DION KEOGH
Ka tahi tï, ka rua tï
Ka haramai te patitore
Ka rauna, ka rauna
Ka noho te kiwi kiwi
He pö, he wai, takitaki
Nö pï, nö pá, kahuia mai
Kai ana te whetü
Kai ana te marama
Ko te tio rere ra runga pekapeka
Kotore wiwi wawa te manu ki o tau.
Tihei mauri ora !
Ko te mea tuatahi me whakamoemiti ki te atua, I nana nei e hanga nga mea katoa.
Nga mihi ki te hunga mate, haere, haere, haere atu ra.
Nga mihi nui kia tatou te hunga ora, tena koutou.
Ko te mea tuarua me whakahonore te kingi Maori, Ko Tuheitia me te wharekahuiariki, rire rire hou paimarie.
I roto i tenei mihi, Nga mihi nui tonu kia koutou mo te koha mo taku haerenga ki Oropi me UAE i roto i 2015.
I would like to take the oppourtunity to thank you all for your koha that contributed to my journey to Europe to visit our fallen tupuna from in the 28th Maori battlion last year. The journey consisted of growth all the way through as a person and spiritually. I was able to visit some tupuna from my Ngati Koata, George Katene in Italy, who I had researched about for my trip, and I came across Taka Katene in Crete. I didn't know who Taka was but as I was walking thorugh the beautiful cemetery and his head stone caught my eye and got me to look to my left and thats where I found Taka, knowing that we were connected I placed a piece of argilite in the the dirt of his head stone. That day was the start of my spiritual growth through out the tour with carried on through the very end, helping me to understand in greater depth about how grateful I am for our soldiers not only in the past but also in the pressence. I wasn't able to visit my Elkington uncles who were buried in Tunisia which was cancelled because of safety cautions but I still took the chance to visit George in Italy along with many of my Ngapuhi relatives.
The Tama Tu tour was an experience of a life time retracing the footsteps of the Maori battlion and I hope one day I can go back to visit our tupuna again but if it wasn't for the help of you all then this journey would never have been possible to do. Nga mihi nui kia koutou ano mo te koha mo taku haerenga.
Nga mihi kia koutou ano.
Ma te huruhuru ka rere te manu
Without feathers the bird cannot fly
-Dion Rangitoto Ki Te Tonga Keogh
|