Post by NZBC on Jul 11, 2013 18:56:35 GMT 12
I first met Syd not through school, university or the local Chinese community but through Rotary. I had just
joined and I came to know Syd with his friendly welcoming manner and made me at ease with the Rotary
Harbourside club and all its activities. First impressions have not changed since that very first meeting a
humble, quiet and hardworking guy, with a cheeky smile and laugh to boot. We talked about family and his
adoring wife Mary and his great kids Gemma and James. He passionately talked about h
is love of Aikido and I at the time thought he had a nice Japanese girlfriend on the side. But Aikido was his martial arts and he was good so good he would always reply in an understated way....I’m just a black belt” ....and so were his children as he ensured they too reached the pinnacle of the sport. I found out that Aikido translated meant the “way of the harmonious spirit”. This described Syd to a teee lived the harmonious way
balancing his love for his work architecture his love of community volunteer work with Rotary
but most especially his love for his family Mary, Gemma and James.
I look back at all the Rotary Chinese New Year fundraisers that Syd helped on from the early food festivals at
Britomart to our gala balls Syd was always there from morning till late at night(or 1am in the morning again).
The Friday night before the fundraiser at Syd’s place we would work through all the guest listings, programme
22 and organising the young Lion dancers but he still managed to order us in some fish and chips and we’d sit
around the table and talk about rugby I followed the Hurricanes he followed the Blues we can’t all be
perfect.
Syd was a gentleman, the guy that would ensure everyone one had their meal first; he would
look after the Rotary exchange students & visitors offering them rides to the club and taking them home on wet and windy nights; he introduced our ambassadorial scholar Akiko to his martial arts class. Syd had to coin a phrase the patience of a saint
.
Syd was a gardener and if you ever wandered to the back of Syd and Mary’s house you could see the flush
green leaves of lettuce, the long storks of rhubarb and bright orange of spring carrots. He ran at me one
afternoon with a large vegetable machete and shouted wait David I thought oh oh what have I done
–did I not pay my Rotary subs but no he ran past straight to his garden to cut me some storks of rhubarb. The best rhubarb pie I had in ages.
Syd was a traditionalist and an architect of the precomputer software age the slide rule, compass, protractor
and sharp pencil were his tools but he could design anything and design it exceptionally well renovations,
modern houses, barns and warehouses. He would work late, meet his deadlines and give his clients the care and
professionalism that in this day and age can be sorely missing.
Syd also loved to cook and he shared the cooking most week nights when Mary was working at the shoe shop.
Not only was he a devoted husband but a loving dad showing every ounce of courage and strength to be
at Gemma’s wedding.
So many of us never got to say goodbye to Syd. We almost expect him to come to Rotary, to help us with our
next Chinese new year fundraiser, to help plant some trees, sow seeds in his garden or
come to our house to redesign a room. His calm inner character and genuine personality will stay with us forever
–we will all miss him a true friend
David Wong
Editor ACCC Newsletter www.aucklandchinese.org.nz/Newsletter/ACCC_Winter_newsletter_July_2013_vers_web.pdf
joined and I came to know Syd with his friendly welcoming manner and made me at ease with the Rotary
Harbourside club and all its activities. First impressions have not changed since that very first meeting a
humble, quiet and hardworking guy, with a cheeky smile and laugh to boot. We talked about family and his
adoring wife Mary and his great kids Gemma and James. He passionately talked about h
is love of Aikido and I at the time thought he had a nice Japanese girlfriend on the side. But Aikido was his martial arts and he was good so good he would always reply in an understated way....I’m just a black belt” ....and so were his children as he ensured they too reached the pinnacle of the sport. I found out that Aikido translated meant the “way of the harmonious spirit”. This described Syd to a teee lived the harmonious way
balancing his love for his work architecture his love of community volunteer work with Rotary
but most especially his love for his family Mary, Gemma and James.
I look back at all the Rotary Chinese New Year fundraisers that Syd helped on from the early food festivals at
Britomart to our gala balls Syd was always there from morning till late at night(or 1am in the morning again).
The Friday night before the fundraiser at Syd’s place we would work through all the guest listings, programme
22 and organising the young Lion dancers but he still managed to order us in some fish and chips and we’d sit
around the table and talk about rugby I followed the Hurricanes he followed the Blues we can’t all be
perfect.
Syd was a gentleman, the guy that would ensure everyone one had their meal first; he would
look after the Rotary exchange students & visitors offering them rides to the club and taking them home on wet and windy nights; he introduced our ambassadorial scholar Akiko to his martial arts class. Syd had to coin a phrase the patience of a saint
.
Syd was a gardener and if you ever wandered to the back of Syd and Mary’s house you could see the flush
green leaves of lettuce, the long storks of rhubarb and bright orange of spring carrots. He ran at me one
afternoon with a large vegetable machete and shouted wait David I thought oh oh what have I done
–did I not pay my Rotary subs but no he ran past straight to his garden to cut me some storks of rhubarb. The best rhubarb pie I had in ages.
Syd was a traditionalist and an architect of the precomputer software age the slide rule, compass, protractor
and sharp pencil were his tools but he could design anything and design it exceptionally well renovations,
modern houses, barns and warehouses. He would work late, meet his deadlines and give his clients the care and
professionalism that in this day and age can be sorely missing.
Syd also loved to cook and he shared the cooking most week nights when Mary was working at the shoe shop.
Not only was he a devoted husband but a loving dad showing every ounce of courage and strength to be
at Gemma’s wedding.
So many of us never got to say goodbye to Syd. We almost expect him to come to Rotary, to help us with our
next Chinese new year fundraiser, to help plant some trees, sow seeds in his garden or
come to our house to redesign a room. His calm inner character and genuine personality will stay with us forever
–we will all miss him a true friend
David Wong
Editor ACCC Newsletter www.aucklandchinese.org.nz/Newsletter/ACCC_Winter_newsletter_July_2013_vers_web.pdf