To help a grieving widow and her children to keep their family home.

As you stand on the Harris family deck and look out over their beautiful lifestyle block, one would never imagine the pain that has come about this family over the last month.

On Monday the 15th of October, Sydney Harris, a father to three beautiful children, Georgia (23), Campbell (19) & Claudia (17) and life partner to Lynda of 25 years sadly lost his long battle with mental health and died on the family’s property. To add complexity to this Lynda, Syds wife had a heart attack the night of the tragedy and has been recovering from the trauma and her own health after the heart attack. These two traumas that happened in the same week have bought this beautiful family to wonder what the future will look like.

Syd was a well loved man to all that met him in his 54 years of life. A father and husband who would put aside anything to not only help his own children but those who came in contact around him whether it was taking care of the grounds at the local pony club, coaching rugby and netball teams, watching and cheering on the local surf lifesaving club and traveling to see them compete as a supporter and just being there for anyone who turned up at the gate to have a great chat over a beer or a cup of tea.

He was a dad and husband of all trades, bricklaying for years and turning the family lifestyle block into a haven for all that visited. Syd has worked from home for 8 years and over that time his animals became his best friends and his home was his sanctuary. Not only has he left behind his family but there are 3 horses, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 1 pig, bunnies, sheep and cattle that are all waiting for him to come back home. He recently purchased a young Kaimanawa who was to be his project horse and his daughters Claudia and Georgia will do everything they can to make dad proud of a horse that was to be his dream.

The struggle Syd went through with his mental health will resonate with most New Zealanders that come across his story. One of success but also so much sadness. A man who you would never know struggled with his own mental health for many years. His smile would hide any question you might of had about how he was inside yet his mental health was something Syd didn’t want to let those around him see or understand. A hard worker all of his life, saving as much as he could with Lynda so their children would have a place to run and grow with their furry friends by their side. Although he was surrounded by so much love it was hard for him to see the bright light he needed to hang on. Life Insurance unfortunately does not cover families when circumstances include self harm.

In better times you would see Syd brushing the horses before taking them along the beach, moving the animals, mowing the lawns, giving Elvis the pig belly scratches, taking the dogs for walks daily, feeding the lambs, fixing the drains, cleaning the water troughs, fixing the house, building new sheds, and making dinners for anyone that was to sit at the table. His love of our country was second to none, he was able to give a complete commentary on any part of NZ, its history and share his love of camping with the family getting back to basics in remote spots around the country.

All donations will go towards mortgage payments so the family has time to get on their feet and any extra donations will be towards property maintenance such as horse feed and other food for the animals, healthcare for the animals, fencing, draining + other necessities that get added onto a lifestyle block.

The children and Lynda have lived on the property for 17 years and it was their fathers final resting place so the urge to take care of what was once Syds pride and joy is extremely important to them.

I sat with my friend last night on her porch nearly one month after Syd passed away. The reality of life without Syd and potentially losing their home and all of the memories they created together, is too much for her to fathom putting more strain on her own wellbeing. That is why this page has been created. It is normally Lynda who is helping everyone else. I hope through this page we can share the love and help her in her time of need.

Thank you for taking the time to read please share this page with other kiwi's who may resonate with her story. Much love Karalee x