Frederick Purutanga

This is my grandfather. My fond memories of him stems from a wood shed with all the tools you could imagine. My grandad could make anything. He made me a hula hoop out of black hose while the neighbours had bamboo hoops. He would walk around with his walking stick he made from a bike handle and steel pipe. He and I would go door to door knocking selling poppies, he would hold the wooden box for the money and I would open the neatly laid poppies from a box. Grandad and I would go inorganic shopping regularly and we loved it. My grandfather would sit at the table and use a newspaper as a placemat when ever he ate. I would rub my grandfathers back with Mr Rawleighs ointment I loved doing that, I remember his one skin tag on his lower back it use to make me laugh hehehe mainly because I wanted to cut it off lol. My grandfather also hated cats and we had plenty of those and plenty of them often went missing too. So I have been one of the most fortunate 'moko's for my grandfather. Arohanui Sheryl Waru

His photo sat on the wall all my life, the service one, right next to my other grandfather who also served during WW2. I've gazed at that photo a million times wondering what they were thinking at that time. I only remember a little of him, as I grew up in Australia. I remember the cane lol. He was an inspiration for me to also join the service, now my picture also sits on a wall next to his. I remember when they took that picture, just after the march out parade. I was standing tall, in my nice neat dress uniform, my chest felt like it wanted to burst from the excitement and my gut was twisted from the nervousness of not knowing what comes next. Perhaps that's what he felt.

this is my dad who was a very humble man ,loved his mokos like nothing else and was the hardest working man i knew ,what with 12 kids to support he did a pretty good job.love you very much dad and still miss you heaps, my only regret in life is that i didn't get to say goodbye to you.always remembered in my life tho and so proud of you