Pocket Memoirs
Pocket Memoirs
The Pocket Memoir is our budget service for those who wish to concentrate on a specific period of their lives, for instance their childhood or a war story. It is for those who do not wish to embark on a full Life Story book or family history.
A Pocket Memoir involves three interviews of two-hours’ duration in the comfort of the person’s home. The material is lightly edited, and the Pocket Memoir is printed on beautiful paper with photos to illustrate the story. These compact books are cherished by families
My Life on the Marae
Mona Tuhiwai-Kingi
with M L de Jong
Mona Tuhiwai-Kingi was given the keys to Te Puea Memorial Marae in Māngere Bridge in 1979 and more than fifty years later she is still there. Mona grew up in remote rural settlements in Northland and her move to the city is part of a wider story of the urbanisation of Māori. At the marae she has worked tirelessly in the kitchen to feed sports teams, the nation’s leaders, overseas travellers, whanau and the homeless. Mona tells her story in her own words with honesty, warmth and humour.
175 x 130 mm, 75 pages
Cost: $30
email: maria@lifestories.co.nz
Stephen’s Story
by Rochelle Sewell
Sometimes a generation must go by before a story can be told. Stephen Muir Tietjens was a RNZAF pilot, one of the brave young airmen whose sacrifice helped Allied powers prevail in World War II. As captain of a Stirling bomber, he joined daring raids to strike at the heart of German industry and cripple Hitler’s advance. The risks of flying were tremendous. Bad weather or mechanical trouble could be as fatal as combat, and bailing out by parachute was more of a prayer than certainty. Stephen’s bomber was hit by Messerschmitt flak over Dortmund and he went down with his plane. He was twenty-six years old. For his family only time could ease the loss. Now, many decades later, this book is his nephew and namesake’s tribute to his uncle’s memory and valour.
210 x 145 mm, 50 pages
Cost: $30
email: maria@lifestories.co.nz
Notes from a Random Traveller
Peter Vautier with P J McKay
A postage stamp from Oman helped spark Peter Vautier’s curiosity about the world as a boy, and a career in engineering was his gateway to discovering far flung destinations in China, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and South America. With a no-frills, easygoing attitude and the blessings of a cast-iron stomach, he mingled with the locals and jumped at any chance for adventure that came his way. His eye was his camera, always alert to unique scenes and details. At a time when such journeys could be complicated if not downright dangerous, Peter was up for the challenge, and the tales he collected for this book were the best possible souvenirs.
175 x 130 mm, 178 pages
Cost: $42
email: maria@lifestories.co.nz
Anne Finch
by Janine Ogier
Anne’s Pocket Memoir describes her early life, beginning with her childhood in Soest, The Netherlands, and her experience as a teenager under Nazi occupation during World War II. Food was scarce at the end of the war and Anne recalls her mother exchanging her gold watch and some jewellery for a sack of potatoes. As a young woman Anne travelled by ship to New Zealand to meet up with her future husband Wouter Finch, who had emigrated. It was 1952 and Queen Elizabeth II was visiting when Anne’s ship docked in Wellington. Anne remembers the harbour was ‘absolutely like a fairy land’ as the ships were all lit up. ‘Why didn’t people tell me it was so beautiful here?’ she asked. The couple settled in New Zealand and raised eight children.
210 x 145 mm
Cost: $40
email: maria@lifestories.co.nz
‘Janine popped over yesterday for a coffee and to drop off the gorgeous booklets. I am so delighted . . . I am very happy with the process and memorable outcome.’
– Esther Vallance, daughter of Anne Finch.
Truly Enjoyed the Process of Telling His Life Story
Dad was a great storyteller and he liked to share his stories – often! Maria was a great listener and interpreted Dad’s memories in such a caring and thoughtful way, but also researched the history of the times he was talking about. So it really is a great record of an immigrant and his wife who bravely came to New Zealand in the ‘60s with their young family of seven children – with two more to come! We now have a record of some of these memories not just for his 9 children but more importantly for his 23 grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well. This was really brought home to us in 2025 when Dad sadly passed away. How special it is that we all have his Pocket Memoir for generations to come. The biggest benefit of all, though, was how much Dad truly enjoyed the process of telling his life story to Maria. I think it made him feel valued and interesting as a person, two feelings that can perhaps get overlooked when we get older and health issues seem to take a front seat.
– Siobhan Redmond (Joe Kelly’s daughter)
A Pocket Memoir can also document an ancestor’s life, for example Sid’s War (pictured).
Sid’s War
by Maria de Jong
This is not a tale of heroism in the trenches of World War I but of survival. Seven hundred kilometres of trenches wound through France and Belgium from the Swiss border to the North Sea, a daunting prospect for any soldier let alone a 16-year-old farm boy from Manuwatu. Sid Stanfield describes ‘going over the top’, blundering through mud, weighed down by eighty pounds of equipment, ordered to ‘charge’ under machine gun fire while 12-pounder guns lobbed shells from behind. It was an impossible task and he knew it. Whether it was luck or skill, Sid proved to be adept at avoiding death. Wounded four times and gassed, he survived what has been dubbed New Zealand’s ‘Blackest Day’ at the Battle of Passchendaele when 843 men lost their lives. This is Sid’s story.
210 x 145 mm, 80 pages, maps and photos
Cost: $30
email: maria@lifestories.co.nz
WHY YOUR STORY MATTERS
Your memories, experiences and history matter. Let us help you preserve them in a beautifully written and crafted book that can be shared for generations to come.