Alan and
his brother and sisters had a wonderful childhood on a South Taranaki dairy
farm. Alan's dad, Ross Muggeridge, was a lawyer who got fed up with law, and
went sharemilking on his father's farm. He was never really happy with sharemilking
either. As a result, Alan was told, almost daily, "To thine own self be true."
Alan sung songs with his brother and sisters from an early age, performed on
stage when 10 years old, and was seldom without his guitar at university.
He dropped out
of a journalism course to become 'Guitar Alan' in James
K Baxter's commune at Jerusalem, and later at Reef Point commune near
Kaitia. It was there at Reef Point he decided to devote his life to music.
"To thine own self be true." He worked as a musician around the country and
in England, and along the way met and married Janet.
They later moved to Rowan Road near Kaponga seeking a simpler rural lifestyle,
and they lived together there for the next 25 years. While Janet worked as
a schoolteacher, Alan worked as a housefather and as a highly talented instrument
maker, musician, singer, songwriter, session artist and recording engineer
who enjoyed using his talents to help others and make them happy.
Here is Gill
Winter's tribute to Alan... "Alan was a great performer - the outfits were
something, even before he struck a note. Those tights! The makeup! He and
Janet really sparked on stage, plenty of quips and ad libs, keeping the audience
and the backup team of Steve, Mike and Wayne on their toes. Alan threw himself
into the performance thing and his scope reached wide - he made himself a
lute so he could play at Stratford (NZ)'s Shakespeare festivals (in tights
again), and he and the group did a lot of country music gigs - it's not only
the folk crowd who will miss him.
"He also did
a huge service for musicians in the recording studio, particularly for people
making their first recordings. I was on the Community Arts Council for a few
years and we had many groups applying for grants to make their first tape
at Rowan Road Studios. So many musicians I know owe a huge debt to Alan for
his hours of encouragement, patience and support."
Kerry Turner
recalled how for many years Alan was a linchpin of each Tahora folk festival.
Each morning he would sit under the big copperbeech tree in front of Kerry
and Desi's farmhouse and just start playing. Soon other musicians would come
and join in. Before long the whole hillside was alive with music. At Alan's
funeral, many of these musicians came from all over the North Island to farewell
Alan, with musical tributes to him being sung and played by Celia & Mary,
Deb, Kath Tait, Tracy & Owen, Mark & Brenda, and others.
Alan did not
profess any formal religious beliefs. But by chosing to develop his special
talents, by sacrificing big-city opportunities for a lifestyle that strengthened
his family, and by using his talents to enrich the cultural lives of those
about him, he followed the way of life, and found the happiness, that many
so-called religious people preach about, but never actually achieve. (JA)
