McMANUS Family Charlie and Mary (nee Sheehan)
Noeline SHEARER
At the start of this 2011 project, Noeline was living at Hillview. Her familiar face, disability walker and place at Mass every Sunday had been conspicuous by her few weeks absence.
I talked to her after the St George’s monthly visit to assist with Bingo for the able and/or interested residents and later afternoon tea. She was delighted to hear that long term parishioner common consent had nominated her as not the eldest in years - that honour went to Pauline Blackmore - but definitely the oldest long term local and loyal parishioner, having been part of St George’s since early childhood. She looked through the completed reproductions of the then completed profiles and recollections with nods and endorsement. Mention of Father De Bree evoked fond descriptions of his long association with their family, as did Father Dorn. Sunday Mass breakfasts at her grandmother’s home “ön the corner across from the Shellbowser.” added note that. Sunday Mass engendered memories of having “lived over the hill from the Pittams family’ and her father Charlie McManus taking the family into the church at Mapiu once a month when Mass was celebrated there, in the cream lorry. Time ran out,and Noeline requested a copy there and then. I made a promise to furnish one on completion, and that I would visit at a later date to jot down her memories. . A couple of weeks later, before I could get back to Hillview, sadly Noeline died. May our (eighty plus year old)continuous parishioner rest in peace. A fine Faithful example to us all.
Claire DERBY
Claire’s check that my scribbled interview notes with her siblings had been transcribed correctly were a welcome addition and her added note nicely rounded out her family’s contribution.
She recalls that “We four girls - Mary Davey, Noeline Shearer, Leone Beros and me Claire Derby - in turn, stayed with Grandmother Sheehan in town for twelve months to prepare for First Holy Communion and attend St Joseph’s Convent school. About 1940 we all moved into town
and became regular members of St George’s Parish and the Convent school. Tennis courts were laid about 1946 by volunteer parishioners with Father Sheely’s enthusiastic support and a very successful Club was formed with a number of keen parishioners taking part. A Convent Old Girls basketball (Netball now) team was also formed which was very successful and won many trophies.
Bernie and Leonie McMANUS
Back in Te Kuiti for his sister Noeline’s funeral, and prior to their move and now home in Leonie’s native Queensland, Bernie noted that as the baby of the family, his older siblings would have earlier memories of living at Kaitangaweka Valley. Mass was held once a month at Mapiu Hall with
Father de Bree possibly best remembered because of his ongoing ‘part of the family’ status.
Probably most, if not all of us were baptized at St George’s.
Fathers Sheely – a former army chaplain , Dore Shore and Sheeran were also each in their term, welcomed with affection to our family circle
The family moved into Te Kuiti in 1939, and our family members have been a continuous part of St George’s ever since.
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Childhood memories of receiving First Reconciliation and Holy Communion then Confirmation as a teenager with Bishop Liston remain clear.
Having to be at St George’s at 7.00a.m for mid week Mass, to serve as Altar Boy was not a chore though some frosty mornings to get there sharpened senses!
We were rostered for weekdays and there were additional requirements for any two of us boys from six families were called to serve for Requiem Masses. Extra practice was a feature of serving for High Feast days and Seasons Music lessons with a very skilled Sister Damien, when St Joseph’s School was still a Convent School, were memorable as were the choir group she took with Latin hymns and chants the norm pre Vatican 11.
Occasionally school groups were taken down to weed the convent gardens.
After meeting Leonie - on a visit to her sister Lynne Gillanders another loyal parishioner until she and Tom joined their children in Queensland - and our subsequent marriage, we carried on our traditional active participation in the then, seamless family of parish and school.
The tennis courts were very popular with a lot of us parishioners thanks to one of those earlier parish priests
The Pledge System was set up by Father Sheerin with Ray Perkins and Pauline Hayes
both important assistants to instigate this very important ongoing task From a practical point of view, so much guesswork and associated planning were replaced with a more streamlined budget
system for parish projects.
I became part of the Collection Basket team for Sunday Masses and took over the recording
and pledge receipting from Ray Perkins after he died, until my departure for Australia, with Mike Kearins picking up the baton and who is I believe, is still serving in this way.
Parish Retreats bi annually, were a special part of our parish. They were initiated originally
by Joe Sweetman who had a long term close association with the Passionists. The Monastery has since been sold and moved to a new private location. He did an excellent job of getting the ball rolling, and we found that the whole spiritual environment and experience were food for the soul and a tremendous faith enhancing boosts. I became organizer after Joe, and found there was far more to organizing the weekend than I had experienced as just one of the retreatants. There were usually three or four parishes booked for the weekend, with Taumarunui sometimes sharing our weekend thus making car pooling for numbers from both parishes easier.
.The other parishioners from around the Diocese gave us an opportunity to meet some wonderful fellow Catholics we might otherwise not have known. Father Gerald will be remembered by a numbe4r of retreatants along with Father Vianney and one other whose name escapes meThey also ran some day retreats and a week long evenings mission here in Te Kuiti
I was honoured to have spent some time as a Eucharistic Minister and was a Parish Council Member along with so many other long term dedicated parishioners.
Both of us could not attend the Papal Mass in Auckland so Leonie and Anna attended. They joined the hired Parish bus - driven by Bob Grayson - and Leonie remembers being touched by the Mass and also impressed by the huge traditional Maori welcome to Pope John Paul 11 when he arrived at the outdoor venue.
We both have great memories of our parish life at St George’s.
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