Farewell to fun-loving, generous soul

Michael Kenneth Riordan was born on 26 January 1945 at the Tākaka Cottage Hospital. His colourful 78 years of life was recently celebrated at the Upper Tākaka Country Club, after he died on 26 March 2023 following an accident.

Mick was the seventh in what was to be a large family of 14 Riordan children. He was a quiet, shy lad, often lost in the crowd at Tākaka School.

At 15 years old, Mick left school and worked on the family farm in Uruwhenua until he was called up to the army for National Service in his early twenties. He trained in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment with the rank of Private, going to Fiji for the final part of his stint.

Back on the farm, Mick spent his spare time hunting up the Kill Devil Track and loved getting into the back country with mates. They built a hut at Lake Stanley, aptly called the “Smoky Drip”. It was a pretty rough affair, but served the purpose of providing shelter for anyone who needed it. His love affair with the back country never waned and in later life he still flew by helicopter with mates to hunt and just be with nature.

JOYCE WYLLIE

Another love of Mick’s was country music, collecting a wide range of LPs spanning from Slim Dusty to Jim Reeves and everything in between.

Mick didn’t have academic qualifications, but he had a practical mind and a logic that not many understood. He worked hard on the Uruwhenua farm, milking cows, or putting up a new sheep fences, and running a team of dogs.

Many people remember Mick for his enjoyment of socialising. He needed to mix with people away from the farm, so the Rat Trap became his second home. He was found there every night of the week except Tuesday and Thursday, when he played table tennis. When his dad argued that too much farm diesel was being used driving up the valley, Mick replied “that he would never let the farm interfere with his social life”. Sometimes he served behind the bar, but because his education and maths skills were limited, he sold everything for a dollar.

Mick remained single until late in his thirties, when he met Margaret Wilson playing pool at the Rat Trap. His family always thought he would be a bachelor, with brother Jeff confidently claiming that “if Mick gets married, I will eat one of the hats the locals had on”. A dirty hat was presented on a plate at Mick and Margaret’s Upper Tākaka wedding reception. Jeff still comments that “marrying Margaret was the best thing Mick ever did”. Mick became stepfather to two teenagers, Eileen and Andrew, and loved family life.

After getting married in 1983, they worked on various farms before coming back to the Uruwhenua block, which they leased from the family. When the decision was made to sell the family farm, they purchased one of the back blocks. There they ran a few head of stock, cut firewood, built a home off the grid, and lived there very happily for a few years. After Margaret died, Mick sold the block to a beekeeper, who ironically planted mānuka trees in the same places that Mick had cut them for firewood a few years before. A new chapter began in Mick’s life when he purchased a home in Upper Tākaka village.

On his own again, he refined his new love of winemaking. Mick would try to make wine out of pretty much anything, ranging from the obvious berries and fruit, to the not-soobvious, like barberry and fodder beet. He became good at it, winning numerous prizes at the Tākaka A&P Show. Mick shared wine at family events and Jeff wondered what the alcohol content was, as no other wine ever tasted the same after Mick’s, because “our taste buds had fallen asleep”.

Another passion Mick had was the old Farmall tractor, bought new by his dad and Uncle Fred back in the 1950s. Mick restored it to its former glory and was very proud to drive it in the grand parade at the Tākaka shows.

In the last few years, Mick dealt with an assortment of health issues, but determination helped him get through. After losing his driver’s license, he remained mobile on his side-by-side, enabling him to continue socialising and enjoying life. Tributes to Mick from those who knew and loved him summed up that he was “a fun-loving, generous person”, “a simple soul with no hang-ups”, and someone said, “I feel that we can all take a leaf out of his playbook”.