Annual newsletter

Christmas letter from the Walker’s in Napier

Usually around January we think about sending out our Christmas letter, so today I am doing it on Christmas eve eve! Isn’t it great to be organised!. But now it is after new year and I haven’t sent out any. O well here is the Low down on the Walker’s this year.

The year started with a high - our 25th Wedding anniversary. We went to Tutukaka and went diving at the poor knights island plus a holiday - it was great.

We have been in Taradale now for 11 years and in many ways this has been our hardest year. At the end of 2008 Brett completed a ½ Iron man event and so was feeling fit but in 2009 he struggled to find motivation to cycle or run. Needing a new goal - we plan to walk the Milford track and Cycle the rail trail in April 2010.

Overall Brett struggled and in October crashed with exhaustion and near burnout - I had a month off and have felt so much better after that. I quit 3 of my 6 extra responsibilities (Chairman of the Tertiary Chaplaincy Trust, chairman of the Presbyterian Campsite Committee, Chairman of the Napier food bank trust (I am still a trustee)) and am looking to end my responsibility early 2010 to the 2 Parishes I am Interim Moderator for (That means Supervising Minister when there is no resident minister.) I am trying to focus just on our church. As I said to our leaders - the trouble with all the extras I had taken on - I enjoyed them and felt like I was making a difference. We have had some good successes at the church during the year. Our monthly family services have taken off, the After school programs have developed in number, the youth group is thriving...

Sue has also had a challenging year (besides keeping me on the straight and narrow). They have been restructuring her work at the International centre at EIT and she often feels like there is too much work to do and not enough time or support to do it. Change always brings tension to a work place and while Sue is keen to see some things change it hasn’t been easy. She continues to enjoy walking the dog and card making and the garden looks amazing (she has green thumbs.) She also enjoys leading the Operation Friendship group here in Napier and helping with Youth Group at church (but is taking some time off YG in 2010) She has some good friends so she is happy. She is often on the phone for hours to her sister or parents in Nelson or friends around the country or here.

We have had 4 home stay students again this year and they have now all gone home for the year so it is just Sue and I and Paul and David. Both boys have flatted together in our house in Dunedin and have been getting on well. We have had Paul (eldest son) home from Dunedin (at Otago University doing some more Computing papers and hopes to do a Post Grad Diploma in Computing at Victoria in 2010) David also returned to University - the first semester he did Accounting via Open Polytechnic and the second he was on campus at Otago. He passed well and loves living in Dunedin. He turned 21 in July and so we had a holiday in Nelson so we could share the event with Him and his grandparents Paul’s hot news is his serious relationship with Mary. She is a University Student originally from Gisborne so they & David travelled up from Dunedin together and her family came down and we met them which is nice. David returns in Early Jan to do some summer school papers and Paul continues to work for me at the Christian Bookshop till mid Feb. The boys have been attending the “Blue Lagoon” church in Dunedin (NEV Presbyterian) and have hosted a home group at their flat. (So at least it gets cleaned once a week!)


Next year we are both looking forward to a year of high excitement and adventure and we wish you all good times, good friends and the blessings of a good God.



Brett & Sue Walker



Contact Details
Brett Walker
16a Rata St Taradale, Napier

Home Email brettjw@orcon.net.nz
Office Email brettjw@xtra.co.nz
Phone HM: (06) 8442256
Office: (06) 8445004
Cell: 027 408 3658