What great innings. I have very clear childhood memories of travelling as a family from my parents ( Denis and Noeline) farm at Eketahuna to Weber to stay with Uncle Larry and Aunty Mim.Such a kind man who always thought of others.We still have the old dog kennels that Uncle Larry gave us when he sold the farm, put to good use by the pet lambs !

To all the family my heartfelt condolences. Have known Larry for many years, via Matakana garage, later through Paddy(many many more years) Enjoyed making coffee and a special sandwich for both when they were able to make it to the cafe and visits to them in the rest home. Will be sadly missed xxxxxx

Uncle Larry was simply a wonderful guy. Our family, especially when our children were young, always enjoyed a visit to Larry and Mim up in Warkworth when we first moved to Auckland. We have many memories of time spent at their house or at the local beaches and have lots of photos of our kids (Daniel & Joanna), now in their 30's enjoying time with them many years ago. A very caring man who always thought of others before himself.

Larry, Dad, Grandpa Dad, being from a large family of 6 children was used to a boisterous household. The last time we spoke in person was in 2019, (COVID prevented a more recent visit). He reminisced about the things he enjoyed about our family, also rather boisterous. He recalled we worked together, but particularly he talked about how we laughed a lot and had many happy memories. Dad expressed his love for Mum and how much he missed her. He talked about her a great deal and shared details such as when he first laid eyes on her and how “taken” he was. Theirs was a deep love and a true partnership. Life on the farm was a success because of his partnership with Mum. Dad had the skill to embrace new ideas, then adapt and apply them to the conditions and situation that suited our farm. Mum and Dad conveyed a confidence in their ability to face whatever came our way as a family even the arrival of a baby brother! Who by the way was doted on by all. Dad had many interests: including scouting and staying in touch with his Titoki Troop throughout the years, native birds and plants, and tramping. He was an avid reader, had a keen interest in sports and played several well including tennis, cricket and at some point rugby. Dad also loved diving and was a champion diver in high school. He willingly dove upon request from the high board, a very impressive act as seen through my child eyes. He was on the Motea school board, involved in the Anglican church and in later life took up lathing and then computers through Senior Net. The memory of a parent is different for each child, and grandchild. My memories include; a father and mother who taught me to love life, love reading and learning, to travel, to love flying and exploring new places, to value the land, native birds and plants, explore the world with curiosity and stay open to new ideas and experiences. Dad was always interested and curious about new inventions and what was happening in the world. He would ask with great interest what Jim and I were doing and where we had traveled. He happily came to visit while in his 80’s, traveling alone from Auckland to LA. He loved that Jim’s Dad was a Navy pilot. He always brought up the experience of flying with him in a small private plane and Jim’s Dad letting him take the controls. After moving North, Dad and Mum created a new life in a very different environment that they loved. When Mum passed Dad sold the house and moved into a retirement community down the street. On one of my visits he mentioned to me he had met a lovely lady and he was going to ask her to go for a “paddle” at the beach together. Apparently that line worked and at age 90 Dad and Paddy married and moved in together. They cheerfully partnered, caring and supporting each other during the next phase of their lives and eventually moved together to Amberlea. Dad was very fortunate to have found a new partner to love and we were very grateful.

Been absolutely magnificent having known you for all those years, young Larry Mackissack

(Read out at the funeral) Lawrence or Larry Mackisack was born 18 November 1920, and to put that in context, not too long after the Wright Brothers first powered flight in 1903. The model T Ford was near the peak of its sales in 1920, with the model A still not available until 1927. Larry told us lots of stories and anecdotes over the years. Some of the ones that have stuck in my mind are his memories of seeing the Sydney Harbour bridge still under construction, as a child sailing out of Sydney as the Mackisack family left for their life in New Zealand. The parts constructed at either side of the harbour were at that time not yet meeting in the middle, He mentioned the many houses that the family lived in as a child, with my Grandad having had ‘shell shock’ in the First World War, resulting in their many moves. He often talked of his child hood in a family of six children with huts and ‘wars’ with other ‘gangs’ as they grew up in the Hutt Valley. In his young adulthood he went to ‘Flock House’ to get training to become a farmer. As a city boy it must have been an amazing experience. Trying to get on your horse after someone had loosened the girth was also an experience! In 1947 he led a scout troop to a world jamboree in France. It was a life changing experience for them all and resulted in them having an annual reunion from that point up until the mid-2000’s, when they all decided the travel to meet each other was getting too much. Also in the late 1940’s, he worked with his brother Dennis in the Weber / Waipatiki area cutting scrub, until Dennis was successful in getting some land in the allocation of land that occurred after the war, to ex World War Two soldiers. Larry, after having had his eye blown out in a stump blasting accident on the farm he was working on, was not eligible for this type of property, but with the help of his father was able to get enough money to buy our family farm in Waipatiki. What an amazing feeling it must have been getting a farm of his own! He told us that it was in a bad state after the war. It had scrub re-growth over big parts of it and the fencing was poor. Soon after he took over, he walked the entire boundary fence line of the 760 acres (307 hectares) to check it for the gaps stock could escape from. Larry and Mim were married in 1950. Jo, Louise and Rob were born over the next five year period, with a further ‘accident’ occurring in 1963. Mum had just finished re-training to be a primary school teacher, and so was not too impressed with the timing of my arrival. A remote community like that, over 30 kilometres from the nearest small town, is a special experience to grow up in, even if that time is interrupted when you go off to boarding school. An example of this was the monthly church services we had in a tiny church with a bee hive at one end. Sometimes the buzzing from the bees was louder than the singing. Larry and Mim were both involved with the running of the church including being on Vestry, mowing lawns, helping with cleaning etc, some of the work now not done by parishioners these days. After 35 years on the farm, Larry and Mim retired to Lysnars Road, Matakana in 1985. Looking back now, it was a great move for them. They wanted the opportunity to be close to Uncle Pat and Aunty Jane, both of whom had emigrated from England to Leigh, where Pat worked as a fisherman. Both Pat and Jane had previously been in the police force both in Britain and here, where Uncle Pat had been a traffic cop. Mim and Larry both remained very active, with their main focus being the Op Shop at Matakana, which over a few years when it was trading at its peak, provided a good income for the Church and wider community. After Mim died in 2004, Larry didn’t talk much about it, but took the loss very hard. One of the photos you will see in the slide show is a black and white of them both taken at their engagement. It is very wrinkled as a result of being carried around by Dad after Mum had died. He also used to carry her wedding ring, wearing it around his neck as a necklace. Six years later in 2010, with the help of a small chihuahua-x named Popcorn, Larry was re-married to Paddy Glen. Popcorn was a major catalyst in the relationship, bringing together their shared love of affectionate, but demanding, small pooches. Paddy remains in the hospital care part of Amberlea at present, having recently survived a broken hip while battling RSV at the same time. We are forever grateful that they found each other, even at a late stage in their lives.

My name is Tama Lawrence Ohia, I am Larry’s grandson. I am proud to carry his name. I wish I was there for the service, but I know the ever-pragmatic Lawrence Mackisack would understand. Grandad has been a great role model in my life. He was a strong, hardworking man who lived his life to a clear set of values and I am so fortunate to have had him in my life. As a child we would visit the farm in Limestone Road, Weber. It was a magical place, where my sister Tui and I shared some great childhood memories. Feeding the chickens with Gran, the back of the tractor with Grandad, the smell of the wool shed, gumboots, hedgehogs, motor bikes, sheep dogs, hot water bottles, Asterix comics, Tonka truck toys and Patrick the Labrador. The breakfast table was always set the night before. Bacon and egg omelette, every morning, home cooked biscuits for smoko, lunch was often shearer’s sandwiches. Last night’s lamb, fresh bread, New Zealand butter and Gran’s home-made tomato sauce 😊… Afternoon tea, served at precisely 3:00 PM, was a boiled egg, more biscuits and tea…. The kettle was always on! Dinner was a feast … interspersed between the home cooked meal and the two desserts was a vigorous debate, it was never emotional. Just about anything, except for the big fella upstairs, was open for discussion. The dishes was an all in affair where the debate would often continue and then everyone retired to the living room where the television took centre stage. While the Two Ronnie’s entertained on Channel one, the fire was blaring in a room filled with love and laughter. I loved the pattern of their life, it provided such certainty and comfort. But the greatest thing was to bear witness to the most loving couple I have ever witnessed. Their unconditional love for each other, respect and genuine care and interest in each other’s day was so beautiful. Once when I was staying with them in Warkworth, I witnessed their teamwork in action. Grandad had the weekly specials brochure of both supermarkets laid out on the table. They meticulously went through the brochures together marking out the specials, compiling a list and then off we went to Warkworth where Grandad visited each supermarket buying only the items on special… Of course we strayed from the list to grab a double scoop, hokey pokey from the Dairy… 😊 Now my wife Michelle knows where I get my conscientious spending habits and my sweet tooth😉 Beyond Grandad’s unconditional love and his lifestyle efficiencies, was his eternal positive outlook on life. One day, I told him I had a new computer, he was easily in his 90’s and he started quizzing me on the hardware, CPU capacity…. I think he was a little disappointed that I had no idea. Another time I suggested he should get on Facebook. He didn’t dismiss it, he didn’t disagree, he just asked why and how? This was so typical, he was open to new ideas. They say “Dismissal prior to investigation is the greatest ignorance of all” Grandad never dismissed and he always was open to investigate possibilities. Perhaps that’s why he found love again with Nanny Patty at 91! 😊 We last visited NZ in 2018, my kids, Trent, Estelle and Isabelle loved spending time with him. On our last day in NZ, we had a later flight, I had spent some time with Grandad, the day prior looking through his old photo albums and eating muffins and coffee (Grandad loved a large latte with two sugars!). We decided Michelle would take the kids to visit him. When she got there, he wasn’t there, he had caught a cab and was doing his shopping in the village at 98! We called into Warkworth and sure enough, there he was, with his walker and his shopping list wandering the streets of Warkworth! Thank you Grandad for showing me the importance of respect, love, the power of optimism and the joy of ice cream, lollies and biscuits. Finally I really want to thank Uncle Steve, Aunty Catherine and Uncle Rob for supporting and caring for Grandad over the last period of his life. It gave us all such comfort and confidence to know that he was in such good care. Tama Ohia tama.ohia@gmail.com

Almost 12 years ago Larry came into all of our lives. I remember very clearly the day that Mum rang me in Australia, firstly she asked me if I was sitting down, and then proceeded to tell me the news that Larry had asked her to marry him. They were married a week later! Paddy had not driven to Auckland since she had lost Wally years before, but somehow Larry talked her into driving the two of them down into the city to get their marriage licence. They were advised that normally this process could take up to a month to organise, but I think when the young man saw their respective ages he decided to expedite the process and the licence was delivered to them by courier within a matter of days. Paddy was 83 and Larry was about to turn the grand age of 90 later that year. It was an event that took both of our families a little by surprise at the time and yet in no time it made such perfect sense. I have to say it was one of the most beautiful weddings I had ever attended. So simple and so heartfelt. In the years that followed it was a joy to watch the beautiful love and companionship grow between them both. Larry took such great care of Paddy as he had promised me on their wedding day. This was never more evident than through the many periods of Mums bad health over the years. It was inevitable that we all fell in love with him too.. Larry was truly a gentleman in every way. He was one of the kindest and most caring people I have had the pleasure to know. I don't think I ever heard him complain about anything except maybe his computer on a bad day! A good friend of mine Gaye who owns a cafe in Warkworth still fondly remembers the day Larry came into the cafe to ask where he could possibly buy a box of hankies and chocolates for Paddy. She set him on his way and these were found. Even in only 12 years so many wonderful memories to recount and so many gorgeous moments with this wonderful man. One of our sons Sean has always affectionately referred to Larry as a "Legend". An extremely well deserved title based on his eternal optimism, love of life ,and stories of his early life running his farm with his much loved wife Mim and raising his beautiful family. He never ceased to amaze us with the many stories he shared freely with us and his enormous love for life and his family Today we thank you all for sharing Larry with us and in particular making Paddy feel so warmly a part of your family especially when we were unable to be there. We still can’t believe he is gone as I almost had a feeling that somehow he would manage to outlive us all! We too will miss him so much. We feel your loss and wish you all much love and strength as you farewell this very special man Larry. All our love Paddy, Moi, Michael, Sean, Levi and Robbie

To Stephen , Rob, Lou and Jo , I just read in the Herald that you have lost your Dad. On behalf of the Plowman Family we would like to extend our condolences , please know we are thinking of you all. Larry and Mim were lovely members of our Motea school community as I remember. So sorry for your loss . Best wishes Judith Challis

Mackissack family So sorry to hear of Larry's passing. 100 years has certainly been a magnificent period. I fiesr became involved with Larry and Min on the fram in 1980 and we had a very enjoyable and rewarding time together as they worked through a period of farming system development, culminating in their retirement from and sale of the farm to Peter and Suzs. A very kind and thoughtful man Lots of love Tony Rhodes

To dear Jo, Louise, Robbie and Stephen Sorry to hear of your sad loss. What a privilege for him to reach 100. Often think about you all. Take care Love Maree Nordlof ❤❤❤

Hello Jo, Louise, and old friend Robbie, Sorry to read of Larry's passing. Wow 100 years-what a wonderful life. Tremendous memories of our old scout master, farmer, father, husband farming in the hills near Weber with Mim. You must all be very proud of a wonderful man, and a life well lived. He was a good man. I have fond memories. You will miss him a lot. I am sure he will be alive in your memories for a very long time. Thinking of you all at this sad time. Most Sincerely, Strat Ellingham. 97 Churchill Drive, Taradale, Napier 4112. 027 3388771