People of Avondale x Tim D

As our suburb continues to grow and change, we wanted to capture some of the people of Avondale, including one who has lived all of his 80 years here. We were honoured to meet with them in places special to them, like their homes surrounded by memorabilia and accolades, or their church. 

This project was a collaboration between local photographer TimD and I Love Avondale with support from Lyss Betham, and is displayed on Great North Gallery and on our social media as People of Avondale profiles.

Click each image below to read their full stories.

“I moved to NZ from Zanzibar and settled in Avondale in 2014, after completing my Masters in Computer Systems and Networking in the Ukraine and Business Management and Administration from Tanzania. Even though I had all these qualifications, it was r

“I moved to NZ from Zanzibar and settled in Avondale in 2014, after completing my Masters in Computer Systems and Networking in the Ukraine and Business Management and Administration from Tanzania. Even though I had all these qualifications, it was really hard to get a job without having any NZ experience. I couldn’t even find volunteer work so I started looking around locally at things different groups were doing.”

“Growing up in a musical family, I was always surrounded by music. My Dad is a DJ so I was influenced by him. I started off producing, making beats but then I thought I’d give DJing a go because Dad would travel lots for work and get paid to do somet

“Growing up in a musical family, I was always surrounded by music. My Dad is a DJ so I was influenced by him. I started off producing, making beats but then I thought I’d give DJing a go because Dad would travel lots for work and get paid to do something he loved. He said “Put your heart into those turntables and you’ll travel the world for free”.”

“We started the St Marys Samoan Community with other families in Avondale, where we intertwined our culture and religion, and reclaimed the village based lifestyle that came naturally to us in Samoa. We made lifelong friendships with many because we

“We started the St Marys Samoan Community with other families in Avondale, where we intertwined our culture and religion, and reclaimed the village based lifestyle that came naturally to us in Samoa. We made lifelong friendships with many because we started a platform that allowed Catholic Samoan families in Avondale to come together as one.”

Rod McLeay was born in a maternity hospital on Roberton Rd in 1944. He was raised on Highbury St, and in 1967 he bought the house next door to his childhood home, which was the same year Valentine, his wife of 26 years, moved to NZ from the UK. That

Rod McLeay was born in a maternity hospital on Roberton Rd in 1944. He was raised on Highbury St, and in 1967 he bought the house next door to his childhood home, which was the same year Valentine, his wife of 26 years, moved to NZ from the UK. That means he was literally born and raised in Avondale and has lived on the same street for 8 decades!

“Julia and I met in Cambridge where I was working in a hotel and Julia was working to improve her english. We fell in love and came back to New Zealand with our baby girl and bought our first house in Avondale. The house itself was built in Freemans

“Julia and I met in Cambridge where I was working in a hotel and Julia was working to improve her english. We fell in love and came back to New Zealand with our baby girl and bought our first house in Avondale. The house itself was built in Freemans Bay in the 1890s and transported to Avondale in the early 1900s.”

"My journey with Avondale Wolves began when I took my daughter, Tuvira, to play for the Under 6s in 1983. At the time, Rugby League was seen as a ‘boys’ game but when my daughter finally got a chance to play, the coaches did not want to take her off.

"My journey with Avondale Wolves began when I took my daughter, Tuvira, to play for the Under 6s in 1983. At the time, Rugby League was seen as a ‘boys’ game but when my daughter finally got a chance to play, the coaches did not want to take her off. She was dynamite! I was a coach, player and committee member for Avondale Wolves. I’ve coached many kids back in the day, including Karmichael Hunt, Tony Tatupu and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad; whose Dad also played with me at Avondale Wolves. I knew the father of Kat Saifiti, (current manager of the Avondale Wolves) Trevor Saifiti, very well."