Introducing Graeme Horncastle’s Daughter
February 1, 2011GH FAMILY PHOTOAnd has this been a topic of conversation here at the Pavilions Hotel this week. Well Graeme has suggested we all need our own profiles in life and that perhaps we should be known as our name rather than Graeme Horncastle’s Daughter – (GHD as referred to from here on in), Graeme Horncastle’s son (GHS), Greame Horncastle’s wife (GHW) and so it goes on.
The thing about this is it’s quite an old but funny way of referring to people from small town’s or large families in small towns, however the internet seems to reinvent this whole purpose.
As we were having this whole discussion I asked the question – who is Brooke Wilson (my daughter), to which my father answered that’s easy she is Graeme Horncastle’s Grandaughter – GHG. Well its funny because I always thought of her as Debbie Wilson’s daughter.
We are wondering here if we should now while we are in Jimmy’s bar be introducing Graeme to people (if it was me doing the introduction) – this is Ryan Horncastle’s Father.
Then there is a whole other issue who am I….. am I Debbie Wilson, Deborah Wilson, Debbie Horncastle or Deborah Horncastle so it makes it quite difficult to know or be aware of who I really am and which identity I should be trying to discover….. and although this may seem all very strange as it does to me – the humour in it and the reality are quite similar…. What are you thoughts which direction should I be taking here and should I just be sticking with GHD?
Hi Deb,
Well have to say I have known you as all the above.
Everyone will know you as one of the above. Does it really matter? Unless you have an identity problem! What the…? Keep them all choose one for each day depending on the mood.
Hope you are all safe after quake you are all in our thoughts.
Donna, that is so funny and so true and written in the form it was received;) Things are all ok here, although we are extremely busy and shaking alot. I will call you soon. xx
Graham, i read your book that my mum (Val Kenyon) brought to me with your scribble in the front of it. Thanks for the signed copy but i guess you have no idea who I am. I am Ron Jenkins grandson and Bill Rowling’s nephew. Ron and Nelly were my mum’s parents and uncle Bill Rowling the PM for 10 months that your old man assaulted in Westport was my dad’s mums brother . Granny, Dads mum and Bills sister , is still alive and she is still with it at 98. She told me she would get to 103 when I was 13 and i still think she will so Im not writing the old duck off yet. Uncle Bill is dead now so I guess him and your old man are punching it out in some biblical pub in the sky if you believe that sort of crap.
Its all very strange as I spent a few years on the diplomatic protection squad when I was in the police in wellington from 93 to 96 and would probably have had to shot your old man if he had grabbed Jim Boldger who i was looking after in those years.
I had to smile at the Bill Rolling reference through the book as I was actually staying at my family batch in breaker bay Kaiteriter when I was reading it. As you will know Graham having owned the pub in Mot the Rowlings settled all of Kaiteriteri and my great grand parents Agnus and Auther gifted hundreds of acres to the government to start the family batch culture. You will see there influence on many plaques throughout Kaiteriteri..
As much as your old man hated uncle Bill his family have done great things for the that part of NZ and you only have to look at all the street names in that area to see their influence.
My Mums side is easy for you to remember as you grew up with them. Ron and Nell are long dead but I still remember them and remember granddad being a drunk old bugger just as you described him in your book. I haven’t read a book from cover to cover since I was forced to in school so you have had a win Graham all be it just getting me to read something, I couldn’t put it down and was so surprised by how it grabbed me and made me read on.. never happened before so like i said you have had at least one win in just getting me to read something.
Its funny mate, the more I think about you the more I see us being intertwined.. your old mate Ronny has been a pain in my bum for the last 25 years and I should have done a building apprenticeship with him when I left school but I went into the police instead and your bro Bill went off with Ron ..water under the bridge now Graham but it all adds to the ‘what if” pile of questions. I still have a soft spot for Ron as does my Mum and you too for that matter. By all accounts you and Ron are more than just mates. its great to have a mate like that Graham that you can totally rely on and I have no doubt he has helped you stay on track through some of your bad times… ask him about some cop pulling him up queen street Auckland about 15 years ago.. I was a bit slow then as I should have milked it to the max and stuck him in the cells for a few hours..
Cut to the chase Graham.. I still struggle big time with the piss and wish I didn’t,.. I found myself with tears in my eyes throughout your book and I was so surprised by how much of it I could relate to. Your stories were so real to me and there were so many things and people I knew amongst it all from Karamea and I could close my eyes and be back there as if it were yesterday. I am surprised how much our families were tangled together in the old days and I am sure with a bit of digging they are even more tangled than first glance suggests.
I would love to catch up with you sometime to pick your brains on where you are at now with your recovery and your interesting family.. Bill was two classes ahead of me at school so I sort of know him a bit and have followed his rise to fame with Horncastle Homes over the last 10 years with interest.
Take care Graham
Regards
Lyall Kenyon