TimRoxborogh
T
im(37)is a travelwriter
andradiohoston
NewstalkZBasonehalf
ofTheWeekendCollective
alongsideTimWilson.Thisyear,
hecelebrateshisfirstFather’s
Dayasa dad,afterhiswife
Aimeegavebirthtotheirfirst
child,daughterRiley,onJuly5.
What’sthebestadviceyour
fatherevergaveyou?
Tonotgotobirthdayparties
expectinga goodiebag!I
remembergettinga proper
telling-offfromDadwhenI was
aboutsevenforsaying,“I’m
excitedaboutgoingtothis
birthdayparty,I wonderwhat
willbein thegoodiebags?”
Dadtookit soseriously:“Don’t
evergotoa partythinkingwhat
youmightget!”It wasa bitofa
penny-dropmoment– tonot
beself-centredandthinkabout
myselfoverothers.Buthey,
Malaysiain the1980swasall
aboutthegoodiebagsat
children’sparties!
HowdidyouspendFather’s
Dayasa child?
Mum and Dad never put a hugeN
ewshubpresenterand
reporterTom(36)has
coveredsomeofthe
biggestnewsstoriesin recent
years,fromtheCanterbury
earthquakesandthePikeRiver
minedisaster,totheterror
attacksin Paris.In thelastfew
years,he’sbeenonourscreens
presentingweekendnews.Tom
andhiswifeRachelwelcomed
theirdaughterRuby(1)lastyear,
whojoinedsonLeo(3).
What’sthebestadviceyour
fatherevergaveyou?
Alwayshavea planB.
What’syourfavourite
Father’sDaymemory?
WhenI wasnine,I triedcooking
Dadsoft-boiledeggsand
soldiersforbreakfast.It was
prettymuchraw,unfortunately.
Watchinghisfacewhileheate
it, pretendingit wasdelicious,
waspriceless.
HowdidyouspendFather’s
Dayasa child?
I grew up with two youngeremphasisonMother’sDayand
Father’sDay.We’dalwaysgive
a cardandsay,“Thanksfor
everything!”It wasn’tuntil
adulthoodthatI started
sendingMumflowersand
Dada book.ThenI realised
thatDadhadwaytoomany
booksandhewasre-gifting
thembacktome!
What’ssurprisedyouthe
mostaboutfatherhood?
Justhowsurrealthatfirst
momentwhenwemetour
babyfelt.It wasanout-of-body
experienceandit wassospecial
havingmywife’smotherand
sisterthereforthedelivery.
HavingseeneverythingAimee
wentthroughtobringRiley
intotheworld,thetearsofrelief
andjoyweallinstantlyhadis
a frozen-in-timemomentthat
I’llneverforget.
Whatdoyouwishsomeone
hadwarnedyouabout?
Thatit’stotallynormallyfor
babiestoloseweightafter
they’reborn,beforeregaining
it. Thiswasa bitscary,butwe
arepleasedtosayRileyhas
sailedpastherbirthweight
andhassomelovelychubby
littlecheeksthatnohuman
todatehasbeenableto
resistsquishing.
What’syourbestdadjoke?
I’mnotmuchofa jokeguy,but
I lovetellingyarnsandcan’t
waittoembarrassRileywhen
she’solderwithlong-winded
re-imaginingsofherfather’s
mostrambunctiousand
flamboyantadventures!
What’sthenumberone
must-haveforKiwidads?
A goodmotherforyourchild!
I feelsogratefultomywifefor
whata wonderful,committed
and lovingmothersheis.I’m
alsothankfultofamily
andfriendswho’ve
helpeduswiththeir
generosityandtime.
Peoplehavebeen
sokind.
Whatdoyoumost
wantforFather’s
Daythisyear?
ForRileytobe
happyandfor
Aimeetohave
lots of sleep.brothers,soaftergivingDad
breakfastin bedandhanding
overourhomemadecards,we
wouldprettymuchdisappear
fortheday– I thinkpeaceand
quietwasthebestpresentwe
couldgive.
What’ssurprisedyouthe
mostaboutfatherhood?
Justhowmuchit would
changeeverythingaboutlife
asI knewit. Andhowmuch
funit wouldbe.
Whatdoyouwishsomeone
hadwarnedyouabout
becominga dad?
Howmuchit wouldchange
everythingaboutlifeasI
knewit!
What’syourbestdadjoke?
Whatdoyoucalla manwho
can’tstand?Neil.
What’sthenumberone
must-haveforKiwidads?
Endlesspatience.
Whatdoyoumostwantfor
Father’sDaythis year?
A sleep-in!Timsaysit was
surrealtofinally
meethisdaughter
Riley(below,with
herdadandtheir
cat named... Baby).Tomsayshedidn’t
realisehowmuchfun
it wouldbetoshare
lifewithLeoandRuby
(below,onsetwith
his wife Rachel).To m M c R a e