Waiheke resident Norman Stephens is launching his book Normz Waiheke Stories at the Waiheke Retirement Village, Natzka Road on Friday 9 Dec at 2pm. The book takes readers on a walk down memory lane while describing Norman’s life back in the day.
Sitting at his dinner table at home in the retirement village, Norman is reading the sports news, with footballer Lionel Messi’s photo on the cover, using his magnifier reading glass.
“This thing is great. It works great with newspapers, not with books so much, but it does the trick,” says Norman.
He describes himself as a sociable sports aficionado who likes to keep himself busy.
Norman then holds up his book, explaining all the elements on its cover and why he chose them.
The cover contains typical Waiheke elements like a pōhutukawa branch, a bottle of wine, a boat, the island’s map and the bright blue of the moana.
“I designed it myself,” says Norman. “I wanted it to represent Waiheke and me. The bottle of wine represents my years of home brewing.”
A few years back, before the lockdown, village manager Libby Kruis told Norman to write some stories about Waiheke.
“It started with six short stories, but by the time I knew it, they became 22,” says Norman. “I started sharing my stories around the village and got good feedback from the people here. That encouraged me to make a book. Then lockdown struck, and I felt I had to get on with it.” • Silvia Massa
Full story in this week’s Gulf News… Out Now!!!
