Adrienne Patricia (Morgan) Lukes was an only child, born in Liverpool, England during the depression years. With the outbreak of the second World War, Adrienne was sent with her mother to live in North Wales- this was deemed to be much ‘safer’ than living in the vicinity of a working port, which was a serious target for air strikes and bombardment by the Nazi’s.

Upon completion of her schooling in 1945, Adrienne trained as a primary school teacher, at a college near Wimbledon, south of London, just after the war ended in the late 1940’s. She taught in several London schools, until she married Dennis Lukes in 1957. They moved to Sao Paulo in Brazil to take up a work contract and that spelled the end of Adrienne’s teaching career. They returned to London to begin their family; living in the garden county of Kent, first Bexley and then Chislehurst, and finally Wendover in Buckinghamshire.

Adrienne was very fond of cats, nurturing many, many cats over the years, she loved going to the ‘movies’- her favourite being- the suspenseful thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. Adrienne was fortunate enough to have a photographic memory and she also volunteered with church activities, and the flower roster. She had a keen sense of fashion and was ‘well turned out’.  She also had a great sense of humour!

Her first visit to New Zealand was in 2004, to attend the marriage of her second daughter Corinne, in Dunedin, where she stayed for six months before returning to the UK. Five years later she returned with her eldest daughter Stephanie and resided in Whakatane until poor health saw her move to Mountain View in 2019.

Adrienne’s life was marred by severe bouts of depression, exacerbated by the birth of her two daughters. The care she required in her last years was quite specialized. One of the bright spots in her dark days was her ginger cat- and later, the Ginger Cat story written by Marnie Anstis.

To celebrate Adrienne’s life, her daughter Stephanie has set up an endowment fund in her name, to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Mountain View and to ensure that they are able to live their best lives. This fund will also support occupational therapy, including visits by therapy animals. There is also some provision for counselling for residents and family members facing an unknown and uncertain future.

The Mountain View Endowment Fund will also accept donations from others who wish to appreciate this facility in Kawerau, serving well the needs and care of aged residents of the region.