Memories of Graham Burke Mayes

Brightwater was his happy place. he was a very popular teacher at the Brightwater School until retirement. My grand daughter attended about 15 years later and teachers still talk fondly of him.

He also had great sense of humour, a fishing line looped thru the toilet overflow pipe onto the flush system would scare many unsuspecting ladies, but only once…he would sneak outside and flush while they were seated! (great fun for a while)

Wakefield was an ideal location for retirement. After building and landscaping their house, and creating his conversation pit, Graham had time on his hands so joined the Wakefield Players theatre group. This provided a ready outlet for his talent as an artist and prop maker. He performed in many productions with enthusiasm and formed great friendships with interesting and like-minded people. I am sure he was a driving force during his involvement with them.

They eventually shifted back to Christchurch and settled in Kaiapoi, about 15k north of Christchurch. We were visiting when the earthquake hit in 2011 Our stationary car was being rocked violently and ground pressure was being forced up thru the ground in small volcano shapes which just kept going and going, bringing up a very fine black sandy mix. (liquefaction) Within an hour the streets were nearly impassable. Although their house was still liveable it was eventually demolished and they moved to a retirement village in Northlands. Christchurch. After Graham's cancer diagnosis, not being car savvy he bought Jeanette a new car and a suitable house which they own in the village.

I took Graham to Ch-Ch hospital a couple of times and was really surprised that so many young people were undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. I know he must have suffered a lot in silence.

When Graham passed my son was very proud to use his1965 Chrysler Valiant Station wagon for the hearse, and took him for a wee drive around Christchurch.

Graham would often walk to Faulkner’s Bush in Wakefield and contemplate life from Jack's seat, which is on a hill overlooking Wakefield. We were very privileged to be part of his memorial service and scattering his ashes.

Graham's stand-out charactistics were honesty, fun teaching and a family man who could laugh at his mistakes or failings---lots of fun to be with.

Written by an old mate, brother-in-law, and partner in mischief.

Frank Griffith 2022

Graham and Jeanette met in 1959 or 1960 and were engaged to be married in 1962. Graham always had a passion to teach and I am sure that his college experiences inspired him to teach at a much higher standard, which I know he did and he was very popular and remembered by pupils and staff long after his retirement from Brightwater School in Nelson.

Following graduation from teachers training college, he was posted to Tuatapere which is a small rural town at the bottom of the South Island as Deputy Primary School Principal at the Waiau District High School, Southland. A very lonely and challenging post for a single new teacher, therefore the wedding plans were bought forward to coincide with the August school holidays which effectively ruled out a honeymoon due to travelling and having to prepare next term's school programme.

Graham had a weakness for boats and cars, which resulted in losing a dingy and motor in Akaroa Harbour which was memorable. In another episode sailing to Bark Bay in the Able Tasman National Park in their trailer sailer, Graham detoured to Kaiieriteri for cigarettes, then resuming his journey the weather roughed up and he, unfortunately, ran out of petrol only 200 meters from shelter. He was eventually towed back to Kaiteriteri and we had to break into their car in Nelson for lights and trailer to bring them home.

Another adventure occurred during a family overnight cruise to Anchorage in the National Park a storm came up overnight ,and I rescued 4 children and both adults who opted to walk out. Later as the weather improved Graham and Peter sailed home.

He was also a keen scuba diver. One sunny day he took a friend who was a beginner scalloping in Tasman Bay. Jeanette was on watch, however his friend ran out of air and had to surface, unfortunately Jeanette was blissfully knitting and looking in the wrong direction, therefore Graham lost his catch bag and tank to get back to the boat. The lost items were never found.

Not being mechanically inclined he tried practicing changing a car wheel in case of punctures. Finding his wheel brace didn’t fit he purchased another one from the local garage and promptly chewed the nut off the plastic trim. Trying to be environmentally friendly the next purchase was a Toyota Prius which proved to be a disaster as they were new to New Zealand and nobody could understand the manuals written in Japanese, and the agents were not helpful. Graham traded the Toyota in on a Mazda, and the dealer received a ticket when Graham was caught crossing the centre line as the ownership a photo showing all 4 wheels on the wrong side of the road!

Written by an old mate, brother-in-law, and partner in mischief.

Frank Griffith 2022

Graham Mayes was a great friend, had a sense of humour, was a talented sketch artist, and certainly a devoted family man.

I really got to know him when we were teenagers, just hanging out, having fun and going to dances. We mostly ended our Saturday nights at the pie cart in Cathedral Square in Christchurch (around 1960) The pie carts were usually a converted old bus, very basic with minimal seating. The kerb side of the bus would lift up like a veranda and usually only serve pies with mashed potatoes, peas and beetroot. We would stand outside to eat, rain hail or cold and foggy.

Graham had his own motorcycle and safety clothing in those days, consisting of gloves, an ex-army great coat, goggles and helmet, a forbidding sight indeed!. One night when riding his brother's “borrowed” motorbike he was stopped by the police. As he was only wearing shorts, sandals and a jersey the officer just looked him up and down, then started laughing! (he was politely told to go home and try to grow up!) NO penalty, but good advice. Another night on the “borrowed” bike he impressed us with his riding skills and demolished Mrs Rae’s front garden.

Some nights we would go to Kerr’s reach eeling in the Avon River. By tipping our pushbikes upside down we could crank the pedals and use the headlight powered by a small generator driven from the rear wheel. When riding at night we had no light when stationary, therefore the faster you pedalled the brighter your headlight would be. We didn’t really have much luck eeling that way, so decided to make a bomb mounted on a small boat, and float it into the river and hopefully stun any eels. Unfortunately, the fuse was too long and eventually exploded under a culvert which magnified the noise. We scarpered home and we all had good alibis for that night. We were also known to push a potato up the exhaust of courting couples' cars, then annoy them until they tried to drive away,…don’t ask why but it was just a bit of harmless mischief.

We were educated at Christchurch Technical College with a variety of what I would call second-rate teachers as the 2nd world war staffing shortages were evident. Graham and I would often go to the Friday lunchtime dances for free. The cost was only 6pence, however, we would sneak past the prefects and if successful, just leave and repeat the process.

Written by an old mate, brother-in-law, and partner in mischief.

Frank Griffith 2022