Feb 2001

Malley-Mate Data Sheet
Name: Mike
Approx Age: R.I.P.
Nationality: Kiwi
This page updated May 2008
Mike was the first friend I made in New Zealand outside of the school where I taught. There is a slight catch though: his wife, Kathy, taught with Gail. They were this amazing couple, just back from Canada. Mike was a very laid back dude, who was teaching himself to adz furniture out of native timber. The first time we went to there place he served up a most excellent Christian Brothers pinot noir and I knew then that I liked him. It became a Friday night ritual to get together over a bottle of red. They took us camping on Lake Taupo in December that first year and it became an annual adventure for both families (they had Lia just months after we had David) to go camping at Kauaeranga Valley near Thames, with a stop at SYC Vineyards to get a Totara Gold, which we chilled in the creek next to the tents. Over the years Mike's business, West 20th Designs, grew out of that first garage to larger and larger workshops with display rooms. I helped with a couple of those moves and in the very early days - it always included a salvaged kauri staircase. I even helped out in the shop. In 1980 he went wild over newly introduced kebabs. In 1987 he lost a fingertip to a buzzsaw. Business grew so much that at one time he had three employees and he was making furniture for wealthy clientel in Hawaii. In 1994 he hired a guy from Florida who did nothing but complain all the time. Mike made a cradle for David, spice racks for Gail, a kitchen shelf, louvered doors for a closet, a display table and finally a whole kitchen cupboards for us. Over time our weekly visits changed to a few times a year and then after we shifted to Waiuku it became once a year, at Christmas. But we lost him altogether in his final years to Pick's disease; meaning that he didn't remember us.

Taupo 1973	Twinky 1984	5 Nov 2003
Christmas 1978	Installing doors 4 Nov 1978	Sept 2007
So much wood, so little time	7 Mar 1976	Tairua 15 Jan 1977
Go to Mike's work Gallery