Thames & Coromandal
For those of you living in the Coromandal, Hauraki, East Waikato, Paeroa, Thames regions, we have some devotees in this area too.
Family life is everything to Allans
by Marilyn Malloy
PURIRI. In the card game of life the Allans seem to have
won "Happy Families" hands down.
Their Puriri home is over-flowing
with six children - Nitchy, Shana, bhadra, Rani, Shori and Devy and committed
parents Saila (Robyn) and Giri (Rod). The children range in age from 22
years to their only son Devy who is five. Saila explains that she and Rod
like to use their spiritual names and the childrens's names have been shortened
to make it easier for family and friends.
They believe in Hare Krishna philosophies
and living by the virtues of life including honesty, trust, forgiveness,
tolerance and love.
The Allans worked fulltime for 15
years at the Hare Krishna temple at Riverhead. Saila says they gradually
pulled away and as their family grew their religion became less fanatical
and more practical. They still blend the basic Hare Krishna philosophies
like worshipping mother earth and caring for her future generations and
they still remember special festival days.
The older children spent their first
few years at the Hare Krishna school until nine years ago when they started
home schooling.
Saila says moving to their Neavesville
Rd farm two years ago saw a real deepinging of their relationships. Everyone
helps on the farm and they believe that the children learn infinitely more
by doing things.
The family will have a day working
together in their huge vegetable garden and when it's time to harvest the
apples or chestnuts they're all there to help. Working together in the
family cottage industry - making soaps, incense and blending perfumes is
another shared learning experience for them all.
Learning to budget pocket money so
they have enough for their own committments, like covers for their horses,
teaches responsibility and other important life skills and they make time
for the three Rs - reading, writing and arithmetic.
"Encouraging self motivation and self
interest is the basis of the home schooling philosophy.
"Rani wanted to learn about Shakespeare
and now she quotesall the pieces, complete quotes, she's amazing."
Networking with other home school
families, friends and their community is also very important to the family.
Saila is musical director of the Thames Youth Choir plus the children have
outside interests with part-time work and further studies. Nitchy and Shana
belong to the Puriri Volunteer Fire Brigade - they're nick-named "Arthur's
Angels" by officer-in-charge Arthur Lundberg.
Family life is everything to Saila
and Giri but in a house of eight people getting time to connect is difficult
so each week they go somewhere for time-out. "
(The original picture that accompanied
it was unavailable)
Phone: (07) 868-1222.
