When Waipukurau man Jose Araus had a heart attack, it got him thinking. He wanted to leave a legacy behind.
But Araus’ idea of a legacy looked a little different. Instead of telling his story he wanted to share those of others in a documentary series.
“It wasn’t about me any more, it was about leaving something for people to watch and learn from.”
Araus said there was one particular person he had in mind for his doco-series, and it was during a visit to Pukeora Estate, he ran into Cefyn Gauden.
Cefyn, pronounced Kevin, Gauden is a 73-year-old artist and musician who was formerly his teacher at Central Hawke’s Bay College in the late 1990s.
Araus said Gauden had a profound impact on him during his time at high school.
“All of a sudden this teacher comes out of nowhere and he has got these really colourful ideas.”
In January, Gauden was given two to three months left to live, having battled prostate cancer since 2012 that spread into his bones and liver.
Araus’ film, Edge of Bardo, explores Gauden’s journey with cancer, his life as an artist and musician, and his passions for motorcycles and golf.
“We talked a lot about what it’s like to be told you have cancer, and how I have dealt with things getting worse,” Gauden said.
Now in palliative care, Gauden said he wasn’t afraid of dying, rather he was anxious about leaving his family and good friends and said the documentary would help.
He said he had been passionate about painting since he was young, having exhibited in New Zealand, New York and London. He completed drama school in South Wales, and a four-year degree in fine art in Brighton before he taught art in Devon and later moved to Waipukurau as head of art at Central Hawke’s Bay College.
He said his “language as a painter” focused on the elements of rhythm, movement, pattern and colour dynamic.
“I paint because I need to paint, I don’t try to please anybody else.”
He was surprised and honoured when Araus came to him with the idea to tell his story.
“Jose and his brother were top photography students and they were in my 1st XI football team and generally awesome students,” Gauden said.
He said one message he wanted to share through the documentary was for men to be proactive with their health.
″The message is there to be positive and proactive."
The documentary will be shown at the Civic Theatre in Waipukurau on February 24, with a ticket cost of $15 per person.
Ticket sales close this Thursday, at the end of the day, for catering purposes.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
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