntie Jean and Auntie Thelma. I’m sure you and Uncle Colin and Uncle Reg are already raising your glass together, and Nyra and Jan will have been waiting for you at the gates.

We have Dad’s last bottle of Grants here today, and we’re sure that he’d love for any-one who would like to, to join him in a wee dram before you leave today.