Marc and Nifo are some of Wilma's great friends from Featherston. Ours too :)
Nifo Tauiliili and Marc van de Loo are legends far beyond the borders of Featherston; they organise so many local events. Everybody knows them and our cat Wilma not only encountered them when she was roaming town, but also in our home, because we are lucky to be friends with these guys.
As you might suspect from his last name, Marc was born in the Netherlands but his family moved to New Zealand when he was a child. They love visiting the Netherlands and we were fortunate to welcome their family at our home in Leeuwarden in that grand pre-Covid era when travelling was still possible.
Before we left New Zealand, Marc and Nifo ran the Featherston Christmas Market, a grand event that brought the Wairarapa together for a fun day out. Now they have moved on to supporting various field sports in town, such as rugby, netball, cricket, football and athletics. Nifo does all the paperwork and fundraising to keep the clubs afloat, and also coaches kids. Marc assists her with all this. As if that isn’t enough, together with their son Trystan, they have also fixed up the sports building for the community to use.
Marc says; “Through working bees, fundraisers and sponsorships we have restored the clubroom, and it’s in huge demand now. It accommodates Te Reo lessons, a wine club, as well as Featherston Booktown events.”
There’s more, there’s cats…
What Wilma loved most about Nifo and Marc though, was that they have cats. Lets’s introduce them.
Meet Fitzy. She had a similar past to Kapitein, Wilma's mentor in the book My Name is Wilma. Marc and Nifo took Fitzy in and looked after her but she remained shy of humans. Like Wilma, she loved to roam.
Marc says: “She would often hide out near the railway line next to Adamsons (the petrol station). A couple of months ago she said her goodbyes and disappeared. She had a lovely nature and we still miss her.”
Wilma must have met Fitzy zillions of times roaming around town but left her out of her story as she knew how much Fitzy valued her privacy, even more so than Wilma did herself before she fell in love with a vet.
Meet Riddick, a superfriendly tom cat who is not scared of humans.
Marc says; “He roams around our house and the neighbouring properties, most often he can be found outside at the front. So keep an eye out when you drive through Featherston, and say hello to Riddick.”
And then there's Cherra who doesn't go for the killer pose but loves her family to bits. She is protective of them and her territory — no time to waste, always on the go.
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