Finding my way back
the beach is Lorraine Downes’ happy place. Her love of warm sand and crashing waves goes back to her childhood, when her parents Lloyd and Glad would hook up the family caravan to the car a few days before Christmas each year and take their four daughters to Mount Maunganui for three sun-soaked, fun-filled weeks.
As an adult, it’s always been where she heads not only to exercise, but to think – to clear away any negative thoughts and focus on what she’s grateful for. With the sand between her toes and the fresh air on her skin, it’s hard to be low, no matter what’s going on in her life.
“When I walk down a beach, I feel energised,” says Lorraine. “I know that I have a lot to be thankful for.”
To many Kiwis, Lorraine, 56, will forever be the 19-year-old from Pakuranga, Auckland, who won Miss Universe in 1983 – our very own princess in her shiny blue gown and sparkly crown. But her life hasn’t always been a fairytale.
Her beloved father died suddenly when she was just 23; she was devastated when her first marriage to former All Black Murray Mexted ended in divorce; and she lost her soulmate, cricketing legend Martin Crowe, to cancer four years ago.
That she can express gratitude for what she has, rather than being swamped by her losses, is testament to the effort she puts in to finding joy in life, even during the tough times.
