Jayne with Monique and Danielle outside the Celtic Rose Salon in Parakai.
When Jayne and Adrian Morris went looking for adventure with their children Ieuan and Laura they headed for New Zealand with the idea that after three years they’d decide whether it was time to go back home to the UK. That was eight years ago and, having fallen in love with the place, they’re staying put.
They came to South Head because they needed a place within travelling distance of Whenuapai (Adrian was coming to a job in the Air Force) and because they found the lifestyle property on the internet they eventually bought. “For our first place in a new country it was idyllic,” says Jayne, “and we found the community really friendly and welcoming.”
With their children attending Kaipara College Adrian became a school rugby coach, then moved on to managing the Western Pioneers after Ieuan and Laura left school. Jayne does some of the rugby club cooking and she and Adrian, who are determined to put back into the community that has given them such a warm welcome, are on the community patrol roster.
Adrian now works as a civilian engineer and Jayne, who is a qualified hairdresser, has started a new venture, owning and running a hair salon in Parakai. Formerly operating as The Cut Out, the salon is now called Celtic Rose in acknowledgment of Adrian’s Welsh and Jayne’s Cornish heritage. “We don’t like to be called “English” because we’re Celtic,” Jayne explains. “Historically the Celtic rose symbolises the four elements (Fire, Earth, Air, Water), the four directions (South, North, East, West and the four seasons (Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn). These are all joined by a fifth element that signifies peace and harmony.”
The value Jayne places on that fifth element is evident in her philosophy as a salon owner. She believes in mentoring her staff, currently Monique and Danielle, giving them professional opportunities to grow and improve and making sure their working conditions are safe and happy. “We want a professional salon at affordable prices, with staff who really enjoy what they do,” she says.
Discounts are available for seniors and Craigwell House staff (Jayne worked there for a while and says the staff are amazing) and will later be available for selected community workers, such as St Johns.
In the future, Laura plans to open a beauty therapy business at the back of the salon where clients can go for spray tanning, waxing and make-up services. And Jayne and Adrian are on a new adventure, building a house at Tupare, where they plan to run Highland cattle and fence off some land for wetland conservation. “We’ve just been back to the UK and 14 days was long enough,” says Jayne. “We were ready to come back home.”