Margaret Chung has fostered more than 50 abused, frightened children, giving them safety and love. She tells Judy Bailey about her own tragedy that drove her to open her heart and home.
I’m your Marge.” That’s what she tells the damaged little people she cares for. And what a comfort that must be.
Margaret Chung is an extraordinary woman. She has cared for more than 50 children in the past nine years. All of them taken from their families for their own protection by CYF, or The Ministry for Vulnerable Children as it is now called.
The first thing you see as you stand on the doorstep of Marge’s rambling west Auckland home is a word painting. It proclaims, “In this house we’re a family. Love each other, laugh a lot, sing out loud, do hugs, smile, share good things, forgive quickly, do I’m sorry, show respect…” Hers is that sort of home.
Marge greets me with a baby cradled in her arms. His big brown eyes solemnly take me in, and then, after a bit of encouragement, he gives a tentative smile. He is safe in those enveloping arms.
Marge doesn’t judge the families who need her help. “People who have been poorly parented themselves have no role models in how to parent effectively. If you only have limited knowledge and limited schooling you just do your best.”
“My desire is for these children to have some happiness in their lives.”
Margaret Chung was born 51 years ago in Taupo to a Maori dad of Ngapuhi descent and a Pakeha mother.
She remembers her own childhood as being idyllic. Like most country kids, she played outside all day with other children in the neighbourhood. She and her siblings were loved and cherished. Theirs was, she explains, an open house. Everyone was welcome. “Dad was from a big family. There were always cousins staying and aunts and uncles. Mum had a big heart. There was a family of young children in our street whose mother had passed away. They spent a lot of time at our house.”
It’s that generosity of spirit that they have passed on to their daughter.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Spotlight on Vitamin D
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but safe sun exposure is still essential.
Coming up roses
Driven by a renewed interest in the flower’s power, a rose renaissance is dawning.
'I was given a 5% chance of survival'
When Caroline Laner Breure was hit by a car in an horrific accident on a Spanish holiday with her boyfriend, her body and her dreams were shattered. Somehow she found the will to go on living.
Time to celebrate our mothers
Author Kathy Lette gives a heartfelt thank you to her magnificent mum, Val - a baker of fairy cakes with the patience of a saint.
"I am lucky to be here" ”
Since the day she walked onto the MasterChef Australia set back in 2009, Julie Goodwin has openly shared her life. But in writing a memoir, she had to examine the demons she'd battled privately... until now.
JAMIE OLIVER at your service
Returning to the set of MasterChef Australia to help steer a path through grief and spread happiness, the celebrity chef is also at a turning point - he opens up about failure, love, second chances and his endless reservoir of joie de vivre.
From one mum to another
Princess Catherine's public announcement struck a chord with mum-of-two Jane Gillard. She shares her story of parenting through cancer- and offers hope for the princess and mums navigating their own health journey while raising primary-aged kids.
The courage of Princess Catherine "You are„, not alone"
It was a rare personal address that she shouldn’t have had to make. But with conspiracy theories swirling and the slimmed-down “Firm” under fire, Princess Catherine silenced critics with searing courage and dignity.
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
When Tracy Hall fell for Max Tavita, she fell for a mirage. Max was a false identity created by a con man, and Tracy was the latest in a long line of women whose life savings hed stolen.
Amother's GIFT
In December last year, Australia’s first uterus transplant recipient, Kirsty Bryant, gave birth to Henry, a happy, healthy baby boy. The uterus that had made this little miracle possible had been donated by her mother, Michelle. Five months later, their first Mother’s Day since Henry’s birth feels especially precious.
