This is from Joanne the girl lying in the sleeping bag.  

Begin forwarded message:

Very sobering read Andy. It really is incredible that we all survived that crash. Thank you for taking such good care of us. I remember struggling to stay conscious, you kept telling me ” dont close your eyes Jo, you mustn’t go back to sleep” and you told Claire to make sure I didn’t.

There was another girl in the car with those boys who came in the helicopter with me. Claire went in the ambulance with you and Keith to Kaitaia hospital.

It was on the 6th of Dec so we stayed at Fran and Archie’s for ages, we left after Christmas just before new year as their son drove us to Auckland where he was going to a party! So so good of them to out us up like that.

Oh remember we had that amazing smoked fish, what was it, a snapper, trout or something? 

How is your nose? I cringed at that bit of the story!! I am surprised Keith didn’t break any of his ribs, good job the steering wheel gave way instead.

Claire still has trouble with her legs. She walked some of the Sacramento way last year and couldn’t walk for a while after she got home.

 I had to have my jaw rebroken a few years ago to realign my bite it wasn’t successful first time so they had to break it again and still its not great but my bite is much better. My nerves got damaged though so I can’t feel my chin or lower lip but my girls help to point out when I’ve got food on my face!!

I dug out a few pics I’ve got for you.

We should arrange a chat on skpe tog with Claire and keith sometime. Does Keith live close by to you? Claire and i live just a few mins away from each other.

Take care x

NOTE: THERE ARE TWO VIDEOS HERE …A MAORI DANCE AND A MAORI CHANT WITH CSNOE AND MEN PADDLING

N FULL MAORI DRESS.    

MOLLY SKEOCH MADE IT IN NEW ZEALLAND YESTERDAY.

EPISODE 743     THE MAORI MYSTERY…WHO WERE THEY?  WHERE DIDTHEY ORIGINATE? WHY IS THE YEAR 1350 IMPORTANT?

alan skeoch

Feb. 24, 2023

EPISODE 741     TOURISTS TO NEW ZEALAND MUST THINK SKEOCH IS A MAORI NAME

alan skeoch

Feb. 23, 2023

That is a picture of Molly and Roberta Skeoch taken yesterday near Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.

(February 21, 2023).  Today’s story is devoted to my cousin Roy Skeoch who is buried in a Maori gravesite

surrounded by the ornamentation characteristic of Maori graves

So Molly and Roberta are cousins.

Let me tell you a bit about Roy Skeoch.  This will probably be the only such testimonial.  It will not be complete.

Those that knew Roy could add a lot more.   Roy made a mark wherever he went.  He was a character that

I will never forget.  I liked him.  Here are a few fragments of his life.

ROY SKEOCH

Roy Skeoch was a devil.  You may remember he substituted horse radish for apple sauce at a Skeoch 

Christmas celebration because he knew mom would say , “Now Eric, be sure and eat all your dinner because

Aunt Mabel has worked all week to get it ready.”  Roy had prepped most people at that dinner except Eric and

mom.

Roy Skeoch got booted out of Fergus District High School along with Owen Townsend (another cousin).

Owen got back to school.  I am not sure that Roy ever did.  His crime?  Somehow he was able to get the

master keys to the school and have them duplicated which gave Roy access to the gymnasium any time

he wanted including the times reserved for girls sports.  When the principal noticed Roy and Owen playing 

basketball in a locked gym he called the boys to his office.  Roy admitted his guilt right away and 

got expelled.  He had a streak of genius that not always served him well.  Owen was also expelled.  But Owen

returned.  I am not sure that Roy ever did.

Roy Skeoch was quick with a rifle.  One day we were walking together through Aunt Mabel’s two acre

garden when something moved …. big thing.  “What’s that?” I asked.  Before Roy could answer he fired his cradled rifle and

then answered , “that was a rabbit”  He blew the poor creature to pieces.

Roy Skeoch and another cousin, John Skeoch, loved patrolling the side roads of Nickel Township hunting ground

hogs with the help of a car and a couple of rifles.   In the 1950’d there were lots of ground hogs.  Not so today.

 They were the closest of friends. Can you  imagine meeting two teen agers with rifles doing the today?

Roy Skeoch made secret tunnels by carefully arranging new mown bailed hay in the gigantic Skeoch barn.  The tunnels led

to a hidden room under the hay bales.  “Crawl in here…I have a secret room.”   Crawling was frightening.  What

if the bales collapsed.  Some dead cousins would be found.  Sure enough Roy had his very private fort.

Roy Skeoch developed a taste for beer about the time..  Hence the need for a secret room.  

Roy Skeoch was creative.  One summer day we went for a swim in the huge Bellwood Quarry.  Roy was

there ahead of us floating on a tractor tube with a long rope attached to it.  Why a rope?  Roy liked cold beer.

So he had a pail full of beer hanging deep down in the ice cold quarry water.  When needed he pulled up the rope.  We spent the

afternoon diving under the tube to reach Roy’s beer supply.  We never succeeded.   

Roy had a devil may care smile…especially used when up to his usual tricks.

Roy Skeoch had sisters.. Lots of them…Margie, Pattie, Sandy, Joan and Janette.  He was the only male

sired by Uncle Archie.   As such he may have been spoiled a bit by his mother, Aunt Mabel.

  He was certainly his mothers pet.  She ignored  all his devil may care activities,

Roy Skeoch loved hunting and fishing rather than working nine to five.  “Alan, do you want to see my big

fish tank….I keep big trout there.”  And sure enough there was a dark room in the stable with an immense 

fish tank where Roy kept his huge trout alive…a dark room where Roy showed me the trout with a flashlight.

They were over two feet long…or seemed so.  And Angry. 

Roy Skeoch was not a farmer.  Had he been so he would have inherited the Skeoch home farm.  But he had

no interest in the endless back breaking work of farming when the return was near the poverty line.  He helped

Uncle Norman when there was a critical need but only when it served Roy’s interest such as building the hay bail hideout/

Roy Skeoch never seemed to have a  steady girlfriend until he got to New Zealand and met Anna.

Perhaps girls realized that Roy was just a little too unconventional.   

Roy Skeoch left school early as mentioned earlier.  The job market in Fergus was limited.  One of his first 

jobs was with the Tweddle Chicken Hatchery where Roy had the unpleasant job of ’sexing chicks’.  I asked

him how to sex chicks,  “Farmers only want hens,  Roosters are no good.  My job was to sort males and

 females.”  What happened to the males.?  “I threw them live into the furnace.”  Was this true? Or was

it just Roy telling a story?  Perhaps you can tell me if this story is true.  What happens to the male chicks?

Roy Skeoch did find a good job in Fergus working for a company that made heavy industrial cables.

I am not sure what he did for this company…perhaps a machinist.    When the company shifted business

halfway around the world to New Zealand he was told he could keep his job if he could get to New

Zealand at his own expense.   Uncle Norman gave Roy a one way ticket.  

Roy Skeoch thought New Zealand was a bit of heaven on earth.  He could hunt and fish as much as he

waned.  I am not sure how long he remained employed making industrial cables.

Roy Skeoch met Anna and they married.  Roy loved the Maorii lifestyle.  I am not sure if he

became a dancer with tongue extended as Maori males were won’t to do.

 He probable would rather go fishing with his fishing rod and a pail attached to a long piece of rope.

Roy Skeoch is buried in a typical Maori gravel.  The surname SKEOCH  is given prominence.

So much so that tourists must think Skeoch is Polynesian word.

Almost 30 years ago, Marjorie, Andrew and I booked a flip to New Zealand.   Part of our purpose was to

connect with Roy’s New Zealand family.  We met his wife Anna who showed us around Rotorua including

Roy’s grave.  Roy’s daughter took a day off school to meet us.  Roberta may have been 14 or so at the

time.  She and Andrew got along very well.  When we left Roberta gave Andrew a necklace with a tooth or 

bone attached.  Andrew wore the necklace for some time.

 Sadly Roy’s son, Richard was crushed while working under a car.  The jack slipped I Believe..

Roberta Skeoch and her daughters met our granddaughter Molly yesterday. (February 21, 2023)

  RENEWING CONNECTIONS:  

I am not sure how much they know about their father, Roy Skeoch, so I have written some of the

fragments of his life that I remember.  just fragments but perhaps enough for the girls to

be amused by Roy.  He was certainly amusing.   For me he was a cousin I could never forget.

I believe that Roy found his little bit of heaven with the Maori people of New Zealand.

Molly Skeoch from Canada with Roberta Skeoch of New Zealand…Maori heritage.  Also picture of Roberta when we visited decades ago.

WHO MADE THE SKELETON KEY TO THE GYM?

(Small events often have big consequences)

OWEN TOWNSEND WROTE:

Yes, Roy and I  had lots of back & forth visiting & sleepovers in the high 
school years

The story that springs to mind happened at Fergus High maybe in grade 9 
or 10 ?

Our favorite way to spend noon-hours was playing basketball in the gym

The rules called for boys & girls to get the gym fo noon hours on 
alternate days

– 2 doors leading to gym from boys dressing rooms & girls dressing rooms

– either boys or girls door locked depending on the alternate day

But girls did not often use the gym at noon & Roy had a skeleton key

– so we used it, not sure how many times before we got caught ?

And I was the 1st one to be called into the principle’s office

– Mr. Stewart (or was it Stuart) was an ex 2nd world war army officer 
(very strict & rules based)

– so he grilled me & asked where I got the skeleton key

– and I confessed that Roy had the key

– I was sent home, until further notice 

Then Roy was interviewed … admitted he made the key,

can’t remember when Roy quit high school, but might have been at that time

I don’t imagine Roy ate humble pie & asked to be readmitted

Owen