Ka tangi te titi, ka tangi te kaka, ka tangi hoki ahau,
tihei mauri mate. He mihi tuatahi ki te kuia Barbara, Bron korua a Niki, nga
mihi aroha me manaaki e tiaki ki a koutou, te whanau pani, mo to papa kua haere
ki te Po.
Tatou katoa
nga rangatira, nga iwi, nga hoa haramai ki tenei poroporoaki ki a Ray, tena
tatou.
Hello
everybody. I've been asked by the family to speak on behalf of all Ray's
writers, some of you are here today.
Geoff Walker has already referred to the
fact that it was Barbara who said to Ray back in 1976 while he was still
working for Reeds in Wellington, "I don't know about you, but I'm moving
to Auckland. Do you want to come with me?" Weren't we fortunate that she
said that?
As many of you
men will know, when it comes to wives its often a case of "They say we do," and so Ray left
publishing and set up the Ray Richards Literary Agency and Ray Richards
Publisher in January 1977. It was the first literary agency in New Zealand and
at the time Ray must have been 56, which just goes to show that he was reaching
his prime when the rest of us are, well, looking to retire to that bach by the
beach if we don't already have a house in Devonport.
No wonder that one of the
citations for an award he received read:
"If we
all had your energy, enthusiasm and hard working brain the country's financial
problems could be solved."
I always
called Ray, "Young man." He was absolutely indefatigable and his
agency went on to represent an incredible number of writers and illustrators, a
veritable "Who's Who" of New Zealand literature: Mona Anderson
(author of "A River Rules My Life"), Terry Barrow, the wonderful
Dorothy Butler, Don Stafford, Pam and John
Salmon, Robyn Belton, Barry Crump (Ray actually finished writing one of
his books for him), Edmond Bohan, Geoff and Lynette Moon, Tom Bradley, Joy
Cowley, Betty and Alan Gilderdale with their "The Little Yellow
Digger" titles, Lynn Kreigler, Elaine Knox-Thompson, Pauline Cartwright,
Suzanne Dickens, Fiona Kidman (she was the one who introduced me to the
Richards agency), Maurice Gee (the greatest New Zealand author living today),
Trevor Pye, Alan Trussell-Cullen, Wade Doak, John Parker, Lawrie Metcalf, Buddy
Mikaere, Diana Noonan, Susan Harrison-Tustain, Richard and Pamela Wolfe, Julie
Biuso, Graham Meadows and Kim Westerskov.
I am sorry if I have missed some of
you out, if you are here today...but hasn't it been wonderful to be, all of us,
Ray's writers?
I think Tessa
Duder speaks for all of us when she says, "It was a relationship built on
trust, respect and love of books. He treated every one of his large stable of
writers with equal skill, wisdom and shrewdness, and I believe publishers and,
in recent years, screen producers, saw him as tough but pragmatic, always
seeking the best outcomes for his clients." Indeed, I loved to have the
young man with me in the many negotiations that he did on my behalf. There was
a particular meeting which included some young bureaucrats who didn't know who
he was and just saw this silver-haired man with baby blue eyes sitting benignly
in the corner but...as soon as Ray started to speak, I saw their jaws drop and
the look on their faces told it all: We are screwed.
Ray, you were
a true rangatira and we have been proud to have belonged to your tribe of
writers, literary colleagues and friends. You were one of the poutokomanawa,
central posts supporting New Zealand culture and enabling it to flourish. On my
part, I shall miss having my squadron leader out there in front guiding me,
it's going to be difficult not seeing you there.
E te papa,
haere ki nga tipuna e tatari ana kei muri i te tatau pounamu o te Po. Haere atu
ra kei tua o te arai, kei runga o te aka ki Rangiatea ki o hakai Hine nui i te
Po. Moe mai ra i te moengaroa, haere, haere, haere atu ra.
I would be
grateful if you could all join in the waiata now. Its a well known love song
that we'll be singing for Barbara. I'll sing the verse and those who know the
chorus, which we will sing twice, please join me.
Po karekara
ana, na wai o Waitemata, whiti atu koe e hine, na ringa ana e. E hine e hoki
mai ra, ka mate ahau ki te aroha e.
Na reira apiti
hono tatai hono te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. Apiti hono tatai hono te hunga
ora katoa, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.=
Footnote:
Thanks to Witi for making his korero available to me to share on the blog.
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