Happy place… Brought up by the sea in Northern Ireland, Nic Russell values the peace and tranquillity of Devonport

Devonport’s newest author, Nic Russell, describes herself as an adopted Devonport-arian. She says she doesn’t know how long it will take to become a full-blown local.
Most people who know the Irish-born wild swimmer with bright blue hair, who rides a blue electric bike, will dispute that analysis.
The truth is, she has become part of the Devonport landscape since she arrived in 1998. She may be different to most Devonport-arians, but that has certainly not prevented the seaside suburb accepting her as one of its own.
Russell’s story, published by Bateman, and released this month, is summed up by its title: Bollix – when life isn’t all it’s craic’d up to be. That’s the Irish spelling of Bollocks.
The title is particularly apt. Just how she has emerged emotionally and mentally intact from all that has happened in her life is a wondrous thing.
Her beloved daughter MacKenzie died in Starship Hospital at just three years old after a long illness. Kenzie’s death devastated her mother and her older brother Conor, who was five years old at the time.
But it also changed the path of Russell’s life in Aotearoa New Zealand, and particularly in Devonport.
In 2008 Russell, determined that young children should not fall through cracks in the health system, founded charity Kenzie’s Gift, to help others grapple with the impact of illness and grief.
The charity is based in Devonport, but helps people around New Zealand. It has become the vehicle through which Russell can honour her daughter’s memory, and also repay New Zealanders for all they have done to make her family feel welcome in the past 28 years in this country.
“To me Devonport means community,” she says. “I think I have always felt belonged. It has become a home away from home. I was brought up by the sea in Ireland, and when I came here in 1998, I came to a village which even though it was part of a city was surrounded by the ocean.
“It is just such a beautiful place, with so much peace and tranquillity. To me, it is the people. It is such a friendly place. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.”
Russell, now 53, left behind the Northern Irish coast, where the Mourne Mountains – inspiration for CS Lewis’s Narnia – sweep down to the sea. She used to swim there, and initially she went back every five years or so.

Daily dipper… Regular swimmer Russell says, “You never meet a grumpy swimmer.”

Today, the flight no longer appeals to her. Her own health issues have dampened any enthusiasm for long-haul travel. Russell had cancer in her 30s; she now has Parkinson’s Disease, and she survived a heart transplant in her late 40s which has affected her immune system.
This makes flying potentially more hazardous. She jokes: “I don’t have the urge to go back, although that might change if I found an Irish or European publisher.
“And there is plenty to see in this beautiful land of ours.”
On leaving Ireland, Russell worked as a hospital play specialist in London. She says that helped her understand what children experience during serious illness. “I had some difficulty explaining to Conor what was happening with Kenzie, but he did have an idea. I had a wonderful psychotherapist in Birkenhead called Maxine Burgham Page.
“Max got me to the point where I could feel alive again. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know what would have happened because when an ill child like Kenzie dies, the support services stopped.
“I was just a single mum trying to finish a degree and set myself up for the workforce. I had a friend who was selling up the stock in her shop because she was going back to Ireland. She gave me the stock and we raised $3000. That got us started, and it became a passion project for me.
“I did a number of events to raise money for the charity and grow it, while working full time on other jobs.”

The charity has become a substantial operation, with about 40 psychotherapists and psychologists around the country and an extensive library of support kits and resources.
To date, Kenzie’s Gift has helped over 7000 families. In an average month there are 30 to 40 referrals, mostly because of the death of a parent, caregiver or sibling or a serious illness in the family.
“You know you can’t fix it, but if you can get them to a point where they can function again, they can have a future after an awful event. Sometimes young people get a real insight into what life can be like. It doesn’t all have to be negative. I can see that in my own son. Conor is caring and compassionate.”
Russell says that writing her book has been tough, not as tough as Kenzie dying, of course, but very difficult.
“Life is invariably hard. Of course, some have it a bit easier, but it is never really easy. You shouldn’t compare your life with anyone else. Everyone has their own life story. It is about finding those things in life that keep you going.
“For me, it is about going to the beach every morning. Just to get in the water when Swimsafe says it’s clean, and you can listen to the birds and meet old friends. It is a little time for yourself that helps you get through the day.

“Nature goes through the book and that is something that has kept me going.”
She recalls being in hospital for her heart transplant. “The only saving grace was the fact that One Tree Hill was alongside, and you could get out every day and just walk, and because it was spring, lambs and calves had been born.
“People sort of pooh-poohed that idea of healing gardens at hospitals, but there is a lot to be said for it.”
For Russell, swimming is also a great help. “You never meet a grumpy swimmer. Swimming is a great leveller. You are all in your togs in the water.”
She says it is an odd feeling writing such a personal book.
“It is a story of a life well lived, and I am still contributing to society.
“The book means I have gifted Conor something. We have been through all sorts of things together. He was there with me. It is his life now and I hope he has a good one.
“New Zealand has gifted me my children and so much else.”
• Bollix – when life isn’t all it’s craic’d up to be, is available from 1 September in bookshops and nicrussell.co.nz.
Russell has also recorded an audiobook which is available from the website.

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As Seen on Devonport Flagstaff