Photo: Stephen Hardy K' Rd has lost one of its favourite characters, a woman known to the many in the gay community simply as Margaret, who has been a fixture of the Auckland street for years. Margaret is believed to have spent her days on the public seats on the St Kevin's Arcade block of Karangahape Rd for more than 20 years. She was known to sit sporting a debonair coat and jandals, asking passersby for change or a cigarette as she drank. Margaret is believed to have passed away in her sleep. A lesbian worker at a K' Rd store last spoke to Margaret just on Saturday and says it will be strange to turn up to work and not see her sitting on her usual bench. "She was an icon," she says, adding that Margaret was incredibly friendly if you gave her cigarettes or change, but quick to whip out a sharp comment if you didn't. "But the next day, she would be your best friend again. Basically if you were nice to her, she was nice to you back ... it will be really sad not to see her anymore." K' Rd store the Tattoed Heart has blogged; "Margaret – you certainly won't be forgotten by anyone on K rd, ever. When people refer to K rd as a “character” street, as “edgy” and “bohemian”, it was largely a reference to you, really. You were the ironic saint of the street, an icon, and someone whose legend will undoubtedly live on for the rest of our lifetimes." An online memorial has been set up for Margaret, where memories are being shared about the woman who will forever remain a K' Rd icon and there is hope one of the seats she graced will be turned into a memorial. Many rumours have flown over the years about how she came to spend her later years on K' Rd, including one that she was once a successful model but fell apart from a broken heart, however the real story for now remains a mystery.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 26th April 2011 - 1:49pm