AT 81 years old, the sprightly Flame Lily Park resident, David Patrick Tighe has found that nothing quite fills the soul like giving back and willingly pours his time, energy and heart into beautifying the gardens around his home and the village.
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He has been a resident at the village, which was founded by the Memorable Order of the Tin Hats (M.O.T.Hs), for seven years but has been the bus driver for 11 years.
“I remember the MOTHs asking me to come in for an interview and me telling them that I didn’t want to be paid for the role and was quite happy to just give back in any way. They were insistent I be remunerated for the service I provided though,” he chuckled.
One of his side projects sees him investing his time in the gardens outside the frail care area. “No one really sees it, but I know that it’s neat and something beautiful to look at. I used to do more gardens around the village, but after my hip replacement I have had to pull back a bit,” he said.
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With a passion for gardening, and bonsais in particular, Tighe spends countless hours in the garden. Two years ago he embarked on an ambitious project to do a complete overhaul on the area just metres from his doorstep. Before the area received the touch of his magic green fingers, it was a vast stretch of grass and weeds.
“If I see open spaces that no one seems to care about, or an area becomes overgrown, I do something about it. I would sometimes get up at 5am and work for hours,” he said.
When he is not flexing his his gardening prowess, both him and his wife, Diane, can be found in the gym. “We both go at least three times a week,” he said proudly.
His father worked in construction, which meant his family was constantly moving and vividly remembers the constant packing and unpacking of boxes. It was during their time in Port Elizabeth that his love for hiking truly kicked off, one of his other hobbies.
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Tighe has, in the past, led hikes for the Mountain Backpackers, the Ramblers and the Midlands Hiking Club, with groups of up to 20 people.
“I have loved hiking since I was very young as it was our only entertainment back then. We also used to find snakes and sell them to the snake park. They would only take poisonous snakes and nothing else. We would sometimes catch about three or four a month. I have no fear of snakes at all and when a snake is found in a home here in teh village they call me to relocate it,” he said.
His secret trick to locating the snakes was his beloved dog, Ranger. “One day I remember taking the snakes in by bus and we would usually hide them in the church next to our school as it was never busy during the week. One of the cleaners must have opened the box as there was such a commotion. I admitted they were mine and, oh boy, was I in a lot of trouble!” he laughed.
His professional career saw him start off as an apprentice blacksmith before he hiked from Bloemfontein to Durban at 18 and joined the Seaman’s Mission, where he signed on as a galley boy.
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“To this day he is still a good galley boy. He washes all of the dishes so very nicely,” laughed his wife, Diane.
After four months on the ship he landed in England and from there he was signed on as a fireman in the engine room. From there he was promoted to an engineer and continued his work on the ocean for another 15 years. He came ashore and the only job he could find was a plant attendant in an abattoir, but he never really lost his love for the ocean and chose to go back to sea, where he would sign up to work on a ship and disappear for 18 months at a time.
He met Diane in 1980 and they have been married for 38 years.
“I remember seeing him walk through the door that first time and thinking, ‘mmm, that’s nice’ and two years later we tied the knot,” she laughed.
He described retirement as the best job he has ever had. “You have the opportunity to do what you like, when you like and how you like. You can lock up your front door and just go, except the pandemic has thrown a bit of a the spanner in the works,” he said.
His need to give back stems from the profound influence Joyce Le Brun, a frim family friend and the founder of the Cheshire Homes, had on him when he was growing up. “I call her my aunt and she was an absolutely wonderful woman. She had so many wonderful stories to tell each time she saw us. The work she did for other was absolutely amazing and the legacy she has created is well-deserved. She showed that people with disabilities are part of everything and would go out of her way to uplift and empwoer others. She is a true inspiration to me,” he said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
