Our Fortunate Lives

Judy Boyd was born at Mataura, in Southland. She had to leave High School before her sixteenth birthday, to go home to the farm and house-keep for the family when her mother was ill. Four years later, she left home to train as a Karitane Nurse in Christchurch. Her parents went overseas for nine months after Judy graduated from Karitane; she returned to the farm to house-keep for her brother, during which time she took babies in at home while their parents were on holiday. Then Judy and Peter Boyd became engaged; he went to Australia on a working holiday, and when her parents returned, Judy also left for a six months working holiday in Australia. After they married they lived in Taumarunui, Rangiora, New Plymouth, and Christchurch again, and during those first six years their three sons, Hamish, Dougal and Andrew were born. In 1974 they shifted out of town to twenty acres at Broadfields, half way between Hornby and Lincoln. Five years later they planted one and a half acres of blueberries: a thriving commercial venture. At age forty-two, following a year at Mrs Ritchies Commercial College, Judy became a secretary at Lincoln University and after twelve years working there, she changed departments. Because the new job was only three days a week, she had plenty of time for study and enrolled in an English Degree by correspondence with Massey University. After three years in the new job, she retired from Lincoln, and enrolled at Canterbury University to complete her Honours degree in Creative Writing. Being at a loose end again, she heard about Grant Hindin-Millers Creative Writing courses at the Continuing Education Department of Canterbury University, and nine years later, in her eightieth year has finally finished her book and at last realized her dream of becoming a writer.