C
olumnist Colin knows a
thing or two about being
a dad. He started writing
a column for the Weekly in 1982.
Called According to Summer,
it chronicled his life as a dad
surrounded by women. Summer,
his eldest, is now 41 and he has
five other children (daughters
Gemma, Rima, Uma and Maddy
and son Jamie) and is a grandad- and he still entertains us with
his columns!
What’s the best advice your
fatherevergaveyou?
“Don’taska questionif you
don’twanttoheartheanswer,”
wasoneofhismemorableones.
What’syourfavourite
Father’sDaymemory?
I like to turn my memories to
my babies, though they’re not
babies now. Many of them now
have their own babies – and
most of those ones aren’t
babies anymore either.
How did you spend Father’s
Day as a child?
I’d have given Dad a present.
Possibly a golf ball. Very difficult
to wrap.
What has surprised you
most about fatherhood?
What I should have known all
along– thatit neverends.
Whatdoyouwishsomeone
hadwarnedyouabout?
I wouldhaveignoredall
warnings.I didn’thavethe
faintestideaofwhatI wasin for, but I didn’t care and
I still don’t. Being a father is
the best thing any man can
do. I did it six times.
What’s your best dad joke?
I like to think of myself as
an ongoing joke – puns
wherever possible, deliberate
misunderstandings, faked
heart attacks (strangely not
popular), the whole routine.
It’s exhausting.
What do you most want for
Father’s Day this year?
I would,actually,liketoget
a totteringstackofpresents,
butthat’sunlikely.Phone
callsaregood:
“Hello,Daddy.”
“Whichoneareyou?”10 New Zealand Woman’s Weekly
Jamie (33) was
Colin’s best man
for his wedding
to his second
wife, Philippa.A
huge number of Kiwis wake up to
Duncan’s voice, tuning in to Three’s
The AM Show, or the radio station
Magic. Duncan (45) is a father of four – his
youngest, Buster, is eight.
What’s the best advice your father
gave you?
Slow down mate, it hurt nobody.
What’s your best Father’s Day memory?
Running up the stairs as a kid and seeing
Dad so excited at another pair of undies
and socks – nicely faked.
How did you spend Father’s Day as a
child? What do you do nowadays?
Cleaning his car then. Cleaning my
house now.
What’s surprised you the most
about fatherhood?How much love you have for your children.
What do you wish someone had warned
you about becoming a dad?
The trickery of relationships and compromise.
What would you say is the number one
must-have for Kiwi dads?
Patience, warmth and empathy. Kids need
hugs and they need love – it’s so important.
What do you most want for Father’s
Day this year?
To hang out with the kids and watch them
do things for me. The chances? Fat zero!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Love your dad, seek him out, get advice,
treasure him, treat him well and respect the
sacrifice of both parents – and I can’t carry on
as my eyes just started welling up and I can’t
see the screen... #Duncan Garner
Colin Hogg