Mother Farewells Daughter

Te Ao Hou, September 1963, Page 10

Mother Farewells Daughter by Tangiora Hatherall Carol looked anxiously up at her mother seated squarely on the green railway seat, looking sad and extremely worried, and she knew that in her two weeks at Frisay's holiday camp, not one hour would pass without her mother worrying for her. Well mother had to understand that she was growing up, that she would leave one day and make a living for herself! And that at 17 she was quite capable of looking after herself, if given the chance. Goodness, didn't her mother realize she was growing up! But then in any mother's eyes her daughter never grows up! Perhaps if she didn't go now, she would never find the strength to leave her mother in the future. She had to go! Now! Search as she could she was unable to find a way to convince her mother she would be all right. After all Frisay's was well known. She would only be away for two weeks. The way her mother was carrying on anyone would think it were two years! If only her mother would stop crying! Or was this her last plea, that she shouldn't go. No, she would find the strength from somewhere to lock out her mother's tears. She had to be strong! She had to go! She had to prove to herself and to her mother she could live without her. Wasn't it time she made decisions for herself? Wasn't it her own life? What could she say? Her mother in a weak trembling voice moaned, ‘My little girl, going away for two weeks! Two whole weeks away from me! Oh dear! Who's going to look after you? Who's going to cook you healthy meals? Who's going to see you get to bed early. You'll be kept up too late. I just know you'll get ill! Promise me you'll go to bed early! Oh dear! Oh dear! My poor little girl!’ She panted furiously, regaining her breath. Forcing herself to go on, through great sobs she found the strength to crush her daughter to her huge motherly body. ‘You'll look after yourself, won't you dear?’

Embarrassed, she broke away, wishing her mother would stop crying and “going on”. Suddenly she found herself wanting to get away from her mother. She wished the train would hurry and come. Once she was aboard and speeding away she would be free! Perhaps in those coming two weeks she will know life. Perhaps after the two weeks had been folded away with time, her lonely, worried mother would see her daughter no longer a baby but a grown woman, one to whom she could unfold and share her troubles, seek her help, talk to her as to another woman, and know a different happy feeling of togetherness. • Plans are being made to raise finance for a £25,000 Maori community centre in Rotorua. A committee, elected at a Ohinemutu meeting, is negotiating for the purchase of a section in Te Ngae Road. It is provisionally known as the Te Aohou Maori Community Centre, and will be open to Europeans as well as Maoris. The project has the backing of all the tribes in the district.