Farewell, Kwementyay Haines
There were only two windows of opportunity for me to meet and get to know Kwementyay Haines, who passed away earlier in 2024.
I’d like now to tell the story of our small interaction with him, as he performed final checks of two Gospels in Anmatyerr, John’s Gospel in 2010 and Luke’s Gospel in 2018.
While working on Bible translation at Ti Tree with Pastor Haines and Don Presley, we needed someone to perform a final check on our translation of John’s Gospel before publication. This person would need to have fluency in Anmatyerr. The speaker had to be someone who hadn’t heard the translation before, hadn’t worked on the translation, and could be free to ask questions of the text.
It wasn’t long before Kwementyay’s name was mentioned. I had never heard of him, as he was living in Tennant Creek, 300 kilometers north of Ti Tree. But I noted that they spoke about him with real affection, so we invited him to Ti Tree to check John’s Gospel. Kwementyay was cheerful, always punctual and ready to start work early and could work solidly all day – just what we needed to finish in good time. We only had a week to get through all the questions on the verses. Kwementyay was very comfortable working with whitefellas in English or in language, and I am sure the translation was much improved as a result of his work.
He knew his Bible stories very well, having learnt in the early 90s from missionaries Paul Albrecht and Garry Stoll when they taught at Ti Tree Station, along with Don Presley and his older brother Paul Haines (who both went on to become pastors).
We called on his help eight years later, for Luke’s Gospel, in the Anglican church at Tennant Creek. Sadly, Kwementyay was in a wheelchair this time, but that did not stop his unwavering cheerfulness and brightness. He gave me great encouragement that the translation was sound and good. I loved his chuckle and sense of humour.
Kwementyay went to school in Ti Tree and went to high school at Yirara College. He worked as a stockman as a young man, perhaps at Kurundi Station, and has worked for Community Development Program (CDP) in the Anmatjere Council. He married Edwina Pope from Wilora, and they had a daughter Samantha in 1990, followed by sons Joshua (1992) and Luke (1995).
Kwementyay was a footballer in his youth for the Ti Tree Roosters and had his beloved Cats jingle on his phone ring! I remember he told me he kicked 100 goals in a season of footy.
Farewell Kwementyay – you were an absolute pleasure to meet and I was honoured to work with you. I am deeply saddened you are not around to check our next book, Genesis. I trust that your life and work will have touched the lives of many. We pray for Edwina and your family in their grief, that they would follow the Lord and experience God’s protection, provision and blessings in their lives.
David Strickland is a support worker in the Anmatyerr language area.
