Saturday, July 06, 2013

Witi Ihimaera's Korero for friend and literary agent extraordinaire Ray Richards


Ka tangi te titi, ka tangi te kaka, ka tangi hoki ahau, tihei mauri mate. He mihi tuatahi ki te kuia Barbara, Bron korua a Niki, nga mihi aroha me manaaki e tiaki ki a koutou, te whanau pani, mo to papa kua haere ki te Po.
     Tatou katoa nga rangatira, nga iwi, nga hoa haramai ki tenei poroporoaki ki a Ray, tena tatou.

     Hello everybody. I've been asked by the family to speak on behalf of all Ray's writers, some of you are here today.

     Geoff Walker has already referred to the fact that it was Barbara who said to Ray back in 1976 while he was still working for Reeds in Wellington, "I don't know about you, but I'm moving to Auckland. Do you want to come with me?" Weren't we fortunate that she said that?

     As many of you men will know, when it comes to wives its often a case of  "They say we do," and so Ray left publishing and set up the Ray Richards Literary Agency and Ray Richards Publisher in January 1977. It was the first literary agency in New Zealand and at the time Ray must have been 56, which just goes to show that he was reaching his prime when the rest of us are, well, looking to retire to that bach by the beach if we don't already have a house in Devonport.
 No wonder that one of the citations for an award he received read:
     "If we all had your energy, enthusiasm and hard working brain the country's financial problems could be solved."

     I always called Ray, "Young man." He was absolutely indefatigable and his agency went on to represent an incredible number of writers and illustrators, a veritable "Who's Who" of New Zealand literature: Mona Anderson (author of "A River Rules My Life"), Terry Barrow, the wonderful Dorothy Butler, Don Stafford, Pam and John  Salmon, Robyn Belton, Barry Crump (Ray actually finished writing one of his books for him), Edmond Bohan, Geoff and Lynette Moon, Tom Bradley, Joy Cowley, Betty and Alan Gilderdale with their "The Little Yellow Digger" titles, Lynn Kreigler, Elaine Knox-Thompson, Pauline Cartwright, Suzanne Dickens, Fiona Kidman (she was the one who introduced me to the Richards agency), Maurice Gee (the greatest New Zealand author living today), Trevor Pye, Alan Trussell-Cullen, Wade Doak, John Parker, Lawrie Metcalf, Buddy Mikaere, Diana Noonan, Susan Harrison-Tustain, Richard and Pamela Wolfe, Julie Biuso, Graham Meadows and Kim Westerskov. 
I am sorry if I have missed some of you out, if you are here today...but hasn't it been wonderful to be, all of us, Ray's writers?

     I think Tessa Duder speaks for all of us when she says, "It was a relationship built on trust, respect and love of books. He treated every one of his large stable of writers with equal skill, wisdom and shrewdness, and I believe publishers and, in recent years, screen producers, saw him as tough but pragmatic, always seeking the best outcomes for his clients." Indeed, I loved to have the young man with me in the many negotiations that he did on my behalf. There was a particular meeting which included some young bureaucrats who didn't know who he was and just saw this silver-haired man with baby blue eyes sitting benignly in the corner but...as soon as Ray started to speak, I saw their jaws drop and the look on their faces told it all: We are screwed.

     Ray, you were a true rangatira and we have been proud to have belonged to your tribe of writers, literary colleagues and friends. You were one of the poutokomanawa, central posts supporting New Zealand culture and enabling it to flourish. On my part, I shall miss having my squadron leader out there in front guiding me, it's going to be difficult not seeing you there.

      E te papa, haere ki nga tipuna e tatari ana kei muri i te tatau pounamu o te Po. Haere atu ra kei tua o te arai, kei runga o te aka ki Rangiatea ki o hakai Hine nui i te Po. Moe mai ra i te moengaroa, haere, haere, haere atu ra.

     I would be grateful if you could all join in the waiata now. Its a well known love song that we'll be singing for Barbara. I'll sing the verse and those who know the chorus, which we will sing twice, please join me.

     Po karekara ana, na wai o Waitemata, whiti atu koe e hine, na ringa ana e. E hine e hoki mai ra, ka mate ahau ki te aroha e.

     Na reira apiti hono tatai hono te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. Apiti hono tatai hono te hunga ora katoa, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.=

Footnote:
Thanks to Witi for making his korero available to me to share on the blog.

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