Phillip Rhodes, Hawkes Bay opera singer, pictured at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere, Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor
Te Aranga Marae Flaxmere has become my new home.
This column provides an opportunity to share the encounters, people and events from the marae and Flaxmere community. I consider this opportunity to be a privilege.
I warn you all, some of these stories will be painful and challenging - but not this one.
Pam and husband Councillor Henare O'Keefe JP QSM. Pam, caretaker and mother of Te Aranga Marae. Henare, Hastings District councillor and ambassador for the U-Turn Trust.
A couple who have fostered more than 200 children.
To gain insight into some of Pam and Henare's achievements look up the Maori TV documentary Phillip Rhodes Actor Singer. Frankly, it's incredibly moving. During this story, Pam describes how she and Henare go to collect five children from one family. Her words were "we had two children and a new-born of our own at the time".
And when we pulled up, these kids were hanging over the gate waiting. They didn't know who was coming to pick them up, they didn't know where they were going. We (Pam shares) just hugged them and said you're coming with us now, we will look after you.
The eldest of the five, Phillip, then 10, describes how it was the first time he felt hope. At one stage in the documentary, Henare describes how he grabs Phillip, gives him a hug and tells him - "Son, I give you permission to be a child. I'm your father now." He shared how it took Phillip 12 months to relax and to be affectionate. I challenge you all to remain dry-eyed during this touching account and applaud Maori TV for such amazing filming.
The low-key Ken Keys, retired drama teacher, was someone who recognised Phillip's talent at an early age. Ken shares that at that time Phillip was part of the culture of improvisation and theatre sports at Havelock High School. It was this culture of theatre sports that provided an opportunity for young people to express themselves in a way that allowed freedom and fun. Ken shared that at that stage Phillip was struggling academically, particularly struggling with his reading and writing.
Ken reflects on the timing of Phillip's exposure to acting. At that time, the Globe Theatre was being built in London. This spawned Globe theatres around the world. It released Shakespeare from the shackles of academia. It allowed vivid and imaginative interpretations.
The Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing was where Ken felt Phillip demonstrated his real ability to act. He also commented that he believes Phillip was able to remember his lines because it was learning through a medium like singing. Phillip won the trophy for best performer.
His singing career started from growing up with the O'Keefe family, karaoke in the pub, to attending singing classes at EIT.
And so an opera singer was born. In 2007, Phillip won the Lexus song contest and was then contacted by Kiri Te Kanawa for an audition. He goes on to sing with Kiri. Phillip tells me he has 139 performances booked this coming year. He now resides in Wales with his wife, Jemma, and two children, Bayley and Logan. Ken Keys shares that what has been great to observe with Phillip is how he has kept his feet on the ground.
Some of us were fortunate enough to attend the U-Turn opera fundraiser at the Mission with Phillip Rhodes, mezzo-soprano Anna Pierard and pianist Catherine Norton. And while some of us may not be opera buffs, everyone I speak to who attended this event is still buzzing.
But of course the opera was only one part of such an amazing evening. Our sponsors who continue to support our efforts through the various programmes U-Turn Trust offers (more on these later). Your generosity is incredibly humbling and we thank you.
So pull up some tissues and stream Phillip Rhodes Actor Singer - A journey. It makes you wonder how many more Phillips are out there.
• Ana Apatu will write a weekly column for Hawke's Bay Today replacing Jacoby Poulain. Ana is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.