Soldier, musician, lay-preacher – Koro's been there

Tu Tangata, Issue 25, 1 August 1985, Page 59

Soldier, musician, lay-preacher - Koro's been there

A support musician for the late great Prince Tui Teka, a lay missionary for a time in Papua New Guinea, a dirt track racing commentator, and a truck driver by profession is Koro Lyall-Kaho, a Maori living in far north South Australia.

Born in Wairoa, he lived in Ruatoki, Waikirikiri at Papakainga marae. His mother came from Ruatoki. His schooling was spent at Waikaremoana Native School. His youth was spent in Ruatahuna at Fletchers Mill, and Murupara Forestry amongs others. He was drafted into the army in 1964 as part of national service and ended up in Waiouru. Later he was transferred to Papakura Army Camp and trained as a driver. (His adoption mother, Dulcie Lyall is still living at Papakura.)

First overseas service was in Malaya in 1965. He remembers some of the Maori servicemen, at that time, a renowned soldier Windy Macke from Tauranga. He served alongside other friends like Sam Peti in Sarawak, Borneo under Colonel Poananga, who later became Chief of General Staff.

Koro then returned to New Zealand. Tu Tangata spoke to Koro about his experiences which see him now living in South Australia married to an Australian called Elaine, with three children, Natalie, Dri and Duane. “I was truck driving outside of Adelaide last year when a Maori mate said there were some people over from New Zealand at the university. I went over and met them. Among them was Huirangi Waikerepuru and Wena Harawira. It was the first contact I had had with home for a long time.”

TT We was the person who gave me the contact to see you. What did you do after quitting the army?

“I was asked to go to New Guinea as a lay missionary by Reverand Graham Millar, the moderator for the Presbyterian Church at the time. That was before he came to Australia as the Dean of the Melbourne Bible Training Institute. I went to New Guinea to the Christian Leaders Training College in Banz in the Western Highlnads. I had no theological training of any kind. I worked with the native people helping them to translate their languages and found the work fascinating.

“However, I found it ironic that here I was learning their language when I didn’t know my own properly. I mean I could speak my mother tongue but couldn’t explain it to others so as to teach them.

“I finished up at the mission in 1967 and went to work for Bouganville Copper in New Guinea. I landed in Cairns, Australia around 1970 and drove buses for Greyhound Coaches between Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton and Brisbane.

“At this time in Queensland I tried to get back into the culture with a woman originally from Waimana, called Hani Dewes. We were asked by local Maoris to provide some action songs and that sort of thing. We formed a group called Te Kowhaitanga.

“At the same time I had my own professional music group, Pacific Sounds. My friend Nuki Walker also had a group down the coast and quite often we would help each other out with gigs, places to play.

“We also had a culture group, Te Awhina in Brisbane. One of the young men was great at mau rakau, you know, the taiaha, the wahaika. His great yearning was to learn maori. Another was from up Kaitaia way, she specialised in the poi, both the double long and short. With the singing there was a wife and husband team from Rotorua, Joe and Jan Maika.

“We specialised in Polynesian music rather than the rock stuff that everyone was asking for because we knew what we were doing and knew how to go about it. We had the pleasure of welcoming such groups as Waihirere to Australia. At the time Ngapo Wehi was their leader and I still treasure a plaque presented to me with their Gisborne coat of arms on it.

“Te Aranga was another group that came over here from Tauranga, Bob Rawiri’s group”. (It was at this time that Koro worked with Prince Tui Teka as a supporting musician.)

TT What work are in involved in now?

“I’m presently inbetween jobs. I'm trying to get a position as safety officer with the mining company I drive for. I do a bit of radio work with the National Country Music Association, the car club and sporting fixtures around here. “It’s pretty isolated here, being about six hours from Adelaide by road and about two hours to the nearest city, Port Augusta.” Koro spoke of feeling isolated also from his mother tongue and news from home, and is an avid subscriber to Tu Tangata. Tena koe e koro mo to pitopito korero. Hei awhina i a matou kite whakamana i nga tikanga Maori no nga tupuna.