When Dr. Ted Gillies and I arrived in Levin to join Dr. Jim Thompson in
General Practice we realized that it was imperative that we took an interest
in horses. The Levin Races were being run on this particular weekend. And
Jim persuaded us to go. “It is just a family outing” he said. So I bought a
beautiful new hat with red roses round the crown.
Well at 8.30 AM on that lovely Saturday morning Ted was called down to
Otaki Maternity Home to deliver a baby. 12 noon arrived and still no Ted.
So I decide to wear my HAT around the house.
At 3.30PM Ted returned from Otaki. SO that was our one and only
DAY at the RACES.
Mr Laurie Robert who was a Mayor of Levin at the time was a patient of
Dr. Ted Gillies. And on one occasion when he had visited the surgery he was
tempted on his way out to pick up a lovely looking apricot from our drive.
“I will have this one on the Doc” he told us afterwards. Getting into his car
he decided to have a bite of the ill-gotton fruit.
The Mayor confessed later that it was the most bitter mouthful he had ever
tasted. The apricot looking fruit had fallen from our flowering almond tree.
And you know what they taste like!!!
I don’t suppose many Levin people are acquainted with the fact that Dr. Ted
Gillies was instrumental in acquiring the permission from the Maori owners
of Lake Horowhenua for sailing, rowing, and Sea Cadets etc.
Ted made dozens of trips to Wellington to meet with the Muaupoko iwi.
Time and time again he would return home so frustrated because one
Member was not present or available and another date would be set.
Ted would often return home only to find that he had to turn around and go
back to Otaki as fast as possible to deliver a baby. There were no cell phones
in those days.
Dr. Gillies also formed the Levin Branch of the Navy League, which made
it possible to have a Sea Cadet unit in Levin. It was imperative that they
had the Lake for training.
Ted was President of the Sailing Club for many years and our two sons had
P Class yachts which they used to tow behind their bicycles all the way to the
Lake each time they wanted to sail. They still tell me what a long hard ride it
was up the Queen Street rise.
