Rachel McCahon

Rachel always had a love of books and literature which led to a career as a Librarian and more. Her father (a brother to artist Colin McCahon) was a Physicist and the family of four children grew up in Christchurch, enjoying a happy carefree childhood which included time spent at Conway Flat near Kaikoura. 

Rachel married young and had 3 children. The family lived in Hong Kong for a few years before settling in Wellington where she furthered her studies with a Masters degree in Communication and Early Childhood. Rachel also tutored at the Library School, becoming responsible for much of the course content which is still in use today.
Thirteen years ago, Rachel met her second husband, David Binning and it wasn’t long before they bought a lifestyle property in Martinborough, planting grapes and establishing Dara Cottage homestay. Rachel’s parents then moved to Martinborough also.

It is not always easy to fit into a small community as a newcomer but Rachel managed remarkably well. She was immediately welcomed into a women’s cycling group and bookclub, which is testament to her bubbly, positive personality.
At first Rachel commuted to her job as Lecturer in Communications at Victoria University but later switched to working at Ucol in Masterton.
 Once Rachel retired, being a roving reporter for ‘The Star’ suited her and she put a lot of effort into writing a variety of articles. She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many locals and always managed to write with a cheerful, positive perspective.

Sadly Rachel recently lost her brave battle with cancer and her contributions to ‘The Star’ and community will be greatly missed. She was 66.
Ineke Kershaw