When mum-of-three Jude Dobson was in the thick of parenting life, the idea of an empty nest seemed very far away. But now, with her children Ella, 27, Jack, 24, and Rosie, 19, all living overseas, child wrangling is a thing of the past. Yet as she welcomes us into the Dobson family home in Auckland, Jude, 56, is quick to point out that life is certainly not quiet.
“I haven’t had time to feel lonely!” she laughs, confessing that the empty bedrooms left by the children are regularly filled with visiting friends. “Graeme calls me ‘Wendy and the Lost Boys’ because we always have people staying here, mainly old friends from when Graeme was in the Air Force. It’s good fun.”
But the main thing that’s keeping the former 5.30 With Jude host busy is her foray into Kiwi military history. In recent years, she’s developed a passion for telling veterans’ stories, helping to preserve history and honouring those who fought. Impressively, Jude recently won a bronze award at the New York Festivals Radio Awards for her audio documentary about WWII aviators. “It’s quite hard to believe,” says Jude, whose documentary aired on RNZ on Anzac Day last year. “I was just so thrilled I was able to give these amazing men a voice.”
And soon, Jude will head to France, where she’s been working with the New Zealand Liberation Museum in Le Quesnoy, which opens later this year. The incredible new museum, developed with Wētā Workshop, has French and Māori names too – Te Arawhata (ladder in te reo) – and has been created to honour New Zealand’s history in the small French town, which was liberated by Kiwi soldiers a week before the end of WWI.
“The whole town was protected by huge walls and occupied by Germans from 1914,” explains Jude. “But on November 4, 1918, New Zealand soldiers used a ladder to scale the town’s walls and defeated the German occupiers – all without the loss of a single civilian life. And what I love most is that the townsfolk have never forgotten their Kiwi liberators.”
Jude will be gathering footage for the town’s annual Anzac commemoration for Kiwi media, putting together content for print, radio and TV.
Bonding with war survivor Therese Neveu in Le Quesnoy.
“It’s going to be busy, but that’s a good thing,” she enthuses. “People ask what it is I do these days and the best answer is ‘storyteller’. I love capturing people’s stories and helping to tell them. It’s very rewarding.”
Jude has always been someone who says yes to opportunities, even if she’s daunted. She tells, “Sometimes I might think, ‘Gosh, I wonder if I can do this?’, but I find if I say ‘yes’, I find a way of making it work. It’s good to give things a crack in life. It’s now or never, really.”
As well as her work documenting war stories, Jude – who competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2019 – has recently become a retirement village ambassador. She adores spending time with older people, and feels particularly fortunate to have the opportunity to do so given her own parents Bill and Naomi are no longer with her. “Mum died in 2016 and Dad in 2018, and I miss them a lot,” says Jude.
First and foremost, though, it’s family that comes first for Jude and husband Graeme, who was an Air Force pilot before setting up airport shuttle business Super Shuttle. Their two oldest children are living together in New York, where Ella is an award-winning animator and motion designer, and Jack, who has a degree in politics and history, is working in hospitality while he looks for work in policy.
The proud mum with and Ella and Jack, who have settled in New York.
Their youngest, Rosie, joined her siblings stateside at the start of the year, taking up an exchange at the University of North Carolina from the University of Auckland, where she is studying towards a Bachelor of Global Studies.
Jude misses her kids, of course, but modern technology makes keeping in touch easy. She speaks to them most days and while they’re adults now, Jude still feels like she’s needed as a mum.
“We have a pretty active group chat going on and there are video calls every day,” says Jude, pulling up her latest messages, with one from Jack saying, “Love ya, Ma.”
“It’s a funny thing watching your kids grow up and go off into the world,” she shares. “I miss them, but at the same time, I don’t wish they were here because that would be selfish. I want them to live their best lives.”
And Jude knows her children may not stay away forever.
“We call this the elastic house because people come and go. I do feel incredibly lucky that I have a husband and three kids who love me, and I love them. That’s all that matters, really.”
