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30 January 1946 – 28 November 2022
The death of Judith Williams on November 28 has left a void in the Puhoi community that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. Although Judith had many interests in her life, nothing came close to her devotion to her faith and to Puhoi. There has hardly been an organisation or event formed or held in Puhoi in the past 50 years that Judith was not involved in. From welcoming Bohemian descendants to keeping the community informed about motorway road closures, she was a tireless communicator and, as Puhoi Forum chair Paul Manton put it, “she was without a doubt the ultimate volunteer”.
Judith was a proud Bohemian descendant of the Pittners, who left Pilsen on the War Spirit and arrived in Puhoi in 1863. She spent her early years in Auckland, but then the family moved temporarily to a bach in Waiwera when she was five. She attended the Puhoi Convent School for a year, where she met Father Skinner, the legendary parish priest of the time, for whom she had great respect. That first school year established and reinforced her sense of belonging to the Puhoi community, and Father Skinner remained an influential person throughout her life.
Although the family eventually returned to Auckland, every school holiday was spent at Waiwera, where Judith was given the freedom to explore the bush and the beach, and connect with the Puhoi parish.
The Bohemian families often met at Sunday Mass and friendships were strong and enduring.
After finishing school, she did an arts degree, specialising in German, and followed that with a Master’s Degree. She then attended the Catholic teachers training college. Her first teaching position was in Papakura, but it wasn’t long before she was ready to spread her wings and embark on her OE. She moved to Germany, where she became fluent in German, and taught English in Oldenburg. During this time, she was introduced to opera, which became a lifelong interest.
She was to become an avid traveller, venturing to Africa several times, where she visited children she had sponsored through World Vision, as well as through Asia and the Pacific. She regularly visited Samoa and when she found a local church and school that needed computers, she sourced some unused IT resources in NZ and arranged for them to be sent over. It was very much part of her nature that travel was an opportunity to meet new friends. However, friends attest that she was not always the easiest travel companion, as her enthusiasm to talk to people, and talk some more, and talk some more, meant keeping to timetables could be challenging.
It was while in Germany that she bought the river-side land in Puhoi that was to become her permanent home. The sale was done sight unseen, on the advice of a respected uncle, and the sale price was just $9000.
Judith continued to teach English as a Second Language when she returned to NZ, with a short spell at AUT and private lessons for people from a non-English background. She taught at Rodney College for several years, before taking up a journalism opportunity at the Rodney Times. She specialised in covering rural news, and got to know the wider Rodney community. She loved this chapter in her life and became friends with many rural people as she reported their activities and enterprises. She later worked for Valley Voice and, up until recent weeks, was still writing a column for Mahurangi Matters. Her interest in journalism motivated her to write Puhoi Remembers, published in 1981, and It Takes a Whole Village, published in 2013.
On her own property she raised sheep, hens, fruit, vegetables and herbs, as well as dabbling in some winemaking. Her friends remember the results sometimes resembling a good vintage vinegar. She lived without electricity or a phone for many years, and never owned a mobile phone.Judith was keen to maintain village traditions especially at Christmas. Many remembered her annual Christmas Eve hospitality with port and Christmas cake in her home before Christmas Carols and Mass.
And she loved the years when a group would travel around the gravel roads on the back of a truck, driven by then Puhoi resident and weather man Jim Hickey, to sing carols for older residents.
Judith was a founding member of the Puhoi Historical Society, the Puhoi Forum and the Puhoi Market.
She was also supportive of the river park project, which is being planted and will be kept for the Puhoi community in perpetuity. She was recognised for her significant community service in 2014 when she was awarded the Queens Service Medal.
Judith died of cancer, leaving behind brother Stephen. Her funeral service was held at her beloved St Peter and St Paul Catholic Church in Puhoi on December 2.
Thanks to Kate Shevland for her significant contribution to this article.
