Q&A: Maynard "Toots" Erece

Photo c/o Maynard's Facebook account

I've known Maynard "Toots" Erece for a couple of years since I moved to Aotearoa New Zealand. The first time I met him was in a basketball court while he was training Filipino youth on the rudiments of basketball.  I noticed how passionate he was about the sport.  And this became evident in one of the championship games in Auckland for a Labour Weekend tournament.  It was quite an intense game, with emotions going sky-high.  It was his sense of sportsmanship and fair play that kept in check his players and supporters from exploding into the basketball court to confront their opponents and supporters.

Toots was a teacher and dean at St. John's College in Hamilton for a number of years.  He was the mentor of the Filipino boys in the school and looked after their pastoral care.  I remember a time when he had to take one of the boys home since he was in an elevated mental state.  I guess it was his fatherly figure that calmed the boy and from then on, until now I've seen this boy grow into a responsible and happy young man.

With a heavy heart, Filipinos in Hamilton had to bid him farewell when he moved a couple of years ago.  As a devoted father, family man, and loving husband to his wife Dr. Joan (pictured above) he had to be with her in her new assignment, Australia.  I recently had a Q&A with him and this is what he shared:

Q: What's on your bucket list?
A: More travel. The world is a very big place. So much to see, so little time we all have in the world.

Q: Give your teenage self some advice.
A: It's OK to do what you want to do until it's time to do what you need to do. It's OK to do what you need to do until it's time to do what you must do.

Q:What motivates you?
A: Family and loved ones well being.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: The world's greatest dad!

Q: Name 3 people, living or dead, you'll like to have dinner?
A: 1. Jesus Christ to talk about God and the after life.
2. Mother Mary to seek advice on how to raise up children better and how to trust in God without boundary.
3. Pope Francis to talk about the current issues facing the Catholic church.

Q: Are you a cat or dog person?
A: Both. We have a cat and 2 German shepherd dogs that also came from NZ.

Q: Why are you doing, what you're doing?
A: It's Christ's teaching - the  parable of talents. We have to share our God given talents to the world. We owe it to our creator.

Q: Where in the Philippines is the place that is your sanctuary?
A: My sanctuary is where my family is.  Where the family lay their head, is where our heart lie too.

Q: How did you face failure?
A: Head on without flinching. Failure is just another way of God saying, there is a better alternative to this, dry your tears, heads up, eyes wide open then go and find it.

Q: The best thing about your age.
A: At this age, we look at most things in retrospect. We have experienced a lot, lived a lot, moved a lot, laughed a lot and cried a lot. We have earned our stripes to say, we made it this far.

Q: How do you chill out?
A: Movies. Lots of movies. It serves as an escape from the business of life.

Q: What's your comfort food?
A: Fruit Juices comfort me.

Q: Something not many people know about you.
A: Despite what many people think, I'm really an introvert.

Q: Which talent would you like to have?
A: At this point in my life, I have accepted enough about myself that I don't really crave too much. Maybe playing the piano.

Q: If you could time travel, where and when would it be?
A: At the start of everything - the big bang, Genesis and at the end of everything.

Q: What superpower do you wish you had?
A: Teleportation and time travel. I guess it's obvious why.

Q: What job would you do other than your own?
A: I love my job. Don't want to do anything else.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Retire, travel and go home so I can finally help Gilas Pilipinas hopefully with Jozef.