BRIDGIT Jones (maiden name Howard) has a knack for getting herself into amusing situations, something that’s become part of her charm. Friends often say, “That’s such a Bridget thing to do,” playfully comparing her to the fictional Bridget Jones.
Bridgit believes we all have a little of the beloved character in us.
“I don’t really do silly things anymore, unless I’m in the wrong company,” she jokes. “I’m really good at being misled by the wrong crowd. It’s not my fault.”
Born in Marton, New Zealand, in 1967, Bridgit was adopted by a loving family after their biological daughter died of a brain aneurysm. She also gained a brother who was ten years older. Later the family moved to Tauranga for a fresh start.
At ten, she learned she was adopted, but to Bridgit, her adoptive mother wasn’t just a parent, she was a best friend. “We laugh so much. I couldn’t have picked a better mum.”
After studying graphics and marketing in Hamilton, Bridgit found her way into advertising, working alongside her father in a furniture and electronics store, before moving to newspapers with the Bay of Plenty Times and managing the advertising for the Katikati Advertiser. However, the relentless pressure of weekly advertising targets took a toll.
Stressed and burnt out, Bridgit’s then-husband, Wayne, suggested a sailing adventure along Australia’s coast. Hesitant at first, she eventually embraced the journey. They bought a yacht and spent six months sailing north.
One terrifying moment remains etched in her memory, a storm in the Whitsundays.
“We shouldn’t have been out there as winds were gusting 60 knots. We didn’t know if we’d make it.”
After reaching Cairns, they settled into jobs, later returning to Tauranga to build a house, but soon longed for Australia’s warmth. Postcards from sun-soaked friends sealed their decision, and they returned.
Wayne and Bridgit searched for a business but kept coming back to Hervey Bay. “Every time we crested that hill, we thought, ‘Wow, why are we looking anywhere else?”
Settling here in 1998, they bought a fish and chip shop, ironically, the one thing Bridgit had sworn she’d never do. “I had visions of me in slippers, a dressing gown, and a ciggie,” she laughs. Though short-lived, the venture was a stepping stone. Bridgit returned to advertising, working at the Fraser Coast Chronicle for several years.
Wayne and Bridgit started Streamline Catamarans, building three of Hervey Bay’s whale-watching fleet. When Wayne moved to Fiji to build boats and never returned, Bridgit chose to keep his surname for simplicity.
These days, she works alongside her partner of six years, Paul, at a denture clinic. With a grin, she quips, “I’ve gone from selling ads to manufacturing for dentures!” When she’s not lending her creative touch, she keeps things running smoothly on the admin side.
A few years ago, Bridgit found her biological family through Ancestry.com. A cousin match led to her birth mother's sister, who had unknowingly lived nearby in New Zealand. She also discovered her birth father and stays in touch with both sides, bonding with biological relatives in Brisbane and Dunedin.
"My birth mother was sent away when she became pregnant, and her sister never knew about me. It was all very secretive."
Bridgit frequently visits New Zealand to see her adoptive mother, now 94. The financial strain is tough, but their bond makes every trip worthwhile.
Sadly, the day before our interview, Bridgit’s much loved dog, Jack, passed away at fourteen and a half, leaving an immense void.
Her heartfelt Facebook post read:
“He was my North, my South, my East and West. My working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song. I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong. Sleep now, my beautiful boy, your paw print is firmly embedded in my heart.”
Borrowed from Four Weddings and a Funeral, the words captured her grief perfectly.
By Kim Parnell
From What’s On Fraser Coast Magazine
