Not only did we lose Mandi Kingsbury last month, we lost a good friend of this magazine, and a dear personal friend, Helen Baxter, who tragically took her own life aged 51 on September 23.
This is a reminder that physical changes to one’s health can manifest as depression, and to reach out to those whose behaviour might seem out of the ordinary.
I met Helen through the EU’s Knowledgeboard, where she was founding editor, in the 1990s. Colleagues who also knew her from there were understandably shocked at the news.
Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, but residing in the UK where she met her husband, Chelfyn, the couple decided to head to her native homeland in 2001, with flights during September 11—finding themselves grounded at US airports on the way.
Helen attended Lucire’s fourth-anniversary party in Auckland the following month, where I met her in person for the first time.
A connector par excellence who could uplift and encourage those around her, being around Helen was always a pleasure. She had a mental Rolodex of who’s who that rendered Linkedin obsolete. She could distil complex technical issues into plain language, which made her a natural for a Tech Talk slot on National Radio. With Chelfyn, they generated business for their company, Mohawk Media, including educational videos that they produced in-house.
Both Helen and Chelfyn thought about the future—check out the notes to this Dance at Work presentation by Helen to the Wellington Female Founders’ Forum in 2015, which remains incredibly relevant today.
It was with Helen and Chelfyn that this magazine’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage story was made, with us heading out to west Auckland and flinging the cars on windy roads, Chelfyn following in his Mazda MX-5.
The celebration of Helen’s life earlier this month reflected so many aspects of her: her friendliness and constant giving, her martial arts, and her sense of social responsibility—when I stood for mayor, Helen and Chelfyn were ever-present, and Helen MCed my fund-raisers.
When I won two tickets to see the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special on the big screen, it was to Helen and Chelfyn that I gave them: a small thank-you present for the years of friendship.
We look forward to supporting Chelfyn on this unexpected path in his journey, and honour our dear friend Helen by encouraging others to reach for, and expand, their goals.
Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.
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