While Christmas is a time for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and a time for celebrating family, I want to take this time to acknowledge those families who have lost family members this year.
This struck home for me Christmas morning when my neighbour and good friend William Tasman Handley died after a short battle with cancer. Affectionately know to all who knew him as Tasman, the McDowell St resident was an icon of our neighbourhood.
Originally from Taumarunui, he moved to Rotorua with his lovely wife Colleen in 1968 and raised their three children Bill, Elaine and Kelvin. A builder by trade, Tasman helped maintain many of the schools around the Bay of Plenty and was always the first to lend a hand in our neighbourhood whenever someone needed maintenance help on their home.
Tasman was 86 when he lost his battle with cancer. Even up until earlier this year the old warrior could be seen climbing a ladder at his two-storey home putting double glazing on his windows.
Often I would look out my window and see Tasman standing out on the street as if on guard and if council workers turned up to do maintenance Tasman was the first out there telling them where cables, water lines and any other utilities were on our street. Tasman was like many great people within our city - an unsung hero and a bloke who I will miss dearly.
