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3.
LUCY ELLEN married THOMAS WILLIAM GARRETT at the residence of Rev. W.
J. Elliott, Goring Street, Thorndon, Wellington on 24th February
1903.
View Thomas and Lucy's Marriage Certificate here.
Their
four children -
(1)
MAUD AMELIA
(dec’d)
m Lorton Goodrick
(ded’d)
Jean
m
Richard (Dick) Crawley
Richard
m
Jean Winters
Russell
Cheryl
m
Brent
Catherine
Richard
Marilyn
m
Vyvian Bennison
Vaughan
m
Emma
Tony
(Marilyn’s
partner is Alan McPhail)
(Vyvian
has remarried)
Judith
m
Bryan Albrey
Philip
Stephen
Christopher
James
Peter
Lynnette
m
Clinton Bridge
Beth
m Bernard Kirwan (dec'd)
Jennifer
m
Grant Ford
Edwyn
Kent
Bernard
Lane
Karen
m Revell Crawford
Bevan
John
Stephanie
Maree
Megan
Jane
Robert
&
Kay
Joshua
Bernard
Donald
m
Florence Gregory
Lorraine
m
Peter Dwyer
Simeon
Stanley
Jefferey
m
Helen
Britteney
Samantha
Isobel
Jane
m
Victor Malbon
Cory
Bailey
Jake
Elma Ruth
m Edwin (Eddie) Kelland
Christine
Anne
m
Owen John Coldicutt
Damon
John
&
Racheal Maree Mudgway
Jacob
John Coldicutt
Shane
Winstone
David
Lesley
&
Carole Dufty
Rex
Lester
m
Maree Denise Hebberly
Hayleigh
Maree
Kristy
Nicole
Glenys
m Rangi Poki
Michael
Jon (dec'd)
Ammon (dec’d)
Robert (dec’d)
Daniel (dec’d)
(Maud Goodrick (dec’d) remarried Joseph Anthony (Tony)
Marquiss (dec'd)
(2)
HERBERT WILLIAM (BERT) (dec'd)
m Eileen Saunders (dec’d).
No family.
(3)
RALPH JOHN (dec'd).
No family.
(4)
LYLA MAY (dec’d)
m Richard Leo Martin
(dec'd)
Mervyn
Thomas Harding
m
Anaise Lotoaniu
Siaosi
Robert
Leo
(One
of these two have family)
Claire
Ellen Grace
m
Bill Wilson (dec’d)
Wendy
Raewyn
m
Ken Ringrose
Carl
William
Jessica
Ellen
(Wendy
remarried Stephen Savage)
Donna
Jayne
m
Greg Baty
Paul
Terry
Stacey
Renee
Janet
Gaye
Christopher
William Wilson
Aimee
Leigh Ellen Wilson
Justin
Craig Wilson
(Claire
remarried Brian Keighley)
Brian’s
previous family
Andrew
Mathew
Jude
Julia
Bruce
William
m
Carmel Lane
Mechalle
Marie
Jessica
m
Graeme
Richard
Alan
(Bruce’s partner is Pasita Aitken)Her family
Edward
Jackie
View
Lucy Aspin's Birth Certificate here.
Lucy was born at Knive Downs, North Warrego, Queensland, Australia on 12th
October 1876 and would have travelled with the family to New Zealand when
she was six years old. As with the other members of the family, she never
received any formal education, but she did eventually teach herself to read
and write and count money. Lucy too worked very hard helping with all the
chores that had to be done, working on the farm and gum digging with her
sisters and brother. Life was very hard and difficult in those early days,
and Lucy's story of how she came to leave home bears this out. I think it is
no secret that she left home at a very early age, deciding to go it alone
and do things her way. With four shillings and six pence in her pocket she
left her parents and family at the age of 16, no one knowing where she went,
and evidently found employment as a barmaid somewhere in Auckland. When
someone told her father he had seen her, her father made the journey from
Grahams Beach to Auckland, located her and was to bring her back with him,
but she eluded him as they were getting off the tram at New Market - she got
out the opposite side from him - and disappeared and was not heard of again
by any of her family for the next 23 years.
Lucy
was a very strong character, single-minded and determined woman who worked
extremely hard throughout her life, and asked favours of nobody. After
leaving her father, she left Auckland and went to Waihi where she worked at
the Hotel at Waikino for a time, (nobody knows just how long) and eventually
went to Wellington. This was during the gold rush days, and the same hotel
and restaurant that she worked in was the one that was saved and left
standing after the floods on 13th and 14th April 1981. In Wellington she
took employment in another hotel, and it was in Wellington that she met
Thomas William Garrett, and they were married at the Residence of the Rev.
W. J. Elliott, Goring Street, Thorndon, Wellington, on 14th February 1903,
both at the age of 26. Tom was born in Hull in Yorkshire, England in 1877
and came out with his parents at the age of three years, the family settling
in Wellington. Tom's father got a job at 'Staples' Brewery as a courier,
making the barrels that the beer was stored in to mature. When Tom was just
12 years old his father died, and Tom and his brother George took on their
father's job together to earn enough money to take home to their mother to
help with the rearing of their large family of 10 children. At some stage he
left this employment, and when he was 19 years he went to sea, working on
the coastal boats around New Zealand waters, and to Australia, and he was by
nature, quite a seafaring man. After their marriage they lived in Wellington
for a short time, then decided to move to a country area to take up farming.
They moved to Hukanui, in those days a very remote area, a few miles south
of Pahiatua. The area all around there was standing bush with a sawmill
working cutting out timber, and several established (i.e. in grass) dairy
farms, and Tom and Lucy managed to get a sharemilking job on one of those
farms, with a house provided. They settled there for a number of years, and
their three eldest children, Maud, Bert and Ralph were all born here. Of
course, they were all born at home, with a mid-wife coming in to look after
both mother and baby, as doctors were too far away and transport was out of
the question.
Tom
was quite unfamiliar with farming altogether, and it was Lucy who was the
farmer at heart, she feeling quite 'at home' with the cows, and familiar
with what had to be done. They milked their herd, raised calves, reared
pigs, and continued to break in more land, mostly by hand. All haymaking was
undertaken by hand, Tom having to cut acres and acres of the stuff using
only a scythe, as they never owned a horse at all. With baby Ralph being
confined to a hospital for much of his infancy, Lucy had to find time
through her busy schedule to go and visit him, and this alone was quite an
undertaking, as transport was most difficult. Eventually the family left
Hukanui, and Tom got a job at a new sawmill at Horopito, which is between
Ohakune and National Park, and here they milled the big matai, totara and
other native trees that grew right through this area. This would have been
around 1910, as Maud had her fifth birthday here, and she can remember the
thousands of wild pidgeons, rabbits and wild pigs that thrived, and these
often made up the basis of the family's meals. Ralph was still in hospital
at Palmerston North, and several times Tom and Lucy had to make a hurried
dash to his bedside, leaving the other children with neighbours, and riding
on borrowed horses to Raetihi or Ohakune to catch a coach south. Lucy used
to be a great dancer and loved going to an evening's outing like that,
taking the three children with them. Tom also enjoyed these outings, but
never danced, preferring to play the old type accordion for the dancers. At
some stage about this time, Tom drew a section in a land ballot at
Waitotara, which is inland Wanganui, a fair way up the river. It is a place
that even by today's standards can be very remote, the main access route
being the river itself in those early days. We don't know how many acres,
but apparently he didn't take claim of it. They returned to Hukanui at this
point and were sharemilking again for a time, this would have been about
1912.
They
shifted many times over the next wee while, Tom working mostly in sawmills,
and it was while they were at Rewa, cutting logs for Quinlins Mill between
Fielding and Hunterville, that the fourth member of the family, Lyla, was
born in 1915. Lucy had taken the other three children with her down to
Beakon Hill, the Naval Signal-Station at Wellington Heads, to stay with
Tom's eldest sister and husband there, and this is where Lyla was actually
born. When they went to Rewa they lived in two tents, one for living in and
one for sleeping in, for several months before a house was built. Tom went
up to Omatane from here, the family staying at Rewa and he came home every
few weeks to visit them. Eventually, about 1918, they all moved up to
Omatane, 20 odd miles S.E. of Taihape where Tom had a contract cutting
posts, strainers and battens from totara logs left after the logging. Then a
few years later, Lucy was keen to get back to farming again, so they leased
some land about four miles out from Utiku which is south of Taihape, and
she, with Maud's help, milked 20 cows, Tom still working full time for
another saw miller. Then about 1924 they bought their farm at Ngawaka, which
is four miles north of Taihape. Maud was 19 at this time and she worked
full-time with her parents - no wages for helpers in those days - the boys
having left home, and Lyla still being at school. They all worked extremely
hard here, and Tom and Bert had to build a new house before they could move
there. So in 1925 they moved into their lovely big new four bedroom home and
farming for them really began in earnest. At this stage both Tom and Lucy
would have been 48 or 49 and they both continued to work long hours, long
days, developing and running their farm. The job must have been paying, for
it was about this time that they purchased their first car. Maud remembers,
and I quote from her letter "to our knowledge, neither Mum nor Dad
played any sports of any kind, although Dad liked to watch a good clean game
of rugby when we were children, and that as far as I know, was the only
relaxation he had from hard work each and every day of each and every week.
His health began to fail before they left the farm, he had worked so hard
all the years and Mum had too, and I think this is what decided them to sell
the farm and give up the constant hard work, and this was when they moved to
No. 2 Browns Road, Manurewa, to live beside their daughter Lyla and her
family. Dad must have been well in his 60's and Mum too, and they had earned
their retirement. The years took their toll on dear old Dad, and after an
operation in Middlemore on 10th September 1957, he passed away ten days
later on the 20th September at the age of 82. He was loved by everyone he
came in contact with and is laid to rest at Papakura. Mum stayed on in their
little home for about four years or so, and she too took ill and was taken
to hospital for a few days, then went to a rest home for the elderly where
she passed away on 16th May 1965 at the age of 89, and she is laid to rest
with Dad at Papakura".
Maud's
memories of things that happened:
Maud
Marquiss, the eldest of Lucy and Tom Garrett's children, remembers with
great detail many of the events and times of her childhood, and we have
taken this opportunity to write many of them down in detail, as we feel that
while this applies to her own particular family, it is also very relevant to
many of the families of that time, and gives a good insight into the lives
that people lived. This is also a tribute to her own very vivid memory, and
ability to write these things down so very well - She begins when just a
toddler living at Hukanui, and for this text we will quote directly from her
letters -"My Dad, a seafaring man, wasn't at all familiar with farming
of any kind, let alone milking cows, so I dare say there were many
frustrating times ahead for him. My Mother was the farmer, and was quite 'at
home' with cows, calves, etc., and it was on this farm that my eldest
brother Bert and I had lots of fun. There were three sows, all with a litter
of little piglets, and we would spend hours as pre-schoolers playing with
them. Then while Dad and Mum milked the cows, Bert and I would be rounding
up the calves and pushing them into corners and would pretend to be milking
them. It was oceans of fun for us evidently, but I guess the poor calves
didn't appreciate our presence among them at all. Ralph was never able to
join us in our play, as he was never very well". She goes on to
remember the haymaking season "I look back now and realize just how
hard our old folk worked, for apart from milking a herd of cows twice a day,
rearing calves and pigs, there were so many other important jobs to be done.
There was cropping to be seen to and hay to be cut, and my Dad did acres of
that, cutting it with a scythe. It was then forked over with a long handled
hayfork, and a neighbour with a horse would come to help stack it. He tied a
rope around a stook of hay and the horse dragged the stook to where the
haystack was being built. That would have been back in about 1908/09. I can
just remember as a very young child being taken across paddocks of logs and
stumps to a clearing where hay was being harvested and to see a strange
person was quite an ordeal, for people lived so far apart that neighbours
were seldom seen, especially by the children. Therefore children were very
shy of strangers and they sought refuge, out of sight, somewhere" -
"Mum
had we small children to see to and feed and in those days cooking was done
in a camp oven over an open fire. She made the bread we needed, plus churned
the butter, made the soap for all household purposes, even to washing our
faces and having our baths. No nice scented soaps that I can remember. The
washing was done outside in the backyard with the old rub-a-dub washing
board to rub the clothes on, then the white clothes were put into a copper
of water plus some finely cut up homemade soap and a handful of washing
soda, then brought to a boil to make sure they were hygienically clean. The
copper was set up in the backyard too, on a couple of large stones or
bricks, and two heavy bars were laid across from one lot of stones to the
other, and the copper sat on the iron bars, and under the copper a fire was
lit. The wood for this had to be cut to the right length, and that was a job
Dad did before he started his day in the paddocks, perhaps clearing them of
logs and stumps ready for grassing. The old cross-cut saw, an axe and a
spade were the tools of trade then and hard work it was too. To dig out the
stumps, the roots were cleared and dug free of soil, and the ground around
then dug away to allow for movement, then a jack was used to push them out
of the hole. A terrific job for one man to do on his own, and sometimes it
would take several days to get one stump out of the ground. If the jobs were
a distance from the house, Mum would cut a good hefty lunch for Dad to take
with him, including morning and afternoon teas, and she would fill several
bottles of tea for him to drink to save having to light a fire to boil a
billy. Then about 3.30 p.m. it would be time to return home, bringing the
cows with him for milking time about 4.30. During the time Dad was away, Mum
would be doing her chores and with no labour saving devices it was all real
work. She did what sewing was needed on and old singer sewing machine.
Sheets, tablecloths, pillow cases, tea-towels, etc., were all made out of
the lovely big white calico flour bags that flour came in. Even her large
white 'nurses' aprons were made from the flour bags. She would wash them
well, then boil them till any brand name was eliminated, and they came up
beautifully white. The table clothes and her aprons were starched, and
always looked so beautiful".
"Money
was scarce then, and with my young brother in hospital for the lengths of
time he was, there were always hospital and doctors accounts, and I can
remember in those days there was no paper money. A gold sovereign was worth
one pound, a half sovereign ten shillings and silver for small denominations
such as half-crowns, two shilling pieces, one shilling, six pence, three
pence and the pennies, halfpennies and farthings were copper. People were
classed 'well off' if they owned a horse and gig, and not many had luxuries
like that I can remember".
She
continues on, remembering some of the social occasions, "Mum used to be
a great dancer and loved going to an evening's outing like that when my two
brothers and I were quite young. Dad would go too, but never danced. He
liked playing the old type accordion for the dancers, and I can remember
people saying that he played wonderful dance music, with perfect timing, so
I dare say in those far-off days folk looked forward to these get-togethers.
It would be their only relaxation and to get to these functions they had
quite a way to walk, then walk home with three half awake children, so they
were pretty 'game' really. Just imagine folk walking a couple of miles now
to go to anything, and yet five or six miles was nothing for people to walk
then".
Food
of course was quite laboriously prepared, and this she remembers "Mum
was a wonderful cook, especially at making bread, scone loaves 'dampers' as
they were called, madiera and caraway seed cakes, and a favourite of Dad's,
a large fruit cake. These were all cooked in a camp oven, hung over a fire,
and with hot coals on the lid for even heat, top and bottom. She always made
her own yeast for the bread and that bread was beautiful to eat, light and
spongy. With the cake making, it was my job to break the eggs in one by one
while Mum beat them into the butter and sugar mixture by hand".
At
some stage about this time, Tom drew a section of land in a land ballot at
Waitotara. It was in an extremely isolated area up the Wanganui River".
The courageous settlers who did take up their claim, ended up walking off
this desolate, hungry steep land, during the years of the great depression,
and before, many of them heart broken after years of great toil and
continual lack of support from Government level. Maud takes up her story,
remembering their visit to this area "thinking back to my very early
days, Dad drew a section in a land ballot, I don't know how many acres, but
an almost inaccessible place to get to by road, and that was the way we
went, the only other way was by paddleboat up the Wanganui River. On
arriving there, even though I was only very young, I can remember a man
coming to talk to Dad and Mum. I can still remember his name, a Mr
Twentyman, who had stretched a wire from one side of the river to the other,
and was transporting fencing posts he had out to the other side where he had
built a whare (or hut), to live in. He said he was expecting his wife, from
England, the following week and she was to travel on the riverboat. There
was also an old Maori lady with moko (tattoo) on her face, and she came
along and sat on a log beside Mum. She was smoking a pipe and said she had a
family of boys, no girls, and wanted Mum to let her have me. Well, in those
days I was terrified of Maori, and terrified too that Mum might give me away
to this lady, for I had heard people talk of Maori eating Pakehas somewhere
up in the wild country of the Ureweras maybe!), and I must have thought that
would be my fate - a tasty morsel for a hungry family. I was scared anyway,
and phew! was I relieved when she went away and I was still with Dad and
Mum".
At
Horopito, Maud describes some of the conditions they faced "There were
many thousands of acres of standing bush in that area of Raetihi, Ohakune
and Horopito with several sawmills being built to cut the huge trees. There
were wild pigeons by the thousands, and for most of the mill workers and
their families pigeons and rabbits and wild pigs were a common meal for one
and all. It was at Horopito when I had my fifth birthday and started school,
in a little building built in a clearing not far from the mill houses. In
the winter time there was plenty of snow and lots of rain".
Several
more shifts saw the family settled at Rewa. "Mum didn't have quite so
much heavy and hard work to do at Rewa. There were no cows to milk, but
still all other chores had to be done. We were able to get milk from a
nearby farmer, and about a mile away was the school and General Store. We
had a twice weekly horse-drawn wagon come in from Hunterville with
provisions, and this also provided transport in and out, and this was how we
got our meat and bulk lots of flour. Mum was a gardener, so we always had
plenty of vegetables and she used to dig the huge garden with a spade on her
own. She would never let anyone else do that job. We had fruit that was in
season from farming people who had established themselves here, and their
orchards provided apples, pears, plums, mulberries, etc., and all we had to
do was pick them and carry them home on our backs in sugar bags. Things were
still rather primitive, and Bert's and my job after school was to walk about
10 chains across a marshy area of rushes and stumps to a spring dug about
two foot deep at the base of a hill, and carry enough water to last Mum for
the next day, for washing, drinking, baths, etc. The containers were half
kerosene tins that Dad had cut down for us so they wouldn't be too heavy for
us to carry, and they would hold one and a half gallons of water - less by
the time we got home with them. There were larger containers to pour the
water into and these had to be filled. We were always glad when Dad was able
to be home to help us, as he was on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Dear
Dad, he would carry the whole tins full, two at a time and the containers at
the house were filled in next to no time. We always liked working along with
our Dad, no growls and he was always so good and kind to us, but if he
wasn't there and these jobs weren't done, we knew what would be our lot!
With such a water supply, Lyla, being the baby, had several baths a week,
but for the rest of us it was a once a week luxury, or chore. Our bath was
the old galvanised type with a handgrip at each end. You carried it inside,
heated all the water on the open fire in four gallon kerosene tins, and when
everyone had gone through the 'dip' the water was carried outside and tipped
down a drain. What a hassle every bath day was for everyone, all that extra
work. We lived in a small house, and no tanks to catch any rain water, so
every drop had to be carried, and how we loathed that job! This job of
collecting the water done, we were allowed to play on our swings from the
trees, with two other girls who lived in the mill house next door. During
the school days when we lived here, the only times we didn't go to school
was when there was a snow storm, as one never knew just how deep the fall of
snow would be. Otherwise, rain, frosts or whatever, we marched off to
school, arriving with wet clothes, boots and socks and the old Scots school
teacher would have a lovely big fire going in the open fire place in the
classroom for us to stand by to get warm and to dry out our wet
clothes".
Other
incidents that she has related to us are included in the 'I can remember'
section of this booklet, but she takes up the story again, and this is when
she was 20, helping her parents on their new farm at Ngawaka, north of
Taihape. "When I was about 20 we moved into our lovely big new four
bedroom home, and work started in real earnest for me. I used
to
be up at 3.00 or 3.30 each morning to prepare whatever we were going to have
for breakfast, and to see to other tidy-up jobs in the huge living room/come
lounge, then make early morning tea for Mum and Dad and call them at 5.00
a.m. I would then go and collect the 60 cows which we milked by hand for the
first two seasons, before Dad was able to install a milking machine. I was
housemaid, milkmaid and general farm helper and bedtime was about 9.30 p.m.
The evenings were the only time we had to relax for awhile after the days'
work and after dinner at night. All jobs were kept to routine. Milking
started at 5.30 a.m., cans of cream were out on the cream stand by 7.30 a.m.
and by then I had breakfast cooked and ready and waiting for us all to sit
down to. At this stage we were all at home, my two brothers and Lyla and I
had to also have a jug of tea, plus eats of some kind ready to take out to
our front gate for the cream lorry driver after he had loaded our cream cans
on to the lorry. I did that every morning right up till Lorton and I were
married, then it was Lyla's job and after she and Leo were married, Mum did
it and that went on for about 16 years till Dad and Mum sold the farm. The
lorry driver never ever missed out on his 'cuppa' at our gate in all those
years, and it was the same person in all that time too. The farm at Ngawaka
was covered in stumps, and while Dad removed most of these by hand, he was
at one time talked into getting a bulldozer, working on a neighbouring
property, to help him for one day. It cost twenty pounds for that one day,
but he certainly cleared a lot of stumps".
Maud
takes up the next part of her story when she and Lorton were married and
working the mill. At this stage, they had their first three children.
"When Lorton had the mill, his way of getting the logs from the bush to
the mill was with a team of eight bullocks, huge beasts, but very quiet. I
couldn't see over the backs of most of them, they were so tall. Quite often
when I had the three children we would go to where the bullocks were working
and have our lunch with the men working there with Lorton. It was always so
beautiful to smell the different flowers of the trees and to listen to all
the different kinds of birds singing, and locusts, etc., and the children
used to be fascinated with the bullocks and Darky the dog. Lorton would sit
the children on the back of one of the bullocks and that was a great treat
for them. He was there to hold on to them and the old bullock stood there
motionless. We shifted then from our first little home out to by the main
road where Lorton had shifted the mill to another stand of bush and had
built a nice new house. He also built a dam, about six chains from the
house, for the bullocks to drink from. With the three children just at the
age of wanting to explore, I was always afraid of them wondering off to this
dam, even though I kept a watchful eye on them. One day they wanted to see
the dam, so I took them to have a look. It all worked out fine for me, for
the water was covered with a green and reddy coloured water weed, and in the
middle of the dam a log had rolled from the hill above, and was only partly
visible. It looked like a crocodile laying there, so I told the children
that that was what it was, and if they ever went near there, it would grab
them in its huge mouth and we would never see them again. That did the
trick, for after that they wouldn't even venture into the paddock where the
dam was unless Lorton or I were with them, and even then they gave that
'crocodile' and dam a wide berth".
To
finish these memories of Maud's, we conclude with these facts. "The
bullock wagon and bullock yokes (all hand made) and the steel tray that was
used to put under the end of the logs to make easier dragging for the
bullocks are now in the museum at Wanganui. Lorton donated them to the
museum, as his bullock team was the last of its kind in the whole of the
Rangitikei area, so there is a bit of history stored for posterity. He did
that long before he retired from the farm, about 1950/52, because he thought
it was a shame to just let them rot in the paddock".
Don
Goodrick, Maud and Lorton’s son, explained to me that Tom and Lucy’s
farm at Ngawaka was a 100 acre property situated just on the left as you go
into Taihape. As you travel into Taihape now remember that the
road you are on was not there then. Ngawaka
is on your left, before the Mataroa turnoff, which is on your right.
He comments that “Lucy was the farmer who worked like a bullock”
and this has certainly been confirmed by others.
Tom didn’t really keep such great health and this tendered to make
life more difficult for him.
After they sold their farm, it was then sold again and then the thing
went to wreck and ruin. The fences fell down, the lovely garden got all
over-grown and so it went.
Then it was sold at auction one more time but this time to the
Taihape Golf Club. Part of this farm is now
the Taihape Golf Course. The
farm they had north of Taihape at Turangarere and sold to Maud and Lorton is
one that Lucy had acquired from a ballot draw. I talk about this more in the following
segment on Maud and her family.
(1)
MAUD AMELIA
is Tom and Lucy's firstborn, and she was born at Hukanui, on 26th
August 1905, and she started her schooling at Horopito where the family
lived at the time, and attended school at the various milling sites they
shifted to, settling for a time at Rewa. At the Omatane school there were 17
on the roll, but never that many ever went. She left school during her 12th
year to help and work at home, then when they moved to Utiku in 1918 she
went back to school for another year, finishing in her 13th year after
gaining her Proficiency. She left school and worked at home, helping with
the house and farm work. She worked along side her parents at this and
helped with the other children in the family as well. When she was 20 the
family moved into their new home on their farm at Ngawaka and she continued
to work full-time with her parents on this farm. At this time there was a
gentleman from a well-known Taihape family who used to come and ask her
parents if they minded him taking her to a particular dance in the district,
and happily she was allowed to go. This was a friendship that continued to
grow over the next three years and led to the marriage of Maude to Lorton
Goodrick on the 8th July 1930. Lorton's family were one of the four original
pioneering families to settle in Taihape back in the 1880's and became a
well established and well respected family. Lorton himself served in World
War One, leaving with the 6th Wellington Mounted Rifle Brigade, bound for
Egypt.
After
their marriage they lived at Pukeokahu, east of Taihape, where Lorton had
his sawmill. It was up under the Ruahine Ranges and very cold indeed, and
Lorton and a couple of men he had working with him built their 'little grey
home in the west' where they lived very happily for several years. There was
no road to the mill then and they had to pack everything in on horse back.
This is where they lived when their three eldest children, Jean, Beth and
Don were all born. They moved then to a new stand of bush, closer to the
main road, and built another house to live in. About 1939/40 they moved to
34 Linnet Street, Taihape to their home that Lorton had built there. He cut
all the timber, using heart totara, and used heart matai for the floors, and
this home, on the hill overlooking the saleyards, still stands today. They
bought their farm at Turangarere and continued on living in Taihape while
they farmed this land. This was a farm that Lucy had drawn in a ballot, Maud
and Lorton had owned and then Don Goodrick purchased it. All travellers will know this property – we
drive right through it whenever we head
from Waiouru to Taihape. As you head north out of Taihape you travel
passed the Mataroa turnoff on your left, drop into a wee hollow and then you
climb up for some distance up what the locals call the “deviation” to
the top of the hill and you reach the Waiouru plateau.
Driving
up that long hill you are driving right through what was the middle of this
farm, then owned by Don. They
had built a new woolshed on the flats up on the top and had just not put the
grating in to complete the job. Well,
that new woolshed was demolished before it ever got fully built and the road
goes straight through where it was !!
Don found it impossible to farm just the two halves with no access to
either side and so he sold it and moved to Kerikeri.
In
the early 1950's Maud and Lorton retired and moved to their home at Tairua
on the Coromandel Peninsula. They enjoyed a very happy life together, even
though there was never much money, and times were hard, and to her, it felt
as though the world had come to an end when, after a massive stroke in
October 1964, Lorton departed this life at Thames Hospital on the 23rd
December that year. For the next seven years Maude lived alone, and early in
1971 she met Tony Marquiss, and on the 28th August that same year, they
celebrated their marriage. They enjoyed some wonderfully happy years
together, but sadly it was not to last, and Tony passed away on the 23rd
January 1976. Maude continued living on in Hastings, until January 1981 when
she left and moved to Whangarei where she lived, spending much of her time
with her family, spread right throughout New Zealand. Maud was very excited to meet up with her
relations at our centenary reunion and we are very, very grateful to her for
her wonderful contribution to our book of memories.
I found her to be a very gracious and grand lady - a woman her family
can be very proud of indeed. She
has since passed on although I have no dates to record.
Their
first child, Jean was born in Wanganui on the 13th January
1931, and was taken home three weeks later, and tells us apparently she was
asleep in her grandmother Goodricks bedroom at the time of the Napier
earthquake. We believe her first journey out to the family's home at
Pukeokahu was on horse back, baby Jean being popped into a chaff sack on one
side of the horse, balancing the groceries and stores on the other side.
Schooling was by correspondence, and at the age of eight or nine she moved
with the family into 34 Linnet Street, Taihape, and was able to attend
school full time. She recalls she was the biggest girl in the class and no
doubt the oldest in primmer one. Jean developed a real love of handwork,
which was encouraged by her first teacher, a Miss Anderson, and has lead on
to her interests in this field today, spinning, knitting, sewing, tatting,
crochet, doll making and weaving. Jean attended Taihape District High School
for a short time, and she left school at the age of 15 while in Form 3, to
help out at home for a time. About this time she had a job after school in a
bookshop and worked Friday nights in the library. She then took up a
position in the telephone exchange in Taihape, and worked there for four and
a half years until her marriage on 17th May 1952. She met Richard (Dick)
Crawley while attending a dance in Taihape, and after their marriage they
lived in a little cottage built by her father, Lorton, on the Linnet Street
property (about two or three acres this was) in Taihape. Their first two
children, Richard and Marilyn, were born here and then they moved into
another house where Judith and Peter were born, and about three years later
moved back into her parents' old home in Linnet Street, after her parents
retired to Tairua. At this time Dick worked for Columbus Radio, and later
had his own radio shop, before the family moved to Wanganui in 1962/63 where
Dick took up a position with a radio telephone firm, and then Tiscos. While
here their fifth child, Lynette, was born and two years later they moved to
Havelock North, and into Hastings. Dick continued working with Tiscos for
about six years, then set up his own business in his shop at Mahora. Jean
and Dick grow orchids for a hobby, and Dick is also a Radio Ham, having
received his ticket in 1952/53. The
couple moved to Mayfield, near Ashburton, in the mid 80’s to enjoy their
full retirement, Dick still enjoying his enthusiasm for golf.
Their
eldest son, Richard, after completing his initial schooling, went on
to attend university where he received his B.E. Degree. As with all
students, achieving this is not easy, and Richard worked part-time at an
orchard and the freezing works, and was also assisted with a study award,
which he was granted from the Christchurch City Council. He later joined the
Police Force, and served for a while in the Territorials. He married Jean
Winters (nee Stewart), a widow with two small children, Russel and Cheryl.
Jean and Richard have two more children, Catherine and Richard. They were
living at Leeston, then went farming at Hinds, Ashburton, but now we
understand they are back in Christchurch, Richard studying at Lincoln.
And that was in 1982. Since
then, they have a property at Hororata, farming deer, and Richard also
teaches farming at Polytech. Both
he and Jean have developed a passion for motorbikes – particularly pre
1980 Hondas. I am told the
tally is 65+ and growing! They have had to build a new shed to house these
things. And I mean these are
not small things – they collect the big babies – Holda Gold Wing bikes
over 1500 cc. Then they
also ride them. They
attend rallies all over the place and travelled from Bluff to North Cape
each riding one of these beauties.
Russell
was a student of Churtsy School which is in the Hinds area.
He now lives in Ashburton. Cheryl
probably also attended the same schools and she worked at the Orana Lion
Park. She moved from here to
another zoo, in Australia, but she came back.
She married Brent in
September 2000 and they live in the Christchurch area on a vineyard. Catherine
has created a business for herself making wooden furniture and we are told
it is just superb. She lives in
Ashburton. Richard is the youngest and this update on him is not
finished.
Jean
and Dick's daughter Marilyn graduated from Hastings Girls' High with
School Certificate, and worked in a dairy 'til her marriage to Vyvyan
Bennison. They have two sons, Vaughan, born about 1978 and Tony born about
1979. Vyv worked as a foreman in an orchard, and Marilyn enjoyed ceramics,
having gained teaching status after a two weeks course, and she had started
taking classes both in Hastings and at Flaxmere where they lived. They
moved to Pukekohe where Vyv managed an orchard.
The family then emigrated to Melbourne, Australia for some time.
Marilyn and Tony returned in 1991, living in Mayfield for a few
years. Marilyn and her
partner Alan McPhail then moved to Pukekohe where she managed a shop in
Manukau City for 2 years and they moved to Palmerston North where she
opened-up, then purchased the gift shop in The Plaza. So, if you are in Palmy, looking for a wee
pressy, then you know where to go.
Tony
made his home in Christchurch before joining Marilyn in Palmerston North.
Vivyan has remarried and lives in Melbourne. Vaughn lived with Viv for some time, and went to
Music College, proving himself to be an outstanding musician with an
amaizing baritone voice. Being unsighted has never been a problem for him
and he travelled to NZ with a school group, this group being similar to a
barbershop quartet thing. They
visited schools and churches, receiving a standing ovation at the church at
Clevedon.
He
married Emma in November, 1999 and I understand Emma too has been unsighted
since birth. They have purchased their own home in Brisbane, and are in the
process of turning the basement into a full-blown studio.
This rather amaizing couple are both hugely talended keyboard
musicians with voices to match, live independently of others and have just
recently cut a C.D. Quite
a story!
The
third member of the family, Judith, also graduated from Hastings
Girls' High School with school certificate, and took up a position in a
store until her marriage to Bryan Albrey. Judith and Bryan have two sons,
Philip and Steven. Bryan had a
position with U.E.B. Industries, and they
made their home in Hastings.
1987 saw this family transfer north to Auckland where Bryan continued
his work and they made their home in Papatoetoe north for the next 7 years.
The boys attended Kedgely Intermediate and Papatoetoe High Schools. The purchase of a beach house at Whiriba Beach (between Waihi
and Whangamata) saw the family enjoying many weekends and holidays on the
sands of the Coromandel Peninsula.
The BIG Christmas present in 1991 was the arrival of Christopher on 5th
December. The next
move fulfilled a long-time dream, and so I shall just quote from Judith’s
letter, she says it better –
“In
December 1993 it was time to move on again.
This time a dream of ours was realized as we brought a 12 acre
property at Buckland, in Pukekohe, with the idea of setting it up as an
orchard. It had a very basic 3
bedroom house and nothing else, so was a tight squeeze until we were able to
build a double garage and sleepouts for the older boys.
Two years later we sold the beach house to help finance the
development of our property, and because with the many long hours of hard
work we just weren’t able to take the time to enjoy it anymore.
The property has developed through several stages, and still has a
bit to go before we are happy.” A 15,000 sq ft plastic house, 1,000
citrus trees, passionfruit and she tells me there is yet another area still
waiting to be planted out !! Phew.
Extensions and redecorating the house have taken up the spare hours.
They have had a bit of fun getting together a great collection of
hand-made kauri furniture and when I popped in for a visit Judith was able
to show me some of their pieces. I’m
telling you, these guys have a bed to die for !!!
In
1998 Phillip made the move from home and he is working in the banking
industry. Stephen lives at home and works with his dad in the
computer industry. Christopher,
who has just turned 9, is a student at Buckland school.
Peter
attended Hastings Boys' High School, gaining his school certificate. Upon
leaving school he joined the Navy, and worked as No. 1 Radio Mechanic, being
stationed at Philomel, Devonport, and also serving on the diving ship,
'Monawhanui'. He gained a further promotion in his naval career, and to
leading hand. In the early 80’s he joined H.M.N.Z.S. Waikato, travelling
to Australia and about. After
his discharge from the Navy, he lived in Auckland for a bit before heading
over to Melbourne, living with Marilyn, and at that time working with a
power company. He remained
living in Melbourne, and now works with computers and was very involved with
people getting systems Y2K compliant.
The
youngest of Jean and Richard's children, Lynette, also graduated from
Hastings Girls' High School, having gained her school certificate, and took
up a position in the savings bank branch of the Hastings Post Office. After
a short training session in Wellington, she passed her exams in this field,
and took positions available. She
moved from Hastings to Auckland with Post Bank and through her brother she
met, then married, a navy man, Clinton Bridge.
They moved to Napier for a while, then down to Mayfield, next door to
Jean and Dick. They have
brought a house there and are doing it up.
Lynette has a special talent for things of craft and creativity.
Part of what Clinton does as a mechanic is to restore old tractors to
be sold to the Islands to be reused.
Lynette is has also started her own desk-top publishing business and
is developing that now. They
are expecting their first child at the end of April 2001.
Maude
and Lorton's second daughter, Beth, was born in Wanganui
Hospital in 1933, spending her early years at Pukeokahu where the family
lived. Many happy hours were spent playing in the sawdust etc., that
accumulated around these sawmills. Beth started her schooling by
correspondence, then when she moved into Linnet Street, Taihape with the
rest of the family, she attended Taihape District High School. She left
school during her 4th form year, starting work for a draper in Taihape. She
changed jobs several times over the next wee while, working in a
milk-bar/tea-rooms, to cashier at the local cinema. While attending a 21st
birthday party in Taihape, she met Bernard Kirwan, and it was some years
later that they became engaged - 11th September 1953, followed by their
marriage at 2.00 p.m. at St. Margaret's Church, Taihape on 24th April 1954.
Beth remembers that a few days before their wedding, it had been snowing and
very cold, but on that great day, it dawned fine and sunny. After their
marriage, they worked on her Dad's farm at Turangarere for a few months,
then shifted to Marton, where Bernard took a job as a shepherd for 18
months, until they bought their own home at Marton Junction. Bernard's
occupation was shearing and fencing, so he formed a gang and continued doing
that job for seven years. In 1960 they went to Matiere, a small settlement
north of Taumarunui for two years, before finally shifting to Aranga, and
buying their own farm. Aranga is 25 miles north of Dargaville on the main
road towards the Waipoua Kauri forest. They farmed their sheep and cattle
farm there for 19 years. After Bernard passed away on 13th May 1980, Beth
sold the farm and bought a house in Kamo, Whangarei and continues to live
there, close to her family, enjoying having the time to play her favourite
sport - golf.
Beth
and Bernard's eldest daughter Jenny, was born in Marton in 1955, and
went to kindergarten and then started her schooling at Marton Junction
School, continued on at Matiere, then Aranga, and attended secondary at
Whangarei Girls' High School. She boarded at the hostel there, and gained
her school certificate and 6th form certificate. She has enjoyed swimming,
doing well in competitions, also athletics and her interest in badminton
continues. After leaving school she joined the Inland Revenue Department and
worked there for five years, then took up a position with Northland
Laboratories for another two years. It was while she was working with the
Inland Revenue that she met Grant Ford, and they were married at Christ
Church, Whangarei on the 28th February 1976. Grant is purchasing manager for
a Whangarei engineering company, Marine Engineering, having worked his way
up from a fitter and turner apprentice to his present position, and has been
with this firm for 32 years. He also works as a consultant in his own right.
His interests include fishing, yachting and swimming. Jenny continued
working until their son Kent was born on 24th October 1979, and
their second son Lane was born on 15th January 1982, both at Whangarei
Annexe. They attended
Maunu primary school in Whangarei before Grant’s work saw the family move
to Tonga from January 89 to April 90. The
boys attended Tonga Side School while there.
The family returned to NZ to settle in Glendowie, Auckland, where the
boys were students at Churchill Park primary.
Kent went on to have a year at St. Kentigans and Boys High,
and is now employed in panelbeating and mechanics.
Lane was at Glendowie College and after his 7th
form year went on to Carrington Uni Tech, studying business management.
Beth's
second daughter Karen, was born at Dargaville in August 1961, and she
attended Aranga Primary School which was right next door to their home, and
went on to Whangarei Girls' High School, boarding at the hostel. She too
gained her school certificate and 6th form certificate and she enjoyed
swimming, horse-riding, netball and indoor basketball. Karen has worked as a
typist-clerk for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Dargaville
since leaving school. She married Revell Crawford and have made their home in
Auckland with their three children.
Bevan was born on 18th September 1986 and is at
Glendowie College. Stephanie,
born on 2nd October 1988, is a student at Remuera Girls’
College, and Megan, who was born on 23rd June 1992,
attends Glendowie Primary.
The
third member of the family, Robert, was also born in Dargaville, in
August 1963, and he too attended Aranga Primary and went on to Whangarei
Boys' High as a boarder, gaining his school certificate and 6th form
certificate. Swimming was enjoyed by him as well, plus a keen interest in
athletics. He is also a fan of motor-cross and has had some success, plus he
plays tennis and indoor basketball. Robert is an apprentice
boilermaker/welder with Culham Engineering, starting at this in January
1981, and has made the world of engineering, boilermaking, welding and
construction his career, working as a foreman today.
He and his partner Kay have a son Joshua, born at Whangarei
Annex on 11th October 1999.
Maude
and Lorton's only son Don, was born at Taihape on 25th April
1934. He attended Taihape Primary School and High School, and upon leaving
school came home to work on the farm at Turangerere. Don was very good with
machinery, often - with the help of the welder and other tools - making new
things to be used on the farm. He was driving the truck at a pretty young
age, and at just 15 he gained his heavy traffic license. This was during
World War Two, and he had to sit a special test for this, but obviously he
was good at his task. He was married to a local girl from Turangerere,
Florence Gregory, and they made their home on the family farm there, working
the farm and surviving the bleak cold winters that most of us only ever read
about! I have spoken of this
farm earlier when talking about Maud and Lorton and how the main state
highway now climbs right through the middle of this property.
It is the hill that constitutes the “deviation” on the road as
you travel north from Taihape. Don
and Flo were building a new woolshed and before it even got completed the
Ministry of Works demolished it and now the road goes straight through where
their new woolshed was. Their
first three children, Lorraine, Stan and Jeffery were all born here, then
later they sold the farm. The
main road goes right through the middle of this farm and they just found it
impossible to try and farm in two halves, so they sold it and moved up to
the winterless north, living at Keri Keri. Don was in partnership here with
his Uncle Dave McPike, driving bulldozers doing contract work, and working
on many of the subdivisions being set up.
Their fourth child, Isobel, was born while they were at Ken Keri.
Later, they left here and moved to Matua, Tauranga, and have settled there,
Don still being involved in contracting work.
In recent years they have purchased a motor home and enjoy travelling
around the country at their leisure.
Their
eldest daughter, Lorraine, was born at Taihape and gained her
schooling at Keri Keri and Tauranga. We are told she got through all her
schooling with "flying colours", and upon leaving school went down
to Wellington where she attended Poly Tech. taking a course in dressmaking
and designing. She achieved considerable success in this field, winning some
trophies and other prizes, and even makes suits for her dad and also for her
husband Peter. She and Peter Dwyer were married, and it goes without saying
that Lorraine made her own outfit for this great occasion. Peter is an
accountant from Wellington, and this is where they have made their home,
with baby son Simeon.
Don
and Florence's son, Stan, too was born in Taihape and attended school
at Keri Keri and Tauranga. He left school and helped his dad for a time, and
at some stage took a course in salesmanship. But he continues on driving
bulldozers and helping other contractors out when needed, and has a keen
interest in motorbikes and cars.
Jeffery
also was born in Taihape, and gained his schooling at Tauranga, and at
present Jeff is working with a panelbeater and painter, and this suits his
special interest very well, that being restoring and doing up old cars.
He progressed from this to a career in car sales for a number of
years and just recently has given up as assistant manager’s job to build
himself another house. This
is house no. four and is build on a double section at Matua.
Jeffery is planning to go to America in the near future with his wife
Helen and their two daughters Britteney and Samantha.
The
fourth member of the family is Isobel. She was born at Keri Keri and
gained her primary schooling in Tauranga and attended Tauranga High Scool,
enjoying athletics. She
trained in Tauranga as a nurse before her marriage to Victor Malbon.
Victor trained at Otago University and practices as a
physiotherapist, having their own practice in Kati Kati.
They too spent some 2 years in America and then 2 years in Australia.
Isobel is currently studying for a degree in nursing.
The couple of three children, Cory, Bailey, and
Jake.
Maude
and Lorton's fourth born was a daughter, Elma. She was born in
Taihape in 1935, and attended Taihape Primary and High Schools. After
leaving school, she spent the next year at Gilbeys College in Wellington,
learning shorthand/typing and bookkeeping. She returned home to take a
position with Taihape County Council working in the office there for 12
months. She left this position to become the manager of the
Wanganui/Rangatikie Electric Power Board's shop in Taihape. She held this
position until her marriage to a local Taihape chap, Eddie Kelland on the
15th January 1955. Their first child, Christine, was born in Taihape, and
then they built their own home there and moved to live in it in 1957. Their
second child, David, was born the following year, but they found things a
little bit hectic, so sold up and went north to Kerepehi in 1960. They
bought an oldish home then, and are this became their family home. The
following year, their third child, Rex, was born at Paeroa. Eddie took up a
position with the N.Z. Co-op Dairy Company as a tanker driver and has worked
his way up through the years to his present position as Assistant Transport
Manager at Kerepehi. Back in 1969, Eddie and Elma started a fish and chip
shop, and had this until May 1979, and Elma remembers that they were fairly
busy in those years and never managed to do many things, but now they are
trying to catch up on doing a few of the things they were never able to do,
like going on a holiday, fishing, etc.
They made the move from Kerepehi, after having lived there for 34
years, and now enjoy life in their retirement home in Papamoa, Tauranga.
Their three children all attended the Kerepehi Primary School and
then the Hauraki Plains College at Ngatea. They lived very close to the
Kerepehi school, so that was an advantage for them, no hassles with school
buses, etc. All enjoyed sports, and the usual school activities, Rex doing
particularly well in swimming, winning many cups and trophies.
Christine
was born on 17th October 1956 and left school during the sixth form after
gaining her school certificate. She joined the staff of the B.N.Z. at
Paeroa, starting as a typist, and rising to senior girl in general clerical
duties. She left this position
when she and Owen Coldicutt were married in 1976. Owen is a qualified
carpenter and was employed as a foreman for a firm that builds Lockwood
homes, so they built their lovely 'Lockwood' home at Bennett Street, Paeroa,
and this is where they lived for some years. Eventually they made the change to dairyfarming and as
we print this in 2001 they are sharemilking on 2 large farms at Netherton,
on the Hauraki Plains, milking 420 cows, with an employee on one of the
farms and they manage the other. Life
is full and very busy. Their two sons, Damon and Shane were both born at Thames,
Damon on 5th February
1977 and Shame on 27th December 1978. Christine was very active in Paeroa Plunket as secretary and Playcentre,
where she was president.
Damon
attended schools in Paeroa, Hamilton, Hikutaia and Netherton then on to
Hauraki Plains College. After
leaving school, he did a farm cadet course and has worked on several large
farms around the Waikato area. He
worked for his mum and dad for 3 years, milking their 160 cow herd and now
manages 220 cows at Paeroa where he and his partner, Racheal Mudgway have
made their home. Racheal is a local Paeroa girl and their son Jacob,
was born in Hamilton, 1st April 2000.
Shane
also gained his schooling in Paeroa, Hamilton, Hikutaia, Netherton and
Hauraki Plains College. He has
been a student of both Bay of Plenty and Waikato Polytechs doing a
mechanical apprenticeship through Hauraki Plains Motors at Ngatea.
Then read about this………… Shane was very excited to have his
name come up in a lottery to gain a “Green Card”, and be able to
immigrate to the USA. He leaves on 20th February 2001 for this great
adventure. But before he
leaves, he has to complete the restoration of the car he has been working on
for a while !!! It is a
1972 Valiant Charger, and he also owns a 1956 Ford Pick-up in the States,
plus a great passion for motorbikes.
David,
Elma and Eddie's second child, was born at Taihape on 17th February 1958,
and left school to enjoy the 'great outdoors'. He enjoys anything to do with
farming, and as a youngster reared his own few calves, etc. After leaving
school he joined the farm cadet scheme for a time, but found he had to shift
too often, and took employment with the dairy company for three years. Then
found his present position, i.e. foreman of a bushgang at Tokoroa, and here
he really enjoys the outdoor life. His first love is for hunting pigs, and
deerstalking, and has quite a reputation in the area, having got the most
pigs in the year at Tokoroa, with 37 pigs. He and his partner Carole Dufty
have now made their home in Tauranga where David works on a big log loader
on the Tauranga wharf, working 12 hour shifts.
Rex,
the youngest in this family, was born at Paeroa on 5th October 1961, and
left school after gaining his school certificate and 6th form certificate.
He is training as a motor mechanic with the Post Office at Paeroa and
enjoying this. Rex has an inbuilt love for restoring old vehicles, and in
the early 80’s was working on completely restoring and rebuilding a 1947
Ford pick-up. Rex married a
Thames girl, Maree Hebberly on 10th December 1983 and in 1988
they made the move to live and work in The United States, making their home
in Modesto. They have two
daughters, both born in Modesto. Hayleigh
on 23rd October 1995 and Kristy on 17th August
1999. Maree is the
manager of an ICC unit (that is
Intensive Critical Care) in Doctors Medical Hospital in Modesto, California
and since the children have arrived, Rex has become the home maker.
He also enjoys a bit of trading in cars and car parts, particularly
Chevys and Mustangs. We
understand their plan is to return to NZ in the next couple of years.
Glenys
is the fifth of Maude and Lorton's children, and was born at Taihape on the
3rd September 1945. When she was about four months old, it was realised she
was in fact unable to see, but by the time she had reached two years, she
had developed a little sight in one eye. She was educated at the Blind
Foundation, at New Market, and when holiday time came there was great
excitement in the Goodrick home to all be reunited again. She continued all
her education here, and lived on for a few more years after, learning
handwork in the factory. It was while working here that she met Rangi Poki,
and at that time Rangi had a little sight, being able to see some things,
and used to coach the Foundation Indoor Bowling team. He was employed as an
Orderly at Greenlane Hospital, Auckland. Their wedding on the 13th May 1967
was a very happy occasion enjoyed by almost everyone who then lived at
Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula, as theirs was the first church wedding
in Tairua, being held in the newly erected Anglican Church. They made their
home in Mt. Smart Road, Auckland, and on their third wedding anniversary
were blessed with the birth of their son, Michael Jon. Michael too
had a very difficult start to life, being born with a hole in the heart. By
the time Michael was two, he was an energetic bouncy toddler, but then just
one year later, he suddenly passed away while watching T.V.
They had three more children, Ammon, Robert and Daniel but
tragically none of these survived infancy.
Glenys and Rangi
live now in their home in Panmure, being very independent and have taken a
keen interest in genealogy, and have done a lot of study and research in
this field. In recent
years her health has deteriorated, and she is now confined to her bed, but
still completely cared for by Rangi, who has little or no sight.
We
feel this couple are truly amaizing!!
(2)
HERBERT WILLIAM (BERT) - born on 26th April 1907 at Hukanui,
and enjoyed many happy times as a toddler here with his sister Maude. He
moved about with the family, attending school at the places they settled in.
We are not sure on this, but he probably started school at Hukanui when the
family moved back here for a short spell, and would have finished at
Omatane. None of the family had any opportunities to enjoy many sporting
activities, but Bert seemed to have a great talent for music. He had an
accordion and mandolin that he learned to get enough joy out of, and to
entertain others. In his late teens he had a go at playing piano, and
without learning any music, he was able to beat out a pretty good sound
apparently. Bert was a born comedian, and would often have the family and
those around him in near hysterics with his antics, jokes, impersonations
and the like.
Bert
helped at home for a time working on the farm, and then left that and moved
to Wellington, taking employment at Munt and Cottrells (I am not sure of
that name!), a large carrying firm, as a lorry driver, and was there for
some years before he went into the army. During the Second World War, he
left New Zealand in the 2nd Echalon, and was in the desert in Egypt for some
time. During this time he got leave for a while and travelled to England to
look up his uncle, also Bert Garrett, who lived in Sussex. He rejoined his
Battalion, but suffered from sand in his lungs, and was invalided back home,
and was a patient in Taihape Hospital for some months, and was at this
point, a very sick man. He never quite got over that and was unable to do
any strenuous work, but later took a position driving for the Education
Department in Wellington.
He
married Eileen Saunders in Wellington, and they made their home, first in
Dixon Street in Wellington, and then Homebush Road, Khandallah, overlooking
Wellington Harbour. Maud remembers that Bert was a clever mechanic, a
wonderful cook, and clever at making all kinds of ornaments, etc., from wood
to metal. Like their father Tom, he was a perfectionist, and anything that
he produced off his wood lathe or his knitting needles, or whatever, was
only of high quality. He died very suddenly in early August 1972 from a
heart attack, and Eileen his widow, continued to live on in their home in
Khandallah, Wellington until she too passed on. I have no date for that.
(3)
RALPH JOHN - born at Hukanui on 1st October 1909, but
suffered all his life from very poor health due to bronchitis and asthma,
and spent so much of his early childhood in hospital. As a baby, and for a
number of years, he was in Palmerston North Hospital, and his mother had to
make the journey frequently to see him from Hukanui, Horopito, Rewa or
wherever they were living at the time. Ralph would have received his
schooling in hospital, and from time to time spent a while with his family.
He was very clever with his hands, doing embroidery work, knitting, modeling
things out of wood, and when he felt well enough he would enjoy playing the
accordion. He was a quiet person who enjoyed what he could, but not once
would be complain of his illness.
At
some stage in his adult life he moved to Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay, and took a
job as a mechanic in a bike shop, staying on there for several years. He
didn't travel home very often, but wrote frequently, and later moved to
Otane, Hawkes Bay, and worked there for many years. He died very suddenly,
just 33 years old, when at Nancy's (his fiancee's parents) home.
(4)
LYLA MAY
- the youngest of Lucy and Tom's children, was born at Beakon Hill,
Wellington, on 4th January 1915. As a baby and toddler she lived with the
family at Rewa, then Omatane, Utiku and Ngawaka. She attended primary school
at Utiku, and then Taihape High School, and left at the age of 15, that
would have been 1930. Upon leaving school she continued to work at home
helping with the housework, farm work, and milking the cows, as the other
children had left home at this stage. We are told she was paid the princely
sum of six pounds per month and me thinks this wouldn't go very far
nowadays! Some years later her parents purchased their first car, and along
with the car we believe they also got a chauffeur!! Somebody had to teach
these people to drive this car, and a local mechanic, one Mr Leo Martin was
keen to fill the position, also teaching Lyla to drive. Lessons must have
gone well, for Leo and Lyla were married in Taihape on 15th March 1944, and
then made their home at Karioi where Leo worked as a mechanic in his
father's garage. They later moved up to Massey Road, Manurewa, and then
built their home in Great South Road, Manurewa, where they lived for the
next 16 years. During this time Leo was employed with Fletchers' Timber Co.,
working for them for over 20 years in all. Their three children, Mervyn,
Claire and Bruce were all born at Manurewa and attended school there. They
moved to Weymouth for a time, and then to Kaiawa where they owned a motor
camp. After selling this they moved to Papakura, and then to Puru (up the
coast from Thames) and bought a small orchard there. Some time later they
sold this and lived for a time at Whangarei, then Mangere, Tauranga and back
to Papakura where they settled to enjoy their retirement, and visits from
their family and friends. Lyla is a keen gardener and many of the photos I
have seen show the fruits of her labours, whether at the family home at
Ngawaka, or her own home at Manurewa, Papakura or which. They enjoyed a very
happy, active and busy life, and Leo passed away very suddenly while
attending his brothers' funeral at Taihape in November 1980, and Lyla
continued on in their home in Wellington Street, Papakura for a while.
Obviously these two people were very close, and this is described in
the notes that their daughter Claire sent to us.
We just quote from Claire’s letter here
“After
Leo died in 1980 Lyla became a diabetic, due to the shock, and did not keep
good health thereafter. Because
her husband had been her life, she seemed only ½ a person after his death.
Many people remarked on the fact.
Several more house moves and finally Lyla moved into the 7th
Day Adventist Retirement Village at Manukau, where a couple of years later
Lyla had a fall and broke her hip.
Surgery went well, but Lyla’s tired heart failed, and finally she
went to join her beloved Leo on 1st June 1989.”
Mervyn
Thomas
Harding Martin was born on 30th May 1945, and attended Manurewa primary
school and Papatoetoe High. After leaving school he was apprentice to a
mechanic, but found he was allergic to diesel fumes, so took a position with
Fletchers Timber Company and has stayed in the timber business, now being
head orderman at Henderson and Pollard in Penrose. Mervyn married Anaise
Lotoaniu from Tonga in the early 1970's, and they have made their home at
Otahuhu where they lived with their two sons, Robert
aged six and Siaosi aged four, in 1983.
They continued living in Otahuhu, Mervyn now working with timber at a
pallet company in Wiri, Manukau City.
(Their
family is not completely updated, because they have two grandchildren now.)
Claire
Ellen Grace was born on 12th August 1946 and attended primary school at
Manurewa and Manurewa High. Upon leaving school she took a position with
Nyals Products, and I presume she worked here until 1965. This was the big
year when Claire changed her name to Wilson, and became Mrs Bill Wilson.
Bill is the son of Thomas and Janet Wilson (nee McGugan) who were married in
Scotland on 21st May 1936. He is a carpenter and part-time taxi driver, and
after their marriage, they made their home in Mangere. All their children
were born while here, Wendy on 2nd January 1966, Donna on 28th July 1968 and
Janet on 21st May 1970, and then they decided to leave the city, and when
Bill joined the railways, they moved to Ohakune and this is where they live
today. Wendy and Donna started
school in Mangere and transferred to Ohakune and Janet joined them when she
turned five and then it was on to Ruapehu College. All three have been Brownies and Guides.
Wendy enjoys running, doing well in 800, 1500 and 3000 metres and
representing the college at the Christchurch school championships in 1978.
She was also intermediate champion.
Donna is a pony club ‘fanatic’ enjoying riding and also hockey
where she represents her school. Janet
underwent major heart surgery as a three year old but now enjoys life with
all the vim and vigor of every other teenager.
Claire finished her letter off so well, I will just quote from it
“Claire is a housewife who firmly believes her job is very
important keeping the home and family comfortable.
She knits, sews and bakes and watches the finances.
She gets involved with any school activities, pony club, guides, etc,
etc. Goes down to the local Pa
occasionally for bingo and enjoys the company and Bill plays indoor bowls
enjoying the social company.
That was in 1982. Now
we continue the update on this family ………………
They
transferred from Ohakune to be closer to mum, Lyla, after Leo’s passing,
living in a railway house at Kelston and then purchasing their own property
at Papatoetoe. Sadly, Bill passed away on 16th October 1985
after a short illness, just 12 days after his 48th birthday and
16 days after the marriage of their daughter Wendy.
Others who have had to “pick up the pieces” will understand the
challenges Claire and her three teenage daughters had to face.
She
was remarried on 26th September 1988 to Brian Keighley.
Brian has a previous family and they have made their home in Manurewa
where he is a vehicle inspector at VTNZ based at Sylvia Park branch in
Penrose. Claire is
currently working as a receptionist at Manukau City Council having
previously worked for Income Support for 11 years.
Wendy
married Ken Ringrose on 1st October 1985, and as we said, just a
fortnight before her Dad passed away. They
had two children, Carl born on 20th July 1988 and Jessica
born on 2nd May 1990, the family then moving to make their home
in Nelson. After their divorce, Wendy remarried Stephen
Savage, now a policeman with Nelson Police, and they have made their home at
Lud Valley, north of Nelson. Wendy
works as a CSO Supervisor at the Nelson Building Society.
Donna
married Greg Baty and their son Paul was born on 30th May
1992. This family also made the
move to the States, settling in Tuscon, Arisona where they own their own
machine shop. Son Terry
was born there on 12th February 1995, and daughter Stacey
on 14th April 1998.
Janet
has had several changes of residence, living with her three children, Christopher
born on 24th December 1989, Aimee born on 30th
October 1996 and Justin, born on 19th February 1998.
Bruce
William
was born on 5th July 1948 and attended primary school at Manurewa and also
High there too. He took a position as a carpenters apprentice, and after he
qualified, he travelled to Australia where he lived for five years. While in
Australia, Bruce married Carmel Lane, and their daughter Mechalle and
son Richard were born in Australia. They later moved back to New
Zealand, Bruce working with the Railways, and made their home in Ohakune for
four years, then transferred to New Plymouth. Some time later Bruce returned
to live in Queensland, Australia and Carmel and the children made their home
in Whangarei.
Bruce
has made his home at Petrie, north of Brisbane and works for the Petrie
Paper Mill. His partner is Pasita Aitken, and she has two children Edward
and Jackie. Bruce’s
daughter Machalle returned to Australia and her daughter Jessica was
born on 20th November 1989 and Machalle has recently married.
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