(12) ALICE MAY (dec’d) 
   m Raymond John McNamara (dec’d)
         Doreen
     m Bob McQuire
                  Yvonne
                  Colin
                  Kevin
         Terrence
     m Pat Powell
                  Karen
                  Craig
              m Colleen Turner
                           Dean
                  Maxine

(13) AGNES MARGARET (dec'd) 
   m James Mulcare
         No family

View Margaret Aspin's Birth Certificate here.
Margaret (Maggie) Aspin was born at Tooloombilla, which is near Roma, Queensland, Australia, on 30th July 1874, although I am told that she celebrated her birthday on 24th July. Like her sister Mary, the white children in these communities created a lot of interest among the native Aborigine, and they had to be kept inside and watched very closely at all times. Nothing is known of Maggie's early life, and like others in the family she too never received any formal education. She would have been six years old when the family travelled to New Zealand, and as we presume, probably stayed for a short time at a camp at Waitakere before making the harbour crossing to their home at Grahams Beach. Maggie and her sister Lucy had a china doll each, and during this first harbour crossing they threw these overboard to the fish.
 

Maggie worked very hard as a child, helping in all that had to be done to establish a home and all the hard work that was done on the farm. She too was sent to dig gum, and I have described in more detail, when telling Polly's story, some of the circumstances they faced in digging this stuff. (Our own children would come back from an adventure down some of these same gullies with a small chunk of motley looking gum, and judging by the gleam in their eyes, you would think they had struck gold - not for them the rigors and hardships of 100 years ago). Like members of the family, without having any formal education, although we believe she did in fact attend school for three days, she still learnt to read, write and spell and wrote with a beautiful clear hand indeed.

Maggie married Charles William (Charlie) Short at the Short homestead at Awhitu on 11th October 1894. She was 20 years old, Charlie 30, and her occupation was described as household duties, his farmer. Charlie was the e1dest child of William and Mary-Anne Short, and of course is the brother of Jim who married Maggie's younger sister, Emma Aspin.  Charlie was born in Manchester, England. For the next 21 or 22 years they made their home at Awhitu Central, and where their home was, with its commanding view down over the west coast, now stands the home of Colin and Margaret Irwin. All of their 13 children were born in their home here, and many, if not all of them, were delivered by their grandmother, Margaret Aspin, and they would have all gained their schooling at Awhitu Central, and some also at Otaua and Pollok. Maggie kept in close contact with her parents and family, as is evident from the letter reprinted on the following page, written on 14th October 1896 from Maggie to her sister Mary (Polly).

Charlie had a team of 16 bullocks, and he carted logs and timber all around the Peninsula, and well beyond. It was his team that was working up at Kennedy Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula, and he also walked them from Awhitu down to Rotorua where they had some work to do for several months. Their daughter Kathleen recalls these memories, and I quote from her letter -"Father had a team of 16 bullocks and Carlos also handled them, drawing the bullock wagon with a load of kauri, rimu or totara logs - no pines then. The sawmill was below our house, and I can remember the huge engine, and the wells that were there to supply water for the mill. After one of the children slipped in a well and nearly drowned, they had covers put on them. From that mill the timber was built into the Presbyterian Manse at Awhitu Central by Father". We note when reading through the booklet 'Awhitu Central Horizon' it states -"Mr Charlie Short accepted a contract to build the Manse for five hundred pounds". We also understand that he built the wharf at Orua Bay, and timber from this same mill also was carted by barge from Awhitu to Waipipi, then by bullocks up to Jim and Emma's house-site on their farm.

With a large family, it was a very busy time for Maggie and Charlie just keeping body and soul together and maintaining the household, and this they achieved with great credit. Then about 1915/16 they left the old home and went to Otaua to sharemilk for Tom McDonnell near Waikato Heads, and they used to send milk to the old cheese factory, now disappeared, at Otaua.

Click here for the letter from Margaret Short

During the winter period when the cows weren't milking, they packed up and returned to Awhitu, then in the spring packed up again and went back out to Otaua. The following winter they repacked and went back to Awhitu only to move again in the spring, this time to the West Coast Road at Pollok where they milked on J. Hamilton's farm, right at the end of the road. During this time some of the older children were helping them out on the farm too, as well as with the household chores. Also their very popular grandmother Margaret Aspin, stayed with them for quite some time when they were at Pollok. Alice McNamara remembers the fun she and Agnes had with their grandma. Margaret helped with the cows and used to wear a big black apron, and Alice and Agnes used to 'drive' her to the cowshed by her apron strings! Two herds of cows were milked by the family, one herd on the coast farm, and one on the flats, the cream being sent to Hamilton's factory. Alice and Agnes began their schooling while at Pollok, both starting more or less at the same time. Kathleen recalls, and I quote from her letter again - "At this time Carlos enlisted and went off to war, then soon after our uncle Owen came to say his good-byes. He died in England with pnuemonia. Uncle Bill died in Waiuku about that same time, 1919, with black flu". We also note that illness struck Maggie and Charlie's family at this time too, several of them being very sick, and Eileen recalls that in 1917 she was very ill and spent some months in hospital.

About 1920, the family moved back to Awhitu, this time to stay. Those children still attending school continued at Awhitu Central, and Alice and Agnes went on to attend St. Mary's Convent in Ponsonby. Maggie, who was shy and retiring by nature, never sought the limelight, and hers was a life of dedication to her family. She seldom travelled through to Auckland, in fact we understand that in one particular 10 year period, she only got to Auckland once, and that was to buy a wedding present for Sam Dickey and Rubena Morrison  - she also came home sporting a brand new hat for the occasion as well.
It seems it was a habit of the Shorts to be off away from the house, or wherever, without actually letting anybody know they had gone, or to where, or for how long. We believe Charlie and Jim's mother, Mary-Anne Short, could tell who was home by the number of saddles on the rail outside the kitchen window. If someone was not handy, she would look out on the rail, 'Oh yes, Henry's saddle is missing - he's away' or 'Henry's saddle is there, he must be about someplace', and this was how she kept tabs on who was about. It was not uncommon for someone to be gone several hours, or days, maybe longer, without anyone knowing just where they were. Such an inborn habit is hard to break, and we understand Charlie continued this all his life, much to Maggie's consternation. He might be off down the back of the farm working somewhere, then decide to have a bit of a chat with a neighbour or someone and off he would wander, sometimes down to Grahams Beach to see his in-laws, and may be gone for a day or two, then just as happily wander back home again. Sometimes he was gone for a week or more, but always managed to make it back home safely. He loved to have a chat, and really was the most amicable of characters, a very easy-going gentleman, and one wonders if he ever understood the real concern he must have caused his family on these occasions.

At Awhitu Alice recalls they milked 88 cows at one stage, she and Vaughan milking the cows, and Evelyn working in the house. Vaughn left for a time, then came back to manage the farm when Charlie and Maggie retired to the house that Carlos had purchased in Martyn Street, Waiuku. They had purchased a home in Mellsop Avenue, but rented it out. The farm at Awhitu was sold in 1943. They lived in this cottage for the rest of their lives, and Maggie died on 3rd March 1944, aged 70 years. After Maggie's death, their daughter Evelyn came to live with her father then and took care of him until his death. Charlie still enjoyed a good walk, and on one occasion when walking from Waiuku to Awhitu, he called enroute to visit Jim and Emma at Waipipi, carrying two lemon trees with him. Emma asked what he was going to do with the trees and he replied "plant them in the bush at Awhitu. A man never knows when he'll get a cold you know". We understand he would have been in his 80's at this time.
Note:  You’ve really got to think that one through a bit, don’t you.  The gentleman was in his 80’s !!!

He was also noted for the wonderful walking sticks that he made. Way back earlier in his life, he would go down into the bush at Awhitu, select several pieces of various vines, and plait or twist them together so that eventually they grew into a tangled knot and all twisted, and maybe 15 or 20 years later he would go back, knowing just exactly where every lot of vines that he had 'tied' were, and select a part of one of these vines that had now grown all crooked and tangled, and cut out pieces to make walking sticks with, and splendid creations they were too. Charlie passed away on 30th May 1952, aged 88 years, and is buried alongside his wife at Waipipi.

Note - because we have two Short families included here, and also because this information is to hand, we have taken the opportunity to include now a few paragraphs on the family of William and Mary-Anne Short, parents of Charlie and Jim as we believe this will be of interest and value to their various families. This information is taken directly from the booklet 'Awhitu History' compiled by the Awhitu Branch of the Plunket Society.

"William and Mary-Anne Short came originally from Cork, Ireland, then from Manchester, England, by the full-rigged ship 'Matoaka' arriving at Auckland on 3rd January 1865 after a voyage of 102 days. She left Blackwall Docks, and carried 441 passengers - there were two deaths and six births during the voyage. Captain Barnett got a bonus of twenty pounds for each person landed. Shorts lived at Te Papapa for a while during the Maori Wars, then left Onehunga by the boat 'William Eck', and took four days to reach Waiuku. After a few months at Waiuku the Shorts went to Kohekohe for a while, but as prospects did not look very promising, Mr Short decided to try Awhitu. He left Kohekohe very early one morning in 1868 when the flax was in bloom (probably in November), went down to the beach and came up at what is still known as Shorts' Gap at the Central. He obtained work with Mr John  S. Graham, whom he had known in England, working from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. for the sum of one pound ten shillings per week for six days of the week. On Sunday he walked to Kohekohe and returned in time to start work again on Monday morning. Then the family moved down to Awhitu and lived on Graham's property on the hills above the beach (later owned by Irwin Brothers). The house consisted of three rooms, built of slabs, split on the West Coast and carried up the cliff face on the men's backs. It was built by William Short, assisted by William Aitcheson. After living there for some years, the family shifted over to Millett's flat, where they had a two-roomed house and a nikau whare. It was in this nikau whare that Jim Short was born. They continued to live here for about two years, until their home was built. A tailor, named Benjamin Lowe, owned the farm of 120 acres and Mrs Short bought a section for twenty pounds. The remainder was bought later from the Government. It was all in bush except a bit opposite the present house. Mr Palmer took the contract to fell the bush where the first house stood and the house was built in about 1880. For some time Mr Short worked for Mr Arrowsmith and was paid for just the number of hours worked. He worked ten hours a day for about four shillings. Garlands boat ran to Onehunga once a fortnight and people went to town and brought back a three months' supply of goods. The stuff was landed on the beach up the creek behind the store, the storehouse being known as Te Mungi, and from there the goods were carried home on the back or by horse. About 1885 they used to get their groceries from Onehunga by the boat 'Manukau' and one trip she landed half-a-ton of flour. The weather was bad for several days, and when they went to collect the flour with the bullock dray, it had all disappeared! Later Mrs Short used to ride to Waiuku for groceries, spend the night with a shipmate, at Ponsfords Road, Kohekohe and return on foot along the West Coast the following day, with the groceries in a pack on the horse" - and we believe the baby in a pack on her back.

(1) CHARLES WILLIAM (CARLOS) - Charles, more commonly and affectionately known as 'Carlos' was born on 26th March 1895 at his parents' home, Awhitu, on the Manukau Peninsula, and as with his cousins, it can safely be assumed that they were bought into the world with the aid of their grandmother, Margaret Aspin, who also acted as the local mid-wife. Carlos, being the eldest child of thirteen, became a prominent paternal figure to many of his younger brothers and sisters. He spent his childhood years at Awhitu, attending the Orua Bay and Awhitu Schools, and then he left school to begin working on the farm, and also milling and logging timber in the local bush. The outbreak of the First World War affected Carlos like so many at that time, and he gave National Service, spending his time at Gallipoli, as well as other countries, for a period of approximately two years. He served in the Third Auckland Regiment of the New Zealand Infantry, where he obtained recognition for his services, by receiving several war medals. On his return home he worked during the 1920's in the Mamaku and Mokau logging and timber milling areas.

Note: I wonder if this should read “Mamaku and Mokai logging and timber milling areas”?  Mokai happens to be just at the end of our road, here in Tirohanga, and within reasonable distance of Mamaku and had a huge mill during the early part of this century through to the 1950’s.  Alma)

In 1929/early 1930's he started work for the Public Works Department as a carpenter, working on the Waikaremoana project at Tuai, then to the Waitaki Power Schemes in the South Island, and back to Tuai. In 1939 Carlos married Phyllis Craven (nee Rink) who was originally from Turakino, Wanganui, and they settled in Piripaua, Hawkes Bay.  Piripaua/Tuai – are basically the same place.   Here is a brief outline of how they met.  We didn’t include this in the original edition.

While Carlos was working on the Kaimata Dam near Greymouth, he met a couple who were Albert and Phyllis Craven.   Albert was the Civil Engineer (the boss) on the job and Carlos the Assistant Engineer.  He became good friends with both Albert and Phyllis.  In 1938 Albert died of double pneumonia, leaving Phyllis widowed. The friendship between Carlos and Phyllis continued to develop and as they say, the rest is history.  

Phyllis had two children, Georgina and Bert Craven. Georgina is now married to Jack Sanderson and they have made their home in Karori, Wellington, with their children John and Tonya.
Bert married Iris Crann, and they live in Waiuku with their children Lochlyn, Mark and Sharleen.

While at Piripaua, Carlos was employed on the Waikaremoana Hydro Power Scheme as an Engineer. The family moved to Kaitawa, Lake Waikaremoana, which was a small transit village, created by the hydro schemes, being a temporary settlement for the men and their families until the completion of the project. Whilst living here, their five children were born, Elaine in 1940, Margaret in 1941, Charlie in 1943, Jack in 1948 and Sheryl in 1952. Sometime in the 1920's he purchased farm land at Awhitu which was part of the original Short farm. He had a succession of sharemilkers on the farm for many years. Other blocks of land were also bought over the years, and in the 1950's it totaled 388 acres.

In 1953 the family moved again, this time to Mangakino, on the Waikato River power project and at Atiamuri, Carlos still working as an engineer. This position he gained through his own self-taught merits, and it was a position he held for many years, until his retirement in 1960. At this time he moved back to Waiuku with his family, occupying the house where his parents had previously lived in Martyn Street. In his retirement he worked the farm at Awhitu with the aid of sharemilkers until his death in 1961 at the age of 66 years. He was survived by his wife Phyllis who remained living in Waiuku, his five children and many grandchildren.  Eventually Phyllis retired, still in Waiuku, and passed away on 20^th March 1996, at the age of 84.

Elaine - was born on 29th February 1940 in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, when her parents were living at Piripaua. They shifted to Kaitawa, and this is where Elaine attended the local primary school, with a roll of about 60. Her first year of high school was taken by correspondence, and then in 1954 they moved to Mangakino, where she was able to attend the District High School. In 1957 she started work in Mangakino in the stores office of the Ministry of Works, and then transferred to the Auckland Ministry of Works office in 1960. Elaine worked here for 18 months until the bright lights on the other side of the globe beckoned her and she left for England and a working holiday, spending the next three years plus, in various temporary office and nanny jobs. She travelled to the continent several times, and arrived back in Auckland in December 1964, in time to attend the C. W. Short family reunion in January 1965, which was most enjoyable. In 1965 another set of bright lights beckoned, and on the 15th May that year Elaine married Harvey Thomson at Ellerslie. Harvey had a food business in Penrose and they lived there until late 1965 when they bought their home in Papatoetoe and lived there for some considerable time.   They moved to the ‘Harp of Erin’ area in Greenlane and changed their business to furniture retailing owning the outlet known as Otahuhu Furnishers.    They sold that and Harvey carried on making furniture, and still does this today.   Elaine passed away on 23^rd October 1995.
They have two children, Andrew born on 22nd July 1968 and Kim, born on 4th December 1970.
Andrew, born on 22^nd July 1968, gained his schooling at Papatoetoe.   When he left school he worked for Fletcher Challenge and has continued there in the field of either computer programming or data entry, but with computers anyway.  He married Donna  Munro on 20^th November 1999 and have made their home at Pt Chev.
Kim also gained her schooling at Papatoetoe.  She completed her training and became a Kindergarten teacher.   At the end of 2000 the travel bug hit her and she is now off on the BIG OE like so many others. 

Margaret - was born at Wairoa on 9th October 1941, and she attended Kaitawa Primary School, and Mangakino District High Street. She left school in 1957 and moved to Auckland where she took up a position as a typist/clerk. The travel bug must be well established in this Short family, for Margaret travelled to Australia for a working holiday for three months in 1960. She met and married Kerry Geen on 31st March 1962 (not all on the same day!) in Auckland, and they made their home here, working together in Kerry's metal polishing business. After Kerry's death in 1978, Margaret continued living in Pakuranga with her two children, Kirk and Amber.  Margaret passed away on 15^th April 1986.
Kirk was born on 3rd October 1968 gaining his primary schooling in Pakuranga, and was a student of Edgewater College when he passed away on 30^th December 1984.
Amber, who was born on 29th November 1973 attended Papuranga Heights Primary School.  After her mum passed away, she went to live with her aunty  Elaine.  She left school and worked in office administration and continues in this field today.

Charlie - was born in 1943 at Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, and he too attended the Kaitawa School and the Mangakino District High School, leaving school in 1958 at the age of 15. His first job was as an assistant in the local butcher shop in Mangakino, and he worked until the family moved back to Waiuku in 1960. He worked for a time with his father, helping with farm work on the farm at Awhitu and after the death of his father he found employment on various construction jobs in and around the South Auckland area. In 1965 Charlie married Gloria Cowell, a local girl from a well-known Waiuku family. They have four children, Carlos born in 1966, Dean in 1967, Shane who was born in 1970 and Treena, born in 1971. During the early stages of married life, they lived at Glenbrook where Charlie was employed on the construction site of the Glenbrook Steel Mill. On completion of construction and the initial production of the steel mill, he was employed by New Zealand Steel as transport foreman - a position he held for four years. In 1971 he bought an 'off-way' dump truck business that was worked at the steel mill. Having purchased further trucks, his area became very extensive, with contracts gained for these machines at the Kopuku open-cast coal mines, and the construction site of the present Carrington Technical Institute, Auckland. With the increased workload, more drivers had to be employed, with further contracts being gained with Green and McCahill at Mangatangi. Then in 1977 the earthmoving business was sold, allowing a 'short' well-earned break. (I like that!) In 1978 Charlie and Gloria purchased a second-hand shop in Waiuku, known as Waiuku Mini Mart. Besides the business, they have many outside interests, Charlie being a committee member of the Waiuku Businessman's Association and past member of Jaycees.   After selling the business, he went back to truck driving for a while, and Gloria had a position in the office of the Country Club in Waiuku.  After visiting the Brisbane Expo in 1988, they made the decision to move to the warmer climate, and made their home on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane.  Both Carlos and Dean have been past Counties Rugby representatives, and Dean represented Waiuku in the Counties Roller Mills rugby team in 1980. All the family enjoyed rugby, and Shane  played cricket.  Treena was a very keen netballer, being coached in this sport by her Mum.  The children all attended View Road School and Waiuku College.
Carlos travelled and worked “all over the world”, including England and Africa, working as an “international construction worker” and now lives in Perth.
Dean was away on the BIG OE when he travelled to meet up with the family at the Brisbane Expo in ’88 and returned to England, working in construction as a rigger.  He came back to NZ and graduated from the Waikato University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Business Management, with Honours, and has made his home in Perth where he works as a human resource manager for a construction company.   He married Marie Nielson , who comes from Waverly, in Perth on 11^th November 2000 with all the family travelling to Perth for the occasion.
Shane travelled with his parents to the Gold Coast in 1989 and has made his home there.
Treena worked in administration at the Heards factory in Waiuku.   She met Paul Sixsmith and they were married in 1992.  Paul is from England and emigrated when he was 9 years old.  He works as a fitter at the steel mill at Glenbrook. They made their home in Waiuku for some time before moving to their home which overlooks the Manukau at Grahams Beach in 1998.   They have two children, Lauren born on 11^th October 1998 and James who was born on 11^th September 2000.

John Short (Jack) - was born in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, in 1948. He attended Mangakino Primary School, and then Waiuku Primary and later Waiuku College. On leaving school he worked on various construction sites in the Auckland area for a number of years until that familiar travel bug got him, and he left for Australia where he travelled on a working holiday for two years. When he returned home he worked with his brother-in-law Kerry Geen in Otahuhu as a metal polisher, later buying the business himself. Jack was married to Karen Leathart in Auckland in 1973, and they have a son Clinton, who was born in 1972. The family resides on the North Shore.

The youngest in this family, Sheryl, was also born in Wairoa on 8th October 1952. She attended Mangakino and Waiuku Primary schools, then Papatoetoe High where she was accredited her university entrance. Upon leaving school, Sheryl chose a career in haemotology and began her training at Auckland Hospital. The travel bug had well and truly got a hold on this family by now, and in 1972 Sheryl left New Zealand and travelled to Australia, South America, Europe and England settling in Surrey, England, where she married Peter Cawley in 1978. Sheryl continued with her training, and obtained her Higher National Certificate in haemotology in 1979. She travelled home by herself in 1981 for a family visit, being able to attend the Aspin Reunion at that time, and upon her return to England, she and Peter decided to make their way back to settle permanently in New Zealand, and this they did the following year.   They lived in Mt. Eden, Sheryl working within her field and Peter as Public Relations manager for Arnotts Biscuits.  Their son Martin was born while there were here.  With a transfer for Peter the family settled in Sydney and are there today, he working as Public Relations manager for Cerebos, covering the South Pacific area. 

Georgina Craven was born in Masterton on 23^rd October 1933 and had moved to Greymouth when her Dad Albert was employed as the Civil Engineer on the Kaimata Dam.   After his death, her Mum Phyllis remarried Carlos Short and thus they became the one family.  She finished her schooling at Tuai and worked as a waitress at the Lake House Hotel at Waikaremoana.  This hotel has since burnt down.   She married Jack Sanderson at Waikaremoana.  He was a chef and they moved to Wellington to make their home in Karori, Jack continuing to work as a chef.  He passed away on 31^st August 1984.   They had two children.
John, born on 19^th April 1967, attended schools in Karori and then took up a panelbeating apprenticeship.  He married Christine Barker in 1992, she working for the Airways Corporation.   After his death on 13^th February 1996, she continued living in Wellington.
Tonya was born on 5^th August 1968, and worked in office administration in Wellington for some time before settling in  Sydney.

Bert Craven was also born in Masterton, on 23^rd May 1935, and like his sister, became a member of Carlos’s family after his dad Albert Thomas Craven passed away, and Phyllis remarried Carlos.   Bert was at school in Tuai when the school closed, so he finished his studies as a boarder at Napier Boys’ High.  After leaving school he worked as a carpenter’s labourer for the MOW at Waikaremoana, then to Wellington, driving trucks, to Mangakino driving trucks, and then to Waiuku driving buses.  He married Iris Crann on 17^th August 1963, Iris being a Waiuku girl.

Actually, Iris works at the Franklin Memorial Hospital with Karen Aspin, and helped nurse Kath in her time there as well.  Bert worked for a plumber for a while, then developed his own business ‘Waiuku Contractors’ and had that until 1985.   He worked at the Steel Mill for a while, and retired in 1996.  They have three children, all born in Waiuku, and  gained their schooling here.
Lochlyn was born on 24^th January 1964, and did his fitter and turner apprenticeship at the Steel Mill.  He married Tracey Duncan and they had two children, Amy who was born on 22^nd August 1989 and Oliver who was born on 14^th November 1900    Eventually they divorced and he remarried Donna Peterson and they have made their home in Waiuku with their three children, Jamie Lee, born on 18^th April 1992, Blair who was born on 23^rd July 1999 and Wade, born on 6^th January 2001, as we go to press with this. 
Mark was born on 5^th August 1965 and he and his partner Joanne McCallum have two children, Dillon who was born on 31^st December 1989 and Stevie Lee who was born on 22^nd July 1991.   They live in Auckland.
Sharlene married Barry Lowe and they had a son Hayden. who was born on 19^th April 1988. She remarried Mark Jennings and they have twins Jordan and Shane who were born on 27^th January 1995.

(2)  AGNES MAY - born at her parents' home at Awhitu on 9th May 1896, Agnes was the first daughter of Charlie and Maggie. However, she was to be theirs for such a very short time, and sadly she died at their home in December 1896, aged just seven months.

(3) JOHN - born also at his parents' home at Awhitu, on 22nd August 1897, and like his brothers and sisters, gained his education at the Awhitu Central Primary School. After leaving school, John found work to do about the farm and home, helping out with all that had to be done, then eventually found employment milking cows for a next-door neighbour, Mr George Irwin. However, when he was just 13 years old he contracted diptheria (apparently the disease was spread by some rabbits which they were keeping for pets), and tragically John died from this on 10th March 1910.

(4) WILLIAM CALLAN (CRUSOE) 

Bill, or Crusoe as he was known, was born at his parents' home at Awhitu on 24th September 1898. Apparently as a wee toddler he fell out of the highchair, landing soundly on his arm. There being no doctors available, and no transport, it was not officially diagnosed as being broken, and not treated for this, but mended itself, resulting in his bent arm he had all his life. He gained his schooling also at the Awhitu Central School, and left to continue working at home on the farm, and in the bush and mill. Sometime later he moved down to Rotorua, staying with his Uncle Jack and Aunty Nellie Short and family, and working in the mills down there. While in Rotorua he met Mavis Arnold, and after their marriage they made their home in Rotorua. Then it was some time later, with his two sons Bill and Greg now staying at Charlie and Maggie's home at Awhitu, Crusoe purchased a small farm by the Orua Bay turn-off and lived there for a time. After some more time he sold this farm, purchasing a business in Waiuku, then eventually he retired to a home unit in Pukekohe, and lived there until his death on 15^th June 1980.

William John (Bill) was born on 11th January 1926. For a period of about four years, he and his brother Greg lived with their grandparents at Awhitu and it was here that he commenced school. He then went to live with his mum in Auckland, continuing his schooling there, and after his Mum's marriage in 1938, Bill was adopted by her husband, Stanley Bradburn, thus his name became Bill Bradburn. After leaving school, he took up an apprenticeship in the printing trade in 1940 with Whitcombe and Tombs. In 1953 he married Nell Hoffman, Nell having completed her nursing training at Auckland Public Hospital in 1952. She is the daughter of a dairy farmer from Otorohanga. Together they built a home in Northcote, Auckland and their family of three, Lea born on 26th June 1954, Glenn born on 9th March 1957 and Jill born on 5th June 1959, were all born in Auckland. Bill transferred to Hamilton branch of Whitcombe and Tombs in 1961, and then in 1965 he left this firm and moved to Morrinsville to work with the Morrinsville Star. When this paper and printing business was bought by the Waikato Times in 1968, Bill was moved back to Hamilton and became overall manager of the branch shops scattered throughout the Waikato area. Bill has enjoyed a neat interest in music, particularly brass bands, and this he has passed on to his family, for Glenn and Jill also played in a brass band. Bill played Eb bass for many years, and played saxaphone in a big band. In his youth he also played in both brass and dance bands. He  enjoyed indoor bowls and  also outdoor, using his fathers' new set of bowls bought shortly before he died. Bill's other interests are landscape painting in oils and golf. Nell returned to nursing in 1966 as relieving District nurse, then became a nursing tutor at Waikato Hospital in 1969.    She slowed down a little bit to do some part-time nursing before eventually retiring to enjoy the rewards of a full life.    Bill changed from painting in oils to water colours and continues his roll as “super handyman” to kith and kin whenever his skills are required.    They remain living in Hamilton

Their daughter Lea was born in June 1954 and attended Melville High school, gaining her university entrance in 1971. She worked in various jobs before becoming involved in a rural women’s community in 1979 and her time was spent working with crafts, designing clothes and collecting animals.     This very creative lady went fully into hand-painting silks for different designers and this was used to make some real special creations.    Her work was used in the uniforms of one of our national sports teams for either the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games I believe.   She eventually made her way to India designing silk quilts for a businessman there and has since made a career out of creating her own silk articles as well as a tourist business she calls “Fabricholic tours” – designed for those people with a passion for fabrics.   This tour fits in well with their backpackers tour that they operate doing a lot of tramping and hiking.   Among her many activities, she began a school for underprivileged girls and ran this for about 2 years.    As a result of this effort she has fostered three Indian girls as her daughters.   They are Manju, Anju, and Babita.   She has had these girls for about 4-5 years now and sponsors them fully.      India has become her home so much so now that she has adopted the name “Yana Lea” and has settled north east of Deli.    Anybody travelling through this region is assured a warm welcome from Yana Lea and to obtain her contact details, phone her sister Jill Austin on 07-8561119.   She would love to have you visit her if you are heading that way.
Glen attended Hamilton Boys' High school, gaining his university entrance in 1973. He worked for five years before commencing his Bachelor of Arts degree at Auckland University in 1979. He studied Political Science and Chinese, and then was awarded a Foreign Affairs Scholarship to China for 18 months to study language (Mandarin) at Peking Language Institute, and culture at either Shanghai or Nanking. On his return to New Zealand he plans to commence study for his Master of Arts.   Well, he didn’t study for his Masters but he did return home…..     He made his home in Auckland, Thames and now Wellington working in the whole field of social work.    For those ‘Sale of the Century’ fans, did any of you notice Glen at all?   I am told he “won the lot” on one of these sessions.    Glen’s daughter Hera Lindsay was born in December 1987 and gains her education in Wellington.     She has just recently spent four months on exchange in Germany.   Son Alex Lindsay was born in 1990 and he too attends school in Wellington.
Jill went to Hillcrest High, gaining her university entrance in 1975, and entered Hamilton Teachers College to train as a kindergarten teacher. She worked at Avon, a Stratford kindergarten for a year before going to Sydney where she worked as a computer data processor in an insurance firm (Lumleys). Her plans were to travel on to Europe in 1982, then maybe back home again, and I quote here "parents hopeful!"
Well Jill tells me that she didn’t travel further, she in fact stayed in Sydney and came home in 1983 to get married.    She married Robert Austin on 30^th July 1983 and they made their home in New Plymouth, Auckland and now Hamilton.    Robert works in management with Pizza Hutt and Jill has returned to university to do some part-time study.      They have three children.
Reuben was born on 25^th November 1986 while they were in New Plymouth. 
Liam was born on 28^th August 1989 at St. Helens in Auckland and he was one of the last babies born in that hospital.
Laura was born in Hamilton on 13^th September 1991 and they are now all attending schools in Hamilton.

Greg - born on 17th November 1927, he too lived with his         grandparents for a few years, and so began his schooling at Awhitu Central, then moved with his mum to Auckland and continued his schooling there. After he left school Greg worked on a number of farms before entering the Air Force, and this he made his career. After Greg and Mary were married, they made their home on Herald Island, which is close to the Whenuapai Airbase, and we understand they continued on living here. Greg retired in the early 1970's and just a year or two later he passed away. Mary continues to live in their home on Herald Island.   Greg and Mary had three children, Jennifer, Geoffrey and Karin.
Jennifer was born on 16^th July 1949, gaining all her schooling at Hobsonville.   She is another adventurous spirit who headed off for the BIG OE travelling through England and Europe.   She was married in 1972 to Garry Ritchie. Garry was an air-force pilot and they  made their home wherever he had been stationed.     After they separated Jenny and her partner John Woolley made their home in Auckland where son Geoffrey was born on 10^th October 1984.   Geoffrey gained all his schooling in Remuera, is now a student at Auckland University studying a Bachelor of Economics and is a very keen sailor having represented New Zealand already.    Jenny  now lives in Remuera and works for Air New Zealand at Mangere International Airport.  
Geoffrey only lived to be 18 years of age, as he lost his life as the result of a motorbike accident, and this was very early in the 1970's.
Karin was born in April 1963.   She is a special needs person who divides her time between North Shore Hospital and with her mum Mary. 

(5) KATHLEEN MARGARET  - also born at her parents' home at Awhitu, on 2nd August 1900, so as she says herself, she is "an old Victorian". Kathleen remembers more, and I quote here from her letter "Aunty Nellie was responsible for taking me down to Jack Kemps' in the bush to have me Baptised, and when she got there she couldn't remember the name I was to have and ended up with Maria Sarah". She started school when she was 6, attending the Orua Bay School for a fortnight, staying with Pachouds, then Awhitu Central and left when she was 13 as she was needed at home with helping with the new baby Agnes, and the other children. She remembers that a lot of schooling was missed through having to help out at home, and this was quite a common occurrence in the large families of that time. She remembers that they were a very large, but very happy family, and all had to help to get the daily jobs done.

Tragedy struck when her brother Johnny died suddenly from diphtheria, and that was three more months "gone west" as none of them returned to school until then. She lived with the family in the District until she was 16, and a lot of her time was spent with others down those back gullies with their sugar bags, plucking fungus off fallen karaka trees. She often wonders how many sacks they actually collected - and so do I! The fungus was laid out on sheets of iron to be dried, and then rammed into sacks to be sent to Ah Chee, a Chinese man in Auckland, to make some money. Then there was the coxfoot grass. In the heat of the summer, they used to reap it, then it had to be thrashed to get the seed out, and that was sent to Loan and Mercantile. Sounds like awful hard work, but Kathleen shrugs this off, maintaining it was good exercise, as there was no such thing as sports activities then.

In 1916 the family moved from the old home at Otaua to sharemilk for Mr Tom McDonnell, near Waikato Heads, and after two years there moved to sharemilk for J. Hamilton on the swamp at West Coast Road, Pollok. From where they lived at Awhitu Central, Kathleen can still remember the many times she walked, probably barefooted, down past Millets down to visit her Granny at Grahams Beach and knew every bend in the track.

In 1925 Kathleen left Waiuku to be bridesmaid for her cousin Sybil Taylor, Jack Short's step-daughter. Sybil married Mal Haswell from Waipukurau, and Kathleen stayed on then in Taranaki for some years. She remembers she missed out on a lot of the family news, and I quote again from her letter "Trevor Aspin was born, but I missed seeing him, and we were all so close. But our dear Mary and I are very close and Teanie (Aspin) gave me news my mother probably forgot. I couldn't even be there for all those exciting games of wrestling". She left Taranaki during the depression years, recalling that it took her three days to earn one shilling, and she made her way to Waipiro Bay (Napier), where she found employment catering for holiday makers, particularly she points out, a lot of tennis players and bowlers. It was while here that a particular 6' 2" handsome fellow came along, and we are told that many mistook him for Ronald Coleman, but indeed it was not, this was Frank Fisher, and in 1934 Kathleen became Mrs Frank Fisher, the marriage ceremony being conducted by Father Herlihy in Palmerston North. Frank was born in Fulham, London, the son of a flour mill owner. His mother died when he was just two and a half and he was bought up by his sister Mabel who, along with her other sister Ethel, is still alive in 1982.  Frank had travelled the world, following his career as a chef, and after their marriage they had a very busy life, Frank being chef at the Grand Hotel in Wellington, Palmerston North, and Quirks in Taihape. During their time in business in Taihape, Frank made and iced many birthday and wedding cakes, producing fabulously decorated cakes, fit for a king. In fact he did on one occasion prepare a banquet for the Governor General, and many other big occasions. On another occasion, and this was when he was back in England, he prepared a banquet for the late Duke of Windsor, at that time the Prince of Wales, and Kathleen recalls that Frank had told her that "Teddy came into the kitchen to congratulate his chef”. When war broke out they started a restaurant opposite the Railway Station in Taihape, and they became very popular with the troops, including the American Forces who nearly 'adopted' them, as they said that Frank's was the only shop where they could get their dollars changed. The war over, the family moved up to Auckland where they purchased a Home Cookery and Milk Bar in Ponsonby Road. Kathleen speaks of the long hours of toil, day and night, seven days a week in this enterprise. However, their life together was not to be forever, and Frank died very suddenly on 25th January 1960.

It was five years later that Kathleen met and married George William Gardner, better known as 'Tim'. They were married at Holy Cross, Henderson by Father Cherry. Not long after, when they were enjoying a leisurely day's drive north with a picnic lunch, they found themselves outside the Post Office at Leigh, and right there they found a little cottage that was for sale. Tim made an offer, it was accepted, and they moved in. Tim almost rebuilt the entire cottage, with new stove, tanks, facilities, etc.  Kathleen bought roses from Levin and had these planted from the front door to the gate. A bountiful vege garden, and Tim's most important plants, tobacco, which he grew for 20 years, completed the picture. She recalls the wonderful times they had there together, fishing, eeling and enjoying the good life. However, they eventually sold their lovely little home, and moved to Tapu, on the Coromandel Peninsula where they purchased a very old house with a lovely orchard and park-like hugh section. They redecorated this place, despite being flooded out after only three weeks and enjoyed many visits from their family and friends.

Kathleen recalls their moves over the next few years, and I quote from her letter "from Tapu we went to Kawakawa Bay, then to Seaview Avenue, Puru, Waihi Beach (too much salt there) back to Kawakawa Bay, then Parawai, to Puru again, to Beachlands where after two sad years I lost my beloved Tim, and now to Manurewa where I hope to really enjoy my orchards and garden, and visits from many of my hundreds of relations".
Kathleen passed away on 16^th September 1983.

John Fisher - would have attended St. Josephs Convent in Taihape for his primary education, and left at the age of 15, being unable to attend a secondary school as this was during the war years. He spent some time working on farms about the Manawatu, then joined the Air Force. However, poor health prevented a career here, so John left and worked as a chef in Palmerston North for two to three years prior to his marriage to Josephine Clark. Josephine was from Palmerston North, and after their marriage about 1947, they made their home in Palmerston North, John working as a Salesman. Sons Ray, Brian, Tony and Garry were all born while here, and it was 12 years after their marriage that they moved to Wanganui where John now opened his own business with Venetian Blinds. The business was known as 'Fisher Blinds'. The birth of Geoffrey completed the family, and Jose finds herself always busy with family involvements, as well as helping John out with the business. Hard work always pays off as they found out, when John won an overseas holiday for them both, having been declared the top salesman in his field throughout New Zealand. They continued on living in Wanganui, and also enjoyed fishing and playing billiards as favourite past-times.  Then in 1998 John and Josie sold up their home of many years and opted for a Brisbane lifestyle.  Unfortunately for Ausy, but fortunately for NZ, in 1999 they decided that there was no place like Wanganui and returned home in time to celebrate their 51^st wedding anniversary in Auckland on the same day that Neil and Joy’s daughter Wendy got married.   They have settled at Wanganui, living with their son Gary and his family.  We are told that they must have one of the most travelled dogs – 12 year old Rusty has flown to Brisbane, and returned. Their five sons attended primary schools at both Palmerston North and Wanganui, and secondary at St. Anthonys in Wanganui.
Eldest son Ray, was born at Palmerston North on 30^th November 1949 and  continues working and living in Wanganui. He works for AFFCO and has taken to riding his bicycle for fitness.  Ray married Royda Fitch at Wanganui on 13^th December 1986 and they have a family of three.  Royda’s son Glenn Fitch was born on 1^st April 1978 in Wanganui, where he also attended school etc.  Glenn has twin boys, born in November, 1998.    Ray and Royda’s children are Amanda, born on 5^th June 1984, and Trent, born 4^th March 1988, also in Wanganui.  They both attend schools there, and in 1999 Amanda went with Wanganui High School to visit Japan to enhance her Japanese studies.  Trent attends Intermediate school, with computer studies being one of his top subjects.   He will attend Wanganui High in 2001.
Brian, born on 20^th November 1950, also in Palmerston North, served his time as a butcher in Wanganui, then travelled to Canada for eight years, and after his marriage there to Reet Vahesalv on 13^th October 1979, continued on making their home in Toronto.  Brian returned from Canada, settling for a time in Wanganui and working as a butcher before moving to Brisbane where he now lives, driving taxis. 
Tony was also born in Palmerston North, on 9^th September 1954, gaining his schooling in Wanganui.  He left school to take a position with a car painting firm, then travelled overseas to Australia with his cousin Michael Kennedy. He too was to meet up with cupid while overseas, and on 18^th August 1979 saw his marriage to a Brisbane girl, Narelle Jackson, and they have made their home n Brisbane where they live with their three children Tonita, Mark and Lee. They returned to NZ and had a spray painting business for a while, but then decided to return back to Brisbane, Tony working as a taxi driver. Their daughter Tonita was born in Brisbane on 24^th January 1976 gaining most of her schooling there.  She works as a psychologist and was married to Greg Taylor in February 2000 up in the beautiful Bunya Mountains. Mark was born on 25^th February 1980 and Lee on 28^th January 1981, both in Brisbane, and they too gained their schooling in that City.  At 18 years of age, Lee has obtained his pilot’s license and was able to take his parents and grandparents for a flight over the Gold Coast when all had gathered for Tonita’s wedding. He lives with Tonita and Greg in Mossman, doing casual work.
After leaving school Garry worked for the Wanganui Power Board and qualified as a Linesman, and continued on here until his marriage to Janice Jeffrey in Wanganui on 9^th February 1980. Janice was born in Scotland, but lived in Wanganui, working as a hairdresser.  They travelled to Brisbane, and lived there for two years, and after the birth of their son Jamie on 12^th September 1982, returned to settled in Wanganui, taking up his former position, and remains there today. Brett was born on 30^th November 1984 and Michelle on 11^th May 1990, both in Wanganui.   As of early 2001 Michelle and her mother have left Wanganui and gone to live in Australia.
Jamie gained his schooling in Wanganui and is now doing a Management Course with Pizza Hutt.  Brett also completed his schooling there and is now working as a butcher at a local supermarket, while Michelle, at 10 years of age, attends school in Australia.   
Fifth son Geoffrey, born on 19^th May 1961, in Wanganui, gaining his schooling there, joined the Navy when 17 years old and was stationed in Auckland, enjoying a number of trips away up to the Islands and beyond on a number of Naval Vessels. His latest trip saw him on H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury, being away for six months, which included a stint on the Indian Ocean during the Falklands crisis. He is a Leading Steward, stationed at Philamil Naval Base in Auckland and is engaged to Lianne, although he is probably married by the time this goes to press!  
Note:  Yes, he was!!   That was in 1983.  We continue.  Geoffrey and Lianne Hagan were married at Takapuna on 13^th August 1983 and have a family of two.  Alex was born in St. Helens in Auckland on 11^th August 1986 and Clare at Middlemore on 3^rd July 1988.    Geoffrey transferred from the Navy to the Air Force and they made their home in Whenuapai.  Then he accepted a transfer to live in Bulls, being based at Ohakea.   After taking early retirement from the Air Force, the family moved across the Tasman, making their home in Mt. Isa where Geoff works at the mines monitoring what happens underground and Lianne is at a local supermarket.   Alex is in the Army Cadets and plans to make the Army his career, but in the meantime is also into go-karting and has several trophies to show for his efforts.  Clare will start High School in 2001 and her chosen activities are gymnastics and Brownies.      We are told that this family is respectively ‘like father, like son’ and ‘like mother, like daughter’ to look at.   Not hard to pick out this Fisher family!

Leone, was born in Wanganui on 23^rd February 1931, and like her brother John, also attended St. Josephs Convent in Taihape for her Primary education, and also attended secondary in Taihape. She enjoyed athletics, gaining the title of School and District Champion in the sprint. She left school during the war years and worked at home, helping out at the restaurant as well and wherever help was needed. She moved with the family to Ponsonby, Auckland, and then was able to complete her secondary schooling, still helping out in the shop after school, etc. She then went nurse-aiding for a time, working at the Mater, then took a position as a shop assistant, and spent some time managing a shop in Karangahape Road, Auckland. She continued on here until her marriage to Peter Kennedy on 28^th November 1952. Peter is from Sydney, Australia, and was working on the trains at the time, and they were married in St. Michaels, Remuera. They made their home in Manurewa for three years, then moved to Pukekohe. Peter took a position with a butcher in Pukekohe, and this was to be the man who taught him the trade, and Peter has continued on working in the butchers trade in Pukekohe ever since. His teacher as it turns out, was none other than Bill McPike, son of Poly and Dick!!  Tennis is a sport that both Leone and Peter, and all their family have enjoyed, with considerable success, and much involvement. Peter has played all his adult life for the Pukekohe East Club, and is a well known Club and District identity, coach and administrator. Leone played for many years, their four children all played and all represented Franklin, this having been covered in more detail in another chapter.  Leone loved having family and friends gather and it was agreed that anyone needing to get rid of animals in Pukekohe knew exactly where they should drop them, Leone made sure they were looked after.    The family buried her on 1^st September 1993, in Pukekohe, a victim of cancer.  Peter has now supposedly ‘retired’, but I understand that if her ever ‘retires’ completely, the family will just about go into shock!  Peter travels to Australia frequently to see family and friends.
Their son Wayne was born in Auckland on 13^th August 1952, then Michael in Pukekohe on 14^th May 1955, Pauline on 29^th August 1956 and Helen on 24^th April 1962, also both in Pukekohe.  All four gained both their primary and secondary schooling n Pukekohe. Wayne left school and took a position in Pukekohe, and then worked at Aitkenheads Mill at Pokeno, living at home with his parents, and as well as tennis, Wayne also enjoyed a good game of snooker.  He continues on working at Aitkenheads Mill, and has his own flat in Pukekohe.
Michael gained his apprenticeship with the New Zealand Railways as a fitter, then when he was 21 travelled to Australia with his cousin Tony Fisher, and as with Tony, Cupid caught up with Michael in Brisbane. He married Celia Fox who came from Brisbane, on 6^th April 1979, and they made their home there with their daughters Alena, born on 16^th December 1980, Kathleen born on 16^th December 1983, and son Peter, born on 17^th May 1985.  Michael returned to Pukekohe when he learnt of his mother’s illness and helped with the redecoration of the family home for her, alongside his dad Peter.  Another ex-patriate was back home to live in Pukekohe!  Michael, they tell me, is a bit of a car buff, and works as a spray painter.
Pauline, along with tennis also enjoyed badminton, and upon leaving school took a position in Pukekohe as a machinist. She remained on here until her marriage to Brian McKee on 19^th July 1975. Brian came from Auckland, and was qualifying to become an engineer, being employed with the Union Steamship Company, and they made their home in Manurewa with their sons Carl born on the 4^th April 1979 and Alan, born on 25^th February 1983, both at Papakura. The boys attended schools at Manurewa and Howick before they moved with Mum back to Pukekohe, to finish schooling.    Pauline had her dad Peter living with her for a while, and she works at Placemakers.   Carl is now an architect living in  Auckland, and Alan lives and works in Pukekohe.

Youngest of this Kennedy family is Helen, and after leaving school took employment in Pukekohe until 1979 when she too travelled overseas, making her home in Brisbane with brother Michael and his family. She was married to Mike Fitzgerald at Pukekohe on 11^th June 1993 and they have made their home at Bombay.  Currently her dad, Peter is living with them.

Kathleen and Frank's third child, Marlene, gained her schooling in Taihape and Auckland, and had some success with throwing the javelin, gaining the Auckland title at one time. Upon leaving school she took a position as a machinist in Auckland and continued on until her marriage to Jack Temperton. They made their home in Auckland where son Colin was born. Marlene and Jack were divorced and some time later she married Jack Stevens and they made their home in Auckland where their three children were all born.  She continued living on here until the early 80’s, and then moved to make her home in Christchurch, to be near her eldest daughter.  Marlene died on 14^th November, 1995, after suffering for some years with cancer.

Son Colin, born on 29^th July 1955 gained his education in Auckland and after his marriage to Deidre Norris on 7^th April 1977,  made their home in Opunake where he was employed on the off-shore rig.  Their two boys were born in New Plymouth, Jonathon on 29^th May 1984 and Benjamin on 15^th November 1987.  They moved back to Auckland where they owned two motels, and Colin also kept himself busy with a concrete cutting business.  He remains living in West Auckland, with Jonathon also living in Auckland and is an apprentice builder.  Benjamin remains living in New Plymouth with his mum, completing the last years of his schooling.
Garry was born on 5^th February 1960 in Henderson and also gained his education in Auckland. He continues on working there, making his home in Massey. He married Michelle Smith on 12^th November 1984, and they have two children, Gemma born on 6^th June 1986 and Rick, born in 1988.   On 7^th October 1998 daughter Ellie was born to Garry and his partner Teresa Cooper. 
Daughter Sharon was born in Auckland on 29^th September 1961.  She gained her schooling in Auckland as well, and in the notes I have, she is described as a race horse trainer and dog breeder.  She made the move to Christchurch and there married Anthony (Tony) Coleman, a Linesman Foreman, on 15^th October 1982.  Their son Lance was born on 14^th December 1982.   After their separation, Sharon and her partner John Jones had a daughter, Shelley, born on 26^th November 1984.   This family then made the move to Australia for a while, where son Michael was born on 22^nd December 1985 at Carringbar, Sydney.  Eventually she too returned to resettle in Christchurch, and has since moved to Pahiatua to live with her daughter Shelley. 
Marlene's youngest daughter Suzan, was 4 years old when they made the move to Christchurch.   She gained her schooling there, and then after her mum passed away, she moved north to be near family and is now living with her sister Sharon.

David Fisher - was born at Taihape and educated at Taihape and Auckland’s Marist Bros. in Vermont Street.  He was selected for the Roller Mills competition and also for Auckland Colts rugby. In 1950 he started at Sacred Heart College, matriculated in 1953, gained Higher Leaving Cert. in 1954 and represented the college in 1^st XV rugby, 1^st IX softball and was senior swimming champion in 1953 and 54.   He went on to attend university in 1955, representing the university in rugby, swimming, indoor basketball and water polo, and I think that was Victoria Uni in Wellington.  He married  Kay Webbley, a Manurewa girl, on 25^th June 1960 in Auckland, and they made their home in Papatoetoe. David eventually found his 'niche' in life within the scrap metal industry, starting his own business in 1967. This is known as 'Fisher Metals', the business being in Penrose and they now live in their home in Remuera.  He sold that business and accepted the position of consultant at Fletcher’s subsidiary, Pacific Metals.  Since his retirement in 1992 he has continued to participate in various activities including deep sea game fishing.   David has also been involved with the Gaelic Athletic Assn both as an administrator and actively in Gaelic football, and represented NZ during a visit of the All Ireland Champions, County Kerry.   Kay enjoys golf and bowls and spent 12 years as a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels.
Their three children were all born in Auckland and gained their Primary schooling here, then Sandra, born on 22^nd October 1962, went on to St. Bernadenes in Remuera where she matriculated and also gained a bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh Award.   She married Hilton Roberts on 8^th March 1986 at Mt Carmel Church, and they made their home in Howick. Sandra was PA (that’s Personal Assistant) to senior executives at her last position with Telecom.  Sandra and Hilton have travelled widely through Europe and the UK, also Hawaii and Fiji and manage to visit the latter each year with their family.  Hilton is a graphic designer and has his own business.  Their three children were born in Auckland, Nathan on 21^st January 1994 and twins Liam and Rebecca on 3^rd July 1997. 
David and Kay’s second, Nigel, born on 23^rd June 1964, attended Holy Cross, then Sacred Heart and Selwyn College, where he gained his UE.  He started as a cadet for Freightways before going to Phoenix Transport and Ansett.   He is now the part owner of Computer Transport and Fli-way where he is also the National Transport Manager. 
The third of this family, Aaron, born on 7^th April 1967 attended Holy Cross and went on to matriculate at Sacred Heart College.  Following a time of employment at American Express he also travelled extensively overseas and spent time in Santorini, one of the Greek Islands, and then returned to the UK.    He was there for a couple of years, benefiting from his grandfather’s eligibility, he worked for DHL one of, the largest courier companies in the world.   He currently holds a position with Computer Transport and Fli-way at Auckland Airport.  As with the rest of his family, this lad is a serious sports competitor, including surfing and running.     He holds his private helicopter pilot’s license.

Frank Fisher (junior) - was born at Taihape on 12^th October 1940 and attended primary school there, then to St. Pauls in Auckland for his secondary. After school, he took a position at Kawarau, then back to Auckland, driving earthmoving machines. He and Sue Jackson, a Pukekohe girl, were married at Pukekohe, on 15^th February 1964 and have now made their home at Otahuhu. Frank had his own earthmoving business for some time, and reading through the list of jobs he has attended, I have given him the title of the North Island Landscaping Artist.   Not every artist takes to his medium with a bulldozer in hand!!   Following on in his uncle Carlos’ footsteps he has worked on large construction projects at Kawerau Pulp and Paper mill, the Kaimai tunnel, both Auckland Harbour bridges, Auckland airport, Aotea Square and the Lower Huia dam.   His motto was “satisfaction or double your dirt back”.
(You need to think on that one, don’t you?) 

In 1960, fresh from his ‘diesel mechanics’ apprenticeship, Frank took a position at Kawerau Pulp and Paper mill expansion project and as a skilled operator on earth moving plant, concrete batching plant and gigantic crawler cranes in Manitowocs, USA.  He was 3 years in America with Morrison, Knudsen Construction Co. where the mill was doubled in size and they installed the No. 2 Walmseley newsprint machine.
Read this one as a note to fame …………
From 1967 to 1971 Frank was with Green and McCahill as a specialist operator/mechanic and in 1971 whilst working on the twin “K” Road overbridges, giant eastern retaining wall and the bulk earthworks of removing all that material, he wants us to know that it was a SHORT family member who became the very first person to pass beneath the completed “K” Road bridge now known as “Spaghetti Junction” !!!!
How ‘bout that…
Frank used a giant Cat 977K pedal steer traxcavator to dig out the under bridges, then a tiny Drott Z100 traxcavator to pass under the bridge to achieve breakthrough to daylight near the Rising Sun Hotel corner of the bridges on the north side.    There were 4 or 5 carpenters all trying to get through the hole first, but Frank did not back out with his machine; he dropped the full bucket and ran along the bonnet, jumped onto the full bucket of earth and was first through the hole to daylight.     Several people wanted to be first but as Frank had done all the digging, he figured he was going to be first under Spaghetti Junction.

Frank held eleven (11) classes of driving licenses, known as an ‘alphabet license’.  Occasionally at compulsory traffic stops, police would call their colleagues over when they checked his license – “come and look at this” they would say.   He was one of the first to believe in photo licenses, heat sealed in plastic as well.

When he was with Downers on the earthworks for the new railway line from Glenbrook station to the Steel mill, he found himself working with the late Russell Brooks who was the husband of Glenys Short, daughter of Vaughan.   Earthmoving also meant travel as Frank went overseas and worked on airports in Fiji, Bouganville Island, Papua New Guinea and Saudi Arabia.     After he sold his business to Pacific Steel he got involved in their car crushing plant and was sent to Alabama and San Antonio before returning to run the NZ operation, crushing up to 600 cars per day.  

Frank always wanted to be a train driver, but unable to fulfill this ambition, he has turned this interest into his greatest hobby, which is model trains, his collection being one of the best in New Zealand, and in fact some of his models are unique in the world. Kathleen tells me that there are "more trains there than you can count, and even the Mercedes car has to be content with a carport as the garage is fully occupied, with only walking space available around the tracks", and she also tells me that the I.H.C. often call on him to help raise funds. He has numerous photos and imports many of his models from England and Germany.   His nickname is aka “The Train Man”.    He built the large model railway seen in the 1984 movie “The Quiet Earth” starring the late Bruno Lawrence and enjoyed his passion for trains so much so that one could not visit him without allowing an extra hour or two to be absorbed.  I know I was certainly captivated.  A wealth of knowledge was lost to the world when Frank passed away quite suddenly on 17^th July 2003 and he is buried at the Mangere Lawn Cemetery.

Frank and Sue had two children, Leanne and Robert. They were both born at Pukekohe, Leanne on 10^th January 1966 and Robert on 23^rd July 1967 and attended school in Otahuhu, Leanne finding maths to be her particular subject.  Leanne is a child psychologist and lives in Melbourne with her small son Ari.   
Robert married Sonia Melville in Mangere on 7^th November 1992 and made their home in Papatoetoe.   Robert has “My Three Sons”, Ethan born on 13^th July 1994, Trent born on 25^th February 1997 and Callum born on 12^th July 1999.  The family has recently moved to Pakuranga.   Robert works at Flightline at Ardmore Airfield.

Neil - also born at Taihape, and gained his schooling there, and then in Auckland, attending St. Pauls College, gaining his UE.   He started university, but on his father’s death he gave up his studies to help support his mother.   He worked for Gadsens Plastics, and part time for David.  This is where he met his future wife Joy Ellis and they were married at Mangere on 2^nd October 1965, and after their marriage they made their home in Mangere.  He decided that selling and the motor trade were for him, working for Davie Motors, Gough Gough and Hamer and Roadlife in Penrose, so he has moved from cars to big machinery and big rigs helping keep these types of machines and vehicles going, supplying spare parts.    They moved to Papatoetoe.    Neil was the mascot for the Auckland Rugby Union, as the original ‘Elephant’ at Eden Park for many years.   Joy was also involved in this by making the costumes for the match support caricatures. “Going to buy fabric for a pair or footie shorts for an elephant did make the shop assistant do a double take, as did their neighbours when seeing the oversized shorts and jerseys  fluttering on the line after a game.”
This couple have travelled from the North Cape to the Bluff, camping, and enjoy having fun with family and friends.   
Their daughter Wendy was born at Middlemore on 26^th  July 1967 and finished her schooling at Aorere College gaining her UE.   She went on to Teachers Training College, and then taught at Puhinui Primary before going to Life Education Trust as an Educator.   It was while visiting Holy Cross Primary in Papatoetoe that she met Leon Roberson, and they were married on 11^th December 1999 at the Methodist Church in Papatoetoe.  This was the same day that John and Josie Fisher celebrated their 51^st wedding anniversary.    They have made their home in Papatoetoe where they are very involved in community and church work.   The couple gave birth to their daughter Odette Nancy Joy at Whangarei hospital on 23 August 2003.
Lawrence was born also at Middlemore, on 29^th November 1968 and gained his schooling at Papatoetoe.   He joined the Navy after leaving school and had trips to Hong Kong, China, Penang, Fiji and Australia.   He settled back to live in ‘civvie street’, working in sales, and then getting into the motor trade like his father.   While in the North Shore Scout Gang Show (this was when he learnt that he could look and sing like John Travolta), he met Kelly Taylor.  They were married at the Wilson Home Gardens on 17^th February 1996, and made their home in  Gisborne for some years.    They returned to make their home on the North Shore where he is now working for Petrojet.  They have begun their family with the arrival of Clay-Henry Murphy.   They are both very involved in the hot rod scene, and among his possessions are a 1937 Chevy, a 1954 Dodge, and having just returned from the USA tells his parents that arriving soon is a 1954 Oldsmobile 98. 
Wendy and Lawrence both have personalized  plates on their cars.  Hers is UNOWHO and his TRUBLE, so if you ever see these cars, give them a toot.   Lawrence says “I’m in trouble when I go out and I’m in trouble when I get home”. 
The Scout Movement has played a big part in Neil and Joy’s family life, from Cubs, Scouts, Rovers and even the Auckland and North Shore Gang Shows, singing and dancing on stage.   Neil’s mum Kathleen could not quite get her head around that – she always thought it was a GANG.  Wendy was elected to the NZ Rover Council.  Neil was always involved in scout camps, and for a time became a Venturer leader, while Joy was the committee of the group and district (this earned her life membership for both) as well as sewing costumes for the shows. 

(6)   EILEEN - born at her parents' home at Awhitu on 19th March 1902, and notes that she has St. Joseph to keep her company on her birthday. She attended school at Awhitu Central, and left when 12 years old, and worked as a domestic help at Awhitu, then went out to Otaua working for a sharemilker, Mr Hall, milking cows with him, feeding pigs, calves and all the clean-up tasks as well as doing house work. She recalls that they used to get up at around 2.30 a.m. to milk 140 cows in a six plant shed. She left here and took a position on another farm, then back to domestic-help work again, and to Pollok where she helped milk cows also. During 1917 she became very ill and was in Auckland Hospital for many months. When she recuperated she returned to working as a domestic help in and around Waiuku, then moved to Putaruru working in a boarding house there. While in Putaruru she met Richard (Dick) Wrathal, and they were married in 1925. Dick was doing relieving work and they shifted many times, spending quite some time in Northland. Dick saw service during the Second World War, departing with the 2nd Echalon, but returned home very ill, and died shortly afterwards. Eileen took up a trade - dressmaking and corsetry - at this time, and started her own business in ladies wear fashions in Auckland. She continued on with this business until she retired in 1970, took a trip overseas, and now enjoys her life living in Papatoetoe very happily "doing my thing, my way".  
Eileen has since passed on.

(7) EMMALINE MYRA - born at home at Awhitu on 18th June 1903, (although another source gives us the year as 1904) and gained all her primary schooling at Awhitu. After leaving school she worked in a drapers shop in Waiuku which was owned by Mr and Mrs Jordon. At this time her sister Kathleen was working as a cook in a hotel in Stratford and she wrote to Emm and asked her to come on down and so she did, working in the same hotel as a housemaid. She met up with someone who was going over to Australia and asked her if she would like to go too, so she did once again, and it was off to see the bright lights across the Tasman. She stayed over in Australia for two years, working as a. very popular barmaid in a hotel at Manly. She returned to Wellington, being met off the boat by Kathleen and they made their way back to Waverley for a time, then Emm got a job as a cook and housemaid at the Inglewood Hotel. At this time, one Hec Julian was an electrician in the town, and I quote from his letter "while still employed by the Inglewood Borough Council, I was called to a job at the Railway Hotel, to affect an electrical repair in the kitchen, and who should catch my eye other than Emmaline Myra Short. After a few words I was game enough to challenge her to accompany me to the dance floor the following Thursday night at the Inglewood Town Hall, which was accepted, as did many many more such occasions. Our friendship continued from then on for several months, the friendship being responsible for us making a trip to Onehunga from New Plymouth on the S.S. "Rarawa". After paying twenty-five shillings for the return journey, and with a 'spew' and a vomit thrown-in, we were collected by Emm's brother, Tarrance, complete with horse and gig, from the launch which landed us at Awhitu where the in-laws-to-be farmed on 'Sleepy Hollow'.”

They were married in late November 1928, at the Catholic Church in New Plymouth. Again I quote from Hec's letter "The official party was not large nor was my weekly wage - three pounds per week, and a 'honeymoon' was to be enjoyed. Our first house to be rented was near the Town Hall in Inglewood, at a weekly rental of eighteen shillings, cheap enough I suppose, but a fair lump from three pounds per week, and after about three years we shifted through the hedge to save six pence a week". Their three children, Pat, Dorothy and Lesley were all born at Nurse Morgan's Nursing Home, known as Koromiko, where all the babies in Inglewood were born. Pat remembers some of his childhood and I quote from his letter "In 1938 we shifted to a shop on Rata Street, when dad commenced business as an electrical contractor, and we lived in a flat above the shop. With the family now mobile thanks to the business transport - a 1933 Vauxhall Van - our horizons really opened up with Sunday trips to the beach at New Plymouth and Urenui, or out to the river at Everett Park, a delightful local beauty spot where we nearly lost Dorothy. She inadvertently walked into a deep hole and was going down for the third time when a local stock agent spotted her and pulled her out by the hair! After nearly 18 months at the shop, World War II commenced and dad accepted an offer by his former employer to return as electrical engineer. Shortly after that we shifted to the present family home in Cutfield Street, and it was from this time on that I remember Mum becoming more involved with her own interests such as table tennis, card evenings, and assisting with local welfare organisations. In spite of wartime shortages, we still seemed to manage pretty well, with the kitchen cupboard full of jars of preserved fruits such as plums, peas, peaches, apples and blackberries, and always a good selection of pickled onions, chutney, pickle and all sorts of jams. As we grew into our teens, Mum never seemed to mind how many of our friends appeared at the tea table on a Sunday night, and manys the time when our normal five had grown to 20".

Emm was a keen supporter of the childrens' Vanguards Marching Team and worked hard to raise funds for them, and also for the Inglewood Convent, being a very big favourite with the Sisters of the Convent. She raised funds for the Queen Carnival that Dorothy was in and the Miss Inglewood that Lesley was in. She was asked by the Mayor to organise the supper for the Town's Coronation Ball. When Inglewood commenced its series of Queen Carnivals, Emm really came into her own, always a leading member of a committee, she threw herself into fundraising with a will.

Hector Julian (Hec) was born on 15th June 1904 and lived in Inglewood all his life, being educated at the Convent there. He was one of two boys in a family of 14 (they outdid the Shorts didn't they!) and on 21st April 1922, his sister Else wrote the following, and we have included it in here as it is so well written and will always be of interest to his family:

       I have two wee little sisters,
     Ruth and Esma by name,
     Just the fact of their being twins,
     Gives them a sort of fame.
     But surely they're worth a remark,
        for their eyes are a heavenly blue.
     And their small fair heads exactly the
       same,
     And so are their faces too.
     It was rather great their coming to us,
     For just five years before,
     Two other small sisters had been left,
     When Mr Stork knocked at the door.
     They are named Molly and Betty,
     And two imps of mischief are they.
     But who can blame them when they are
        only six,
     And living in this modern day.
     Before them comes Trevor - the brother,
        a small addition of 'Daddy Bill',
     In ways and looks and nature too,
     And he could do no one ill.
     Phyllis is Phyllis always,
     A brown-eyed kid is she,
     And may her disposition, a sweet one  
         always be.
     Our Marion is a flapper still,
     Dark haired and grey eyes as our Mother,
     And if she holds Mum as her model,
     Then everyone will love her.
     The boy who is growing to a man,
         is brother Hec 'The tease',
     There are things about him fascinating,
     But Else that's enough, Please !!!!!!!

(Note - one more Julian, Walter Lindrum, was born after this).

Hec has an outstanding record as a member of the Inglewood Volunteer Fire Brigade and reached the office of Deputy Superintendent before retiring in 1965 having completed 40 years and eight months continuous service. He recalls his father's reaction when he joined up, and I quote from his letter "Papa again had his say when he knew that I had volunteered and said ‘you can't get out of bed early now, still, I suppose they can keep the fires going 'til you get there!' ". He also became quite a task-master with the billard cue, and has played Clarke McConarchy on several of his visits, and Walter Sindrum once, and has won seven Annual Inglewood Club Billard and Snooker Championships. He tells us that while he was so friendly with Herb Bocock, he tried himself out at boxing - "nuff sed". Also about 1918 or so he tried to play rugby but was scared someone would toss the ball to him, so that was that! However, he did have much success with clay bird shooting, and his very impressive list of successes we have outlined more thoroughly in the sports chapter of this book.
It was on a trip north to see her family that Emm took ill and underwent an operation at the Mater Hospital in Auckland. She was returned home by aeroplane to be nursed by her family until her death on the 8th July 1957. Hec continued on living in their home, enjoying his many interests, overseas trips and his family.   He too has since passed on.

Pat, the eldest of Emm and Hec's children, was born on 26th November 1929, at Inglewood. He attended the local St. Patrick's Convent for his primary education, and this was followed by two years at the Stratford Technical High School where he notes that his I.Q. was not helped by a marked lack of enthusiasm for homework. Pat recalls enjoying a very secure childhood, being bought up in the depression years when times were tough, but whatever else they may have lacked, including a car, they always seemed to eat well as his Mum was a great cook with cake tins that always seemed to be good for a biscuit or two, or the family favourite, good solid sultana cake. His main treat in those days was the monthly copy of the Buck Rogers comic when space fiction was really that, and Saturday afternoon matinees at the 'flicks' and a penny ice-cream at half-time. Pat developed a very intense interest and enjoyment of books, and it was usually a rush to get home from the bus, grab his books and rush off to the town library and get two more, a procedure which was repeated daily. He left school at the end of his second year at High, and took on full-time the part-time job he had previously held. This was working with Vin and Sheila Scanlon, operating a mobile picture theatre from a big old van containing the projection equipment and generators, which was backed up to various country halls on a two weekly circuit. This job he held for the following two years, and needless to say he learnt each film off by heart, and could repeat the dialogue along with the actors. However, realising that there was not much future in this, he elected himself as Hec's apprentice, Hec having started up again as a contractor at this time. I quote from Pat's letter "with my usual enthusiasm for formal education, I took a perfunctory interest in technical training for the first 12 months, and then proceeded to cram so much study into the next six months that I was able to pass my exams later on in the year, and thus get on with the serious business of socialising at night!!". Pat married Jean Dravitzki on 22nd June 1957 and made their home in Inglewood where Pat continues on their electrician's business now known as Julians Electrical Energy Conservation.   In June 1993 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace.    September 2001 saw him receive a New Plymouth District Council Citizens Award and complete 4 years as chairman of the Inglewood CBD Upgrade.    Pat has retained an active membership of the Lions Club for the last 36 years.  He tells us that Jean enjoys swimming – but just so long as the pool is up to spa pool temperature!   Sounds a good plan Jean…..
Their daughter Susan gained her schooling in Inglewood and is currently working as marketing manager for the family business.   She married Phillip Marsh on 1^st March 1986 and he is Technology manager for Dynea NZ, an international resin producing company and this position frequently takes him to various overseas locations, including numerous visits to China.     The couple have two children, Simon who was born on 2^nd July 1991 and Adam who was born on 30^th June 1996 and they too receive their primary education at St. Patrick’s in Inglewood.   Susan is treasurer of St. Patrick’s Community Link committee and Philip is chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Patrick’s school.  
This whole family is into golf, rugby, cycling and fund raising for St. Pats. 

Dorothy was born in Inglewood on 26th March 1931, enjoying an uneventful childhood, unless you call having all your hair cut off by your big brother when you were just two an event! She attended the local St. Patrick's Convent, learnt tap-dancing and piano. She continued her primary schooling at the Convent and was runner-up to the Dux, receiving the Christian Doctrine medal in the same year. Marching played a large part in the life of the family, Dorothy being a member of the highly successful team, the Vanguards, for five years, and the team became runner-up New Zealand Champions one year. Dorothy received all her secondary education at Sacred Heart College, New Plymouth and left at the age of 15 to work in the office of the Moa Dairy Co., at Inglewood. Eight very happy years were spent here and her finishing wages she recalls were the princely sum of eight pounds. Athletics were not a favourite sport, but she enjoyed many others, such as badminton, tennis, swimming and netball. At 18 she was the town candidate in a Queen Carnival to raise funds to build tennis courts for the Convent School, and Dorothy was the winning Princess (meaning that her Committee raised the most money). In the 1950's her Mum started having poker-schools on Sunday nights and among the lads was an 'import' from Wellington called Sonny (Milham) Lahood, and he set his eye on one Miss Dorothy Julian, and at the age of 23, she accepted his proposal and they were married in January 1955, and Dorothy remembers that their quarter acre section cost One hundred and thirty seven pounds ($274.00). They started off with a 3-bedroomed house, and due to family expansion, had two extensions built, to end up with 5 bedrooms and a rumpus-room – all full!!  Sonny, who is of Lebanese origin, enjoys his native cooking, is a very successful sportsman, representative hockey player, cricket, rugby and is now a keen and successful golfer and indoor/outdoor bowler. He worked with his two brothers as Cedar Dry Cleaners in Inglewood. Their life has been very busy and hectic, involved mostly with the business of raising their very own cricket team, all of whom attended St. Patrick's Convent and Inglewood High Schools.
Dorothy passed away in 1993.    After selling their huge 6 bedroom house in Inglewood, Sonny made his home in Fitzroy where he enjoys his continued involvement in bowls and golf.  Lorene tells us that he is her very own personal handyman – anything she needs doing, and he is around in a flash.
Their eldest Lorene was born on 12th December 1955, and upon leaving school, where she passed four School Certificate subjects, she worked as a shorthand-typist for a solicitor. In 1975 she married Douglas Moa, a chemical worker at the fertilizer works in New Plymouth, and they made their home in Fitzroy. Lorene has worked for 26 years now in a lawyer’s office in New Plymouth.   After their divorce she returned to  her maiden name (Lorene Lahood) and like her mum, she just loves quiz games – many a late night all around the kitchen table at Brookes Street with big competitions of “Trivial Pursuit”.  Their son, Simon, was born on 17^th August 1976 attended Fitzroy School, and was a member of his Taranaki soccer and cricket ‘ age group’ teams. Kelly, born on 15^th August 1977, attended kindy and schools in Fitzroy as well, and was a member of Taranaki netball teams.  She now lives in Roanne, France.  Then Jeremy was born on 6^th September 1983.   A skateboarding fanatic, he is going to Polytech in 2001.
No. 2 in the cricket team, Brent, was born on 21^st August 1957. He is very keen on sports, and has a natural aptitude to maths, making this his career. He worked in an accountant's office in New Plymouth while studying at Polytech for his accountancy exams. In March of 1979 Brent married Shona Tidswell. Shona, who enjoys netball and tennis, worked in the office of Lockwood Homes in New Plymouth, and they built their Lockwood home on the outskirts of New Plymouth. Brent played cricket for Taranaki and is a member of the Taranaki Golf Team  He now operates his own accountancy business in New Plymouth.   They have a family of four.   Mark  was born on 5^th June 1984, another skateboarding fanatic, a representative soccer and cricket player, and this year will be in the 6^th Form at New Plymouth Boys High.  Jemma was born on 11^th September 1986, she enjoys tap dancing, plays netball and is in Form 4 at New Plymouth Girls High. Kate, born on 20^th June 1990 also enjoys tap dances and is a keen netballer.  Michael was born on 4^th October 1993 and is also a natural ball player – a trait which obviously runs in the family.
The third member of the Team, Christine, arrived on 11^th August 1959. She too was accredited her School Certificate and University Entrance. She enjoyed marching, netball and indoor basketball. Upon leaving school, worked at the Taranaki Computer Centre, did Polytech course in Wellington for computer programmer, passed that, then changed to radio advertising for Radio 2ZM. She travelled overseas for almost a year, through Australia, Bali, Thailand (where she had her 21st birthday), India, Greece, Canary Islands and England. She worked in a pub in London for a time, and upon returning home took a position with an advertising agency in Wellington.  Chrissie has continued here for many years, and we are told she writes “great T.V. adds”.  She married Nigel Moody on 27^th April 1991.  Her two children live with her, Scarlett, born on 5^th July 1990 and George, born on 23^rd August 1992.
In 1961 Dorothy and Sonny’s fourth child was born, a son, Mark, who passed away 17 days later.
26^th May 1962 saw the arrival of Grant, and he also was accredited with his School Certificate and University Entrance.  After leaving school Grant worked in the Bank of New Zealand in Inglewood, living at home, played golf and table tennis, and is a true-blue Taranakian - i.e. he skis in the winter, and surfs in the summer.    Eventually he made the move to Auckland where he works as a filmmaker.  He won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his short film and has just finished his second feature film, which was filmed throughout Europe.  He and his partner, the well known entertainer Jackie Clark, have just had a son, Stanley, born on 6^th July 2000 and Ernie born on 15^th January 2003.
February 1964 saw the arrival of the sixth member of the team, Denise. She was another marching girl, also playing netball. Denise loves cooking and collects recipe books. She attained five subjects in her School Certificate, and lived at home while working at the County Council Office in Inglewood.  On 20^th November 1999 she married Simon Law, a radio station manager, and they have made their home in Napier.   Denise has developed her artistic talents to  produce some truly amazing work with the sewing machine, is a great cook and does a correspondence course on top of all that goes with being a the mum of wee Samuel, born on 19^th November 1998 and John-Henry who was born on 27^th May 2001.
Sharon was born on 31^st March 1966 and also passed four subjects in her School Certificate. As a youngster, her great love was with animals, any kind, any place, any time, especially cats, dogs and horses.   She made the move to Australia some considerable years back, settling in Perth where she works at an accounting firm.  She married Inia Timu on 26^th December 1991, and they two daughters, Jorden, born on 24^th July 1991, another netballer and dancer, and Kennedy, born on 16^th March 1994, also a keen dancer.  
No. 8 of this team was her Mum's Mothers Day gift on  12^th May of 1968.
Karen attended High School, and she played indoor basketball, netball and also the family tradition of marching.  Karen left the shores of NZ, working in London for some time.   She eventually settled in Sydney where she worked for the Sydney Para-olympics and is now working as an office manager in a law office there.
David arrived on 25^th January 1970. As a youngster, he was mad on cricket (he'd have to be I'd say) also rugby and card-games.     He trained as a chef in the navy, then lived in London for a few years before he moved to his present position which is working on a yacht as the chef, presently based in Mexico.     When this big family gather for celebrations, David has the knack of feeding them all without any stress at all.    A very enviable talent. 
Paul was born on 10^th November 1971, played soccer and of course cricket. He is in Form 1 this year, and it sounds like they could have a budding electrician coming along here.   (That was in 1981/82.)   Like so many in this family, he was a Taranaki soccer and cricket representative player, and as his Mum had predicted, Paul became an electrician.   We are told he is amazing with his hands and can fix and build anything.  He has been living in London before coming back to NZ, making his home at Lake Hawea.
The team was complete with the arrival of Matthew, on 19^th February 1974. He also enjoyed athletics and rugby throughout his childhood, and was yet another Taranaki soccer and cricket representative player.  

  This information was forwarded to us by Lorene Lahood, and her concluding notes were so good that we have just added them here
     “Being a member of this big family has been heaps of fun and lots of laughs.   We are all close, but since Mum died we haven’t got together as much as we would like.    We have just had Christmas at Lake Hawea.   Mammoth task – 3 houses rented for the 28 of us.  Huge amounts of food and alcohol consumed.  Pig on a spit for Xmas dinner (which put the little kids off meat for life). It was a neat week and I hope we can do it more often in the future.”

Lesley was born at Inglewood on 20th June 1932 and spent her Primary School years at St. Patricks Convent, her third form at Stratford Technical High and her fourth form as a boarder at Sacred Heart Convent, New Plymouth. At the age of four years she learnt tap dancing, and to keep the feet in rhythm, she went on to a very successful period with the marching team the 'Vanguards'. She was a team member and marker for eight years, and during this time the team was runner-up to the New Zealand champions three times, and third twice. She was a Taranaki champion marker, and has 112 medals received through marching. Other sports were also enjoyed, athletics, badminton, basketball in which she was an Inglewood representative, softball where she was a High School representative, diving, and swimming. Lesley also learnt to play the piano for four years, and always enjoyed this past time, especially playing duets with her sister Dorothy. Lesley too was a Princess in a Miss Inglewood Carnival which was to raise money for the Inglewood Brass Band. Upon leaving school she worked in a solicitors office for two years, and then in the Farmers' Co-op for six years. She was married to William (Bill) Herlihy on 9th July 1955 and they have made their home at Inglewood. Bill is a sheep farmer and owner/trainer of race horses, some of his distinguished winners being Syndream, Craigola, Neuchatel, Blue Field, Western Romance and Carbon Copy. Bill enjoyed playing league, and has spent a little time as caretaker of the Taranaki Jockey Club racecourse. 
In 1982 Bill and Lesley ‘retired’ to Inglewood, whatever that means !!!!   In his ‘retirement’  he has continued training his race horses, fencing for all and sundry and gets roped in to shear Lucy the lamb or Ronnie the old ram and so it goes……. Hunting also features high on the list of things to be done.   Trips to the Melbourne Cup, especially when Kay was there and trips to many other parts of the world and especially the States have left them with wonderful memories and an urge to do more one feels.

Bill and Les have six children who all attended Kaimata Primary School and Inglewood High.

The eldest is John, born on 7^th July 1956. He is interested in farming, pig hunting and his life as a shearing contractor. He has a gang of 11 shearers with him and between them usually manage to shear around 150,000 sheep. John married Patricia Robynne Smith on the 3rd February 1979, Patricia being a keen hockey player, and also a gymnast. They have two sons, Paul born on 20^th June 1980 and Mark, born on 23rd December 1981. They have recently purchased their first farm, so maybe shearing has “gone by the board” as it were!
Well yes, that was also in 1981/82.   Things have changed since then – read on……….
John and Patricia moved from their Kaimata sheep and cattle farm to a 980 acre farm at the Republic of Whangamomona, east of Stratford, where John says the only way you’ll get him away from Whanga is in a 6ft. box !!   This is a great family district where the locals gather for all celebrations from the birth of a new family member, christening, school affairs, Whanga Republic Day, and of course the local Rugby Club, where they play teams from Strathmore and Toko for the oldest Rugby trophy in NZ – The Dean Cup.  John still keeps his hand in shearing for a local contractor when needed as well as looking after their farm.  Patricia is another great “rural woman” – she just turns her hand to anything and everything as the need arises.
Paul helps out with shearing, fencing and works as a tree planter/pruner.  He was selected for the under 21 rugby team in Taranaki and was in the 1^st Fifteen at New Plymouth Boys High.    He and his brother Mark lease a sheep and cattle farm at Whanga and when Mark is shearing locally, or in the South Island, the daily stock rounds fall back on dad (John).  Mark, also, is a very keen rugby player.  Craig was born on 19^th July 1983 and is now a full time dairy farm worker, and enjoys the job.  Then arrived Tim on 29^th December 1984 and he has been employed on a sheep and cattle farm at Matau in Eastern Taranaki where he excels with his dogs at local dog trials.  Dean was born on 3^rd January 1986, is a 5^th former at New Plymouth Boys High and can you believe – enjoys a game of cricket and rugby !!!!!! Rochelle is number 6 and she was born on 26^th April 1989.  Another keen netballer.
Emma was born on 24^th January 1991, and Michael, born on 22^nd March 1995 completed this rather amazing family.
Stephen, Bill and Les's second son, was born on the 2nd March 1958. Stephen is a keen sportsman, showing a particular interest in rugby, playing right through the grades for Inglewood, was a Taranaki third grade representative, and Taranaki B. Team. He won the Taranaki Secondary School intermediate steeplechase and later won the High School event.  He owns a two year old colt which has just started racing last year. Stephen travelled overseas, spending some time in the U.S.A., Canada and Australia. He is (I think) now back home.  Again, that was in 1982 and much has happened……………

He settled down to life in NZ and of recent years has been employed as vat wrapper for his Uncle Pat’s firm of Julians’ Electrical and Energy Conservation Ltd.   Like his father, he is a very keen race horse owner/breeder, having had a fair success with Chemainus and La Montrachet.    His latest horse is now racing in Australia.   He married Susan Nielsen-Vold, a former jockey,  they have a son, Nathan, born on 1^st October 1999, and have made their home in Inglewood. 

Third son Philip was a keen rugby player, who played until the third grade and continued playing occasionally for enjoyment. He won the Taranaki Secondary School junior steeplechase, after winning the Inglewood High School junior event. He was a freezing worker - i.e. is employed in the freezing works (Taranaki is not necessarily that cold) and he  worked at the works at Waitara for a few years.    He worked on the pipe line, and then as a scaffolder on the Taranaki on-shore oil rigs.  He married Debra Kilsby on 3^rd March 1984, settling in Inglewood.   They purchased a farmlet, and then with the help of his Dad, set about to turn it into a model farmlet.     After they separated, Philip moved on to employment on a dairy farm where he has the “best bosses you could get”.

Tony is the fourth member of the family, and right from an early age he showed a keen interest in trucks, and this is what he is doing now - driving heavy machinery - motor scrapers, bulldozers, trucks, etc. He spent sometime working in Australia, Canada and the U.S.A. He lived at home in the early years,  working for Asphaltic - a road construction firm.   He has been on the railway contracts, with slips keeping them very busy.    Tony married Cathy MacKay and together with her two sons Michael and Thomas, they have made their home in Bell Block, New Plymouth.

Kay Elizabeth, their fifth child, and first daughter, was born on 29th June 1965. She attended Sacred Heart in New Plymouth for one year, then back to Inglewood High. She worked as a computer operator at Moller Wholesale, in New Plymouth. While at High School she was an Inglewood netball trialist and enjoyed swimming, and on the academic scene, she gained her exams in Pitmans junior and Intermediate Shorthand and Typing. She also learned to play the piano. Kay was selected to represent Inglewood Lions Club on a 6 week trip to Japan where she had a great time living in the homes of 2x families.   She has carried on her clerical career working in the oil and gas industry.   A love of travel has allowed her to live/holiday in Australia,  (where Mum and Dad visited her for a trip to the Melbourne Cup – a real highlight for Dad), USA, Norfolk Island, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom and Denmark.   She returned home to   Inglewood working in human resources, a very challenging and enjoyable role and is now working in New Plymouth in the oil and gas industry. 
On the 3rd April 1973 daughter No. 2 arrived. Jan loved swimming and riding the racehorses, as a youngster.   She started her first school year at Central School in New Plymouth and when the family returned from 15 months working at the New Plymouth racecourse she went to Kaimata continuing her schooling there then on to Sacred Heart College in New Plymouth.    Her working career commenced at McDonald’s Real Estate in Stratford and then as a receptionist for the Plymouth Hotel and The Devon in New Plymouth.   For a change of scenery and snow she moved to Ohakune where she worked on Mt Ruapehu by day and in the restaurant/bar by night.  A further move took her to Queenstown where she loved the bustling life and was also a disc jockey in a nightclub.    Unfortunately a day at the Glenorchy races ended in near disaster when the taxi-bus she was travelling in ran out of control on the metal road and Jan plus one other passenger were thrown from the vehicle.  After spending time in hospital and further surgery she has recovered from the trauma of this accident.   Jan is now living and working in London, recently travelled with “Busabout” tours through Europe and had a great time meeting up with lots of overseas travellers with the same dreams.

(8) EVELYN MARY - born at her parents' home on 23rd January 1905 (although another source gives us the date as 22nd February 1906), and she gained her schooling at Awhitu Central. When at Otaua with the family, she worked on the farm as well as helping out with all that had to be done with the family and other children. She then moved to Onehunga to work as a domestic help and took a position looking after a young family there. She married Trevor Foote and they made their home in Auckland where their three children, Sheila, Maureen and Patricia were all born.

Evelyn (more affectionately known as 'Ev') moved with her children out to Waiuku to live with and take care of her father after Maggie's death. She remained here until after Charlie's death, then moved back to Auckland living with her daughter Sheila for a time, and then with Patricia and continued living with Patricia until her death. She was noted for her great skills she developed in cooking, sewing and knitting. She was extremely clever and talented with her hands, and was always busy making some article or another. Ev suffered poor health in the last year of her life, and passed away on the 23rd October 1982 and is buried at Papatoetoe.

Sheila - born on the 27th November 1928, she gained her schooling at the Convent in Onehunga, leaving when she was 14 years old. Her family were living in Waiuku at this stage, and Sheila found employment here until her marriage in 1947 to George O'Connor. George was farming at the time and they made their home on his family's farm at Aka Aka for a short time before moving out to Manukau Heads, working on Carlos Short's dairy farm there. Their two eldest daughters, Kathleen and Maureen were born at this point. The family moved to Ngaruawahia and then to New Lynn where Shona was born. After their marriage was annulled, Sheila continued on living in New Lynn with her daughters.
Her marriage to Maurice O'Callaghan in 1960 saw the family move to Glen Innes for about two years or so, and also the arrival of their son Keith. They moved then to Waiuku for a year or so before taking up dairy farming on the Carlos Short Estate at the Manukau Heads. Approximately two years were spent here before returning to Waiuku where Maurice worked in the dairy factory and at other jobs. We have no doubt that by this stage Sheila was mighty expert at packing up home, but practice makes perfect, and more was to come! Another shift saw the family in Tokoroa for a time, then back to Waiuku, and the family was complete with the arrival of Brian in 1966. Sheila continued living in Waiuku with her family, and in 1980 remarried to become Mrs Dave Shears. Dave comes from Timaru and was working at the time at the Steel Mill at Glenbrook as an electrician. They made their home in Waiuku, then travelled to Western Samoa where Dave was Electrical Supervisor on the Western Samoan Government Hospital project for 18 months.  Sheila came home to nurse Evelyn who at that stage was very ill.   Dave returned to NZ, and after Evelyn passed away they went to Whangarei where he was Electrical Inspector for Whangarei Power Board for 2 years until their home was vacant in Waiuku again.   After a few years Sheila and Dave went to Sydney were he was Supervisor on some big jobs with about 50 electricians and tradesmen under him.  After seven years they came home to Papatoetoe where Dave set up in business for himself again and continued until he got sick.  They sold their flat and bought again in Waiuku where they stayed until Dave wanted to return to the South Island, making their home at Leeston.

Unfortunately Sheila passed away (yet another victim of cancer) the day before her birthday on 26^th November 2002.   So, she has packed up for the last time.

The eldest in this family, Kathleen, was born on 1st April 1948 at Waiuku, and gained her schooling at the Convent in Howick, St. Mary's in Ellerslie, Stl Pious X in Glen Innes, then Glen Innes Intermediate, Glenbrook school and secondary at Awhitu District High. After leaving school she took a waitressing job at the Kentish Hotel in Waiuku, and then worked in the telegrams in the Post Office prior to her marriage to Laurence Smith. Laurence is a dairy farmer from Te Toro on the Manukau Peninsula and they have continued to live and farm here ever since. Kathleen is a very capable dressmaker, and they have a family of three boys, Malcolm, Phillip and Roger and they are attending the Sandspit Road and Waiuku College schools.

Sheila's second daughter, Maureen was also born in Waiuku on 8th October 1950 and she attended the same schools as her sister Kath, finishing at Waiuku College. She worked as a waitress at the Kentish, then in the Post Office in Waiuku, before transferring to the Chief Post Office in Auckland. She married John Dalbeth, a Plasterer from Orewa, and they made their home in Orewa after their marriage. Son Chris was born here, then they moved to Tokoroa for a time and then up to the North Cape, living right at the Cape. John worked in the Surpentine Quarry and on an oyster farm there, and after three years they moved back down to civilisation -Kaitaia! Daughter Angela was born while they were at the Cape, and after two and a half years at Kaitaia, Maureen and her two children moved back down to make their home in Waiuku where Maureen has employment, and the children both attend View Road School.

(I think Kathleen  and Maureen’s familys need updating and I hope I have not lost notes for that !!!)

Sheila's third daughter, Shona, also attended the same schools as her sisters, excepting Awhitu High, and including View Road primary and Waiuku College. She worked in Auckland as a shop assistant before moving to Tokoroa where she worked in the Farmers' Trading Store there. After her marriage to Wayne Young on 25^th July 1970, he being a fellow staff member of Farmers' Trading, they made their home in Tokoroa where Wayne worked in a mill. Their two children Karen and Brendon were both born there. The family has now moved back to Waiuku, Wayne driving trucks for Knight and Dickey for some time before taking a position with BHP NZ Steel in 1988 as a storeman.
Karen was born in Tokoroa on 28^th December 1971 then moved back to Waiuku with the family.  She married Martin McCullough, an importing management consultant in Auckland and they have made their home on a lifestyle block in Alfristan.   The couple have one child Mathew who was born on 20^th January 1997 and await the arrival of their second child in February 2001.
Brendon was also born in Tokoroa and moved back to settle in Waiuku where he and his partner Joanne Gibson have their own trucking firm known as Waiuku Carriers.
Sheila's son Keith O'Callaghan was born at National Women's Hospital on 21st September 1961 and he attended primary schools at Waiuku, Tokoroa, and then Waiuku College. He worked in the Post Office Lines Depot in Waiuku as a Foreman. He married Carol Andrews from Waiuku. Carol, was born in Scotland, and they have made their home in Waiuku, before transferring to Wellington with a promotion.  Keith remained on in Wellington after they separated, for some time.   Having worked for Telecom in Wellington, Keith and his partner Naomi Pryor, who hails from Fielding, travelled to England and both worked there for four years, making trips  to various parts of Europe and Africa on their holidays.  Keith gained his private pilot’s license in  England and made good use of that on their trips abroad.   They flew back as far as Sydney where he worked for N.S.W. Railways, putting in the fibreoptic signals from Sydney to the Blue Mountains.  He also gained his Australian private pilot’s license, his commercial license and became a flying instructor, while Naomi worked at a computer training school in downtown Sydney.   Their son Shane was born there on 8^th February 1993, then the family made the move back to NZ, settling in Leeston, Canterbury, where Keith works for Cablecraft as Data Network Technician, and Naomi worked for Sanatarium.   Connie was born on 4^th April 1997, and Naomi now works for the local supermarket. 

Brian O'Callaghan was born in Auckland on 21st October 1966 and gained his primary schooling in Waiuku, then attended Waiuku College, and Western Samoa College. He then worked as a fencer in the Whangarei area, living at home at that stage.  He made the move back to Waiuku, remaining there for 3 years before moving to Australia.  He travelled extensively while there, working in most States, returning to Auckland in 1990 and now has a car painting shop in Auckland.

Maureen - Evelyn's second daughter suffered an illness very early in her life, and died when just eighteen months of age.

Patricia - gained most of her schooling in Waiuku primary and College. After leaving school she held a position as proof reader for the Auckland Star, and at the same time attended night school. She then took up nurse-aiding, and continued on at night school gaining her school certificate which is quite a notable achievement. Having gained her School Certificate she was then able to qualify as a nursing sister. She entered a convent in Dunedin but after four years found this was not to be her way of life, and returned to Auckland to continue nursing. She later worked as a Plunket Nurse in Manurewa then changed to nurse in the elderly at several nursing homes around Papatoetoe.  During that time she made about six trips overseas to Europe and Rome, her special destination was Asissi where she met other members of The Friends of St Francis of Asissi.   At home she was involved with her group in the local community helping others less fortunate, during her time off from being a charge nurse.   She did this until her death on 18^th September 1991.

(9) HAZEL FAITH - Like others in her family, born at home at Awhitu, on 7th June 1907 (although we have also been given the date as 6th or 9th May 1908), she gained her schooling at Awhitu and when her sister Kathleen left Clarrie and Hughie McFadyen's farm at Taurangaruru, Hazel took on the position, working on the farm. Her cousin Jack also worked there. She then went to Matamata where she worked in a shop with another sister, Eileen, then made a move to Stratford and back to Pukekohe working as a shop assistant each time. After her marriage to Carl Bloxham, they made their home in Auckland, and Hazel continued on living here, enjoying her family and hobbies. She was noted for her fine work with knitting and handcrafts.  In May of 1993, Hazel Faith, a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother died.  It was a huge loss to her family.  They tell me that the roll of Matriarch of the family now falls on the shoulders of Joan, ably assisted by Dord.

Hazel's daughter Joan married George Nelson who came from Pt. Chevalier. They have five children, Janice who married Leo Reynolds of County Longford, Ireland and they have two children, Christy aged 5 and Tara aged 3. Son Stephen married Ann Carpenter who came from Hastings, and they have two children, Scott aged 6 and Ross aged 5. Christopher married Diane Lawson of Hikurangi.   Joan and George's fourth child is Faith who married John van Bolderick of Mairangi Bay, and they have two children, Meegan aged 5, Aaron 3.   Their son Andrew completed their family.
And again, that was in 1981.   Things have changed a dash in this rather dashing family, so we continue…….

Janice and Leo had two moves since 1981, and have been in Pukekohe East for 12 years now, and it is looking permanent.  They have a 26 acre lifestyle block with cattle, a few sheep, beehives, an assortment of game birds, plus the family cat and dog.  The house is finally finished, and the large grounds surrounding it are almost at maintenance-only position.
Leo is still building and leaving his mark on the NZ landscape.  He is kept busy at home as well, and the only time for a holiday is 2 months in Ireland, a trip that has become a 3 yearly expedition now.   Janice is working as a teacher-aide at Parkside School in Pukekohe, a special needs school.  She has been there for 5 years now and loves it.   She has become computer literate and discovered the Internet !!!! Their family remained at two, Christy and Tara.
Christy finished his education and then headed off to England for 18 months.  On his return he took up employment with Leo and is the “apprentice”, the system working well.   Tara is now in her third year at Canterbury University, doing a conjoined degree,  BA in History and Japanese plus a Law degree.   Two more years to go!!  

Stephen and Ann returned to NZ from Melbourne where they had lived since 1986 and took up residence in Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty.  Steve worked for the Rangitaiki Plains Dairy Company and Ann returned to teaching while they were there. The family moved to Whakatane on June 1^st after the Edgecumbe earthquake.   In 1997 they moved again, this time to Hamilton as a result of the Bay of Plenty/NZ Dairy Group merger, Steve taking the position of Supplier Services manager.  Ann teaches at Melville High School and manages the Library, still enjoying the challenges and rewards of the profession.   Their two boys had all their secondary schooling  at Whakatane High School and were both (but in separate years), Deputy Head Boy.  The return from Australia was to give the boys grandparents, and a NZ lifestyle.  The family home is now 25 Ann St in Hamilton, although they wander of the new dairy merger will have an influence on that.  In April 2003 we can comment that the dairy merger did have an influence and Stephen and Ann have made their home in Melbourne working with Bonlac Dairies in Victoria.
Scott completed a Technology Degree at Massey in 1999, graduating in May 2000.  He then moved into the dairy industry, applying for the NZCDC graduate recruitment programme and will graduate from that with a Masters in Food Technology.   (Sounds like any other Mum, Scott!)    Ross remains at Victoria University and will finish conjoined Commerce/Law degrees with Honours in Law at the end of 2001.

Christopher  (Chris) and Diane have remained ‘up north’.  They built a house in Hikurangi  and lived there till 1996, moved to Tikiponga and then to Kamo in 1999.   Chris left truck driving for the local fishing company to become self-employed in his own lawn mowing contract business.   After 7 years they sold that in 1999 and he returned to truck driving with a local contractor.   Once the boys were off at school, Diane worked for various schools as school secretary.  In 1993 she entered the real estate business as a property manager and has continued in this roll. Joshua was born on 19^th July 1984 and as this goes to press for the first print, he awaits his School Certificate results.   He is a keen internet user, and just hit the world of text messaging, computer literacy, driver licensing laws and stressed out mothers !
Elliot was born on 13^th January 1986, a keen sportsman, he has represented various age group Northland JMB rugby teams in representative rugby, and also for the Northland Grizzlies in 1998.   I am told this lad has ambitions to become a pig hunter – you only need a couple of good dogs, and you can live with friends! 
Kieran, born 19^th August 1987, has also represented various age group Northland JMB rugby teams in representative rugby and also for the Northland Grizzlies in 2000.   Another keen sportsman.  He won the speech contest for 2000 at his intermediate school, has assisted in the drama production and holds down not just one run as a paper boy, but some mornings he has done as many as 5 runs when others have not turned up.   He starts High school in 2001.

Faith tells us that it has been a turbulent twenty years for the vanBoldrik family.    They have made several moves, from Auckland, to Carterton and Masterton then on to Whangarei where the majority of the family is residing.   John has left the police force and is “multi-tasking” so running the property and working, and Faith is running the property and keeping the household sane.
Megan achieves much, and is currently working at Middlemore Hospital.  She is intending to further her study at Oxford University this year and hopes to be a doctor. 
Aaron is in his fourth year at Otago University completing an Info-tech Computer Science and Law degree.  He is currently holidaying in Queenstown.
Joanna was born on 3^rd September 1981.
Anameika was born on 21^st August 1983, attends school and shows also the creative streak of this family.
David, born on 22^nd March 1986 is in his fifth year at secondary, and is currently the family’s fashion guru – advising, insulting and mocking all other members of the family on their fashion sense.

Andrew, we are told, was born on 27^th September 1961 at 12.40 pm, weighing in at  8oz flat.  (‘Tis a bit of great data there, but I am struggling with the 8oz !!  We shall read that as 8lb, one presumes.)
He left school after the sixth form in 1978, and spent three years working as a telecommunication technician, one month as a trainee nurse, three months in Australia, six months as a barman and six months being unemployed.   In March 1983 he started at Welcome Homes where he spent 10 months as the labourer, 18 months as their truck driver before moving into the office to assist the Contracts manager.   He went to night school to study building and design, and when the manager left in 1986 he took over as project coordinator, culminating his career there, as Site manager at the Commonwealth Games Village in 1989, where they built 55 houses, a kitchen block and an administration building. He left Welcome Homes then to work as a freelance draftsman and since 1990 has worked for several companies, with the bulk of his work being for Harmony Homes in West Auckland.     He flatted in Devonport beside the Boat Club with its magnificent view of the Harbour, then in Grafton for about 4 years, then in 1988 he brought a section in a new subdivision at Massey.  He designed a small cottage, moved in, and having spent the following two years landscaping the grounds to the point where he can say he has almost finished.

Andrew “went around the world in ninety days” between October 1995 and January 1996.  He wrote a book about his adventures and called it ‘What a Day’ (unpublished).   He went to Fiji, California, Washington State, New York, Washington DC, Ireland, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Wales, London and Cornwall, and shot ten rolls of film.   The best thirty shots he had blown up to A4, and they illustrate a book of poems he has written called ‘Mepomes’ (also unpublished).      No idleness in this lads’ life – in 1994 he wrote an article about his description of a Non Einsteinian Universe and called it ‘My Universe is a Dandelion’.  It too joins his list of unpublished works, but can be viewed at:  www.voyager.co.nz/~asnelson/ In April 2000 the writing continued, with a 150 page novel which he called ‘If Life Was Easy’ .  He adds, “even though it is 150 pages long, I still don’t know what it’s about, so I can’t finish it, so it’s ………………(unpublished).    He is now writing a play called ‘Obsession’ and also a stand-up comedy routine, but he says he will probably never present it.  This very creative fellow has a great love of music, playing  Spanish classical guitar to his own music (unpublished).

And he has had a dab at sculpturing in bronze, oil painting and enjoys a damn good round of golf.   He likes to swim at Muriwai Beach with any friends who wish to join him and particularly those who share his passion for NZ wines and Japanese food.    As we go to press Andrew and his Mexican fiancé are busy making wedding plans for late in the year.

(10) TARANCE - born at his parents' home at Awhitu on 21st October 1908 and like his brothers and sisters, attended school at the Awhitu Central Primary. After he left school, he helped out with the work at home, taking a few odd jobs available within the District, but very tragically Tara died on 16th April 1930 when just aged 21 years, as a result of a motor accident at Pollok.

(11) DENIS VAUGHAN - born at Awhitu on 2nd July 1910, and his time on this earth nearly came to an abrupt halt at the precious age of two. He was with his mother taking afternoon tea down to the men at the sawmill behind their home. Vaughan was playing with a boat at one of the water wells there, when his mother noticed he wasn't there anymore, and upon this, his dad shoved his hand down the well and fished out one very wet, coughing, spluttering toddler! Fortunately fate had other plans for this lad, and he went on to live a busy and happy life. He attended school at Awhitu Central, then Otaua and back to Pollok, leaving school when "he was big enough to wear a pair of boots". He worked at a variety of farming and driving jobs over the next years, and eventually owned his own trucking business doing general carrying and the Taurangaruru cream run.

In 1938 he was married to Jean Shackleton. Jean was born at Waikumete and moved to Waiuku with her family at the age of eight years. Her parents, Thomas and Madge Shackleton, made their home in Waiuku, and Thomas was a very well known butcher for many years. After leaving school Jean worked as a nanny and then an office assistant before her marriage to Vaughan. Vaughan continued his trucking business for many years, and later he also drove the Sandliner trucks from Maioro to Glenbrook Steel Mill. This was a 27 mile round trip, and he held the record for numbers of loads in one day, and that was nine loads. After this he owned Waiuku Fisheries and worked at this business for several years before retiring. He made angling his greatest hobby, and he was President of the Waiuku Anglers Club for many years. He won many trophies at this sport, including heaviest schnapper, biggest stingray, and surfcasting. Vaughan and Jean raised a family of eight - one netball team and the referee - and for the past 32 years have lived in their home in Martyn Street, Waiuku. Vaughan suffered a very long illness, and passed away on the 3rd October 1981, and Jean died very suddenly on 13th December 1982, their final resting place being Waiuku.

Their daughter Beverley attended Primary School in Waiuku, and then went on to Waiuku College. She gained her School Certificate, and upon leaving school worked in Duthies, and the Kay Dee Milk Bar before working in the National Bank for three years. She married Colin O'Dowd and they moved to Fiji for two years where Colin worked for an engineering company which built the wharf in Fiji. While here their daughter Sharon was born, then the family returned to New Zealand, settling in Tauranga. Their second daughter Tracey was born in Tauranga, and then they shifted to Auckland, settling in Howick. They owned a Health Food Shop in Remuera, and Colin was self employed.  Bev fought but lost the battle with cancer and sadly she passed away in 1987 at the very young age of 48.   Colin moved to USA with his work and has since remarried to Charlotte and they have made their home in Dallas, Texas.

Sharon, Colin and Beverley’s eldest went on to study painting and design at Auckland University and then interior design at Unitech.  She has worked as an interior architect before going into practice for herself. She has always been involved in art and music and when she was growing up also enjoying horse riding, aerobics, running and then yachting.   She met and married Antony Hebden who, on his return from working with Vidal Sassoons in London, set up and ran some of Auckland’s top hair salons.  In 1991 they went back to the UK to pursue another of Antony’s passions, training as a professional chef.  Back home in NZ in 1992, they settled in Devonport and have a family of 3 boys.  Jack, born 1993, Harry born in 1995 and Lewis born in 1996.

Tracey went on to study draughting at Unitech.   She worked in various private practices as a draughtswoman before retraining as an architect at Auckland University after she married Andrew Stanton. Andrew set up his own company organizing business theatre events in Auckland.   The couple moved to Sydney in 1990 to pursue Andrew’s career and Tracey completed her architectural degree there.    In 2000 they shifted to Noosa, Queensland, to live where they enjoy the outdoors and sailing too.   They how have three children – Morgann born in 1992, Zach, born in 1994 and Max born in 1999/2000.

The second member of this netball team was Leone, who also attended school in Waiuku, enjoying athletics during her younger years, and was a member of the Gold Star marching team. She left school to work in Farmers as a shop assistant for six months, then worked for a firm of Lawyers for five years as an office clerk. She played netball for the Otaua Club, and was a keen dancer. She married Chris Neil, and they made their home in Waiuku, firstly at the Dairy Factory, then farming at Otaua. They moved to Pukekohe where they bought a milk bar, then moved back to Waiuku three years later and  settled there, Leone working as a typist, and Chris worked for New Zealand Road Services. They have four children, Stephen born in 1961, Ricky in 1963, Lianne 1965 and Kirsten born in 1969.   Leonie has carried on with office administration, now computer literate and has been employed by Knight & Dickey for the past 17 years.  She has made her home in Waiuku with her partner Graham Dickey.   Leonie maintains her fitness by doing early morning walks, and she has participated in several walks and completed a 21 km walk marathon in 2000 around Auckland.  Leonie did preparation to walk the BMW marathon in 1998 with daughter Lianne and daughter-in-law Kerri, only to have the misfortune to fall and break her ankle two days before, much to her disappointment.  She loves to work outdoors in her garden, or swim in the surf at Whangamata, and still loves to dance.

Leonie and Chris’ son Stephen was born on 2^nd August 1961.  After completing his education at Waiuku Primary, View Road, and Waiuku College.  He worked, firstly learning the trade of carpet laying and after mastering this, turned his hand to bricklaying which he still does together with his job at BHP NZ Steel in the rolling mill.   He has always had a great love of sport and the outdoors joining the local  Surf Lifesaving Club at 15 years of age, and carrying out his first rescue after about three weeks, with Greg McDonald.  He has been a prominent member of rugby teams, local and with Counties over the years.   In recent years he has enjoyed participating in triathalons and will bike out to Big Bay (40 km) rather than ride in the car.  Stephen married Kerri Lund in 1983 – also a very keen sports person and half-marathon participant.   They have four children.   Tymon, born on 10^th August 1987, and follows in his parents’ footsteps – absolutely loves sport of any kind and can name any member of any sporting team on TV, is an excellent distance swimmer winning many races, but his greatest love is golf where at Waiuku he holds the record for youngest person to get a hole-in-one, at the age of 12 years.    We understand he also holds the record for being the only person to have flung his grandmother out of the golf kart by taking off from the putting green too quickly.   He was giving her a lesson at the time – in what I am not sure !!   Jordan Kate was born on 9^th January 1990 – another keen sports person, enjoying netball, Cubs, swimming and all that goes with childhood and fun. Imogen was born on 6^th July 1992 and at the age of 8 is a keen hockey player, is competitive with her swimming, plays basketball and is a member of the local Brownie Pack, while Danyon, who was born on 18^th March 1996 attends the local kindy.

Ricky was  born  on  12^th  October  1963,   gained  his primary education in Waiuku,  and     secondary       at Waiuku   College.  He   has    been   involved   in    the construction industry.  He also has a great  knowledge of cellular nutrition – like a walking encyclopedia  we are told.  He  takes   after   his    grandfather Vaughan, setting his hand to any task and with his  great  love of fishing.   He married Diana Craig, from Aka Aka , and  their two  sons Odin, born on 21^st August 1989 and Dylan, born on 15^th November 1990, enjoy the martial arts, both having been  recently  awarded  their  Brown Belts, travelling to  Wanganui   for   the  exams.  Pagan was born on 17^th October 1997  and  goes   by the nick-name Poppy.

Lianne – born on 4^th September 1965 at Franklin Memorial Hospital and educated in Waiuku.      Upon leaving school she went waitressing, worked in the  Deli at Waiuku’s New World supermarket  then  to  Barkers Pharmacy as a photographic operator.   In 1990 she left work to start a family and has just returned to Barkers as a photographic operator again.  She has played netball since the age of eight and continues to play, winter as well as twilight.    She was a member of the  Waiuku Mascots  marching team.  In 1998 she started walking  and   this lead  to doing half marathons which she is still competing in.  After much training she completed the Rotorua marathon which was 42 kilometers long and she is participating in this again in 2001.   A stirling effort indeed !!   In 1986 she married Glendon Farrier who is a  mechanic  workshop  manager for   A.S.  Wilcox  of  Patumahoe.      He is a real V8 enthusiast.   They have two children.     Ashleigh was   born  on   the 12^th June 1990 and attends Pukeoware School.  She enjoys athletics, netball, playing guitar, art & also swimming. She is a past member of Waiuku Pippins Brownies.
Nicholas was born on 27^th September 1992 and attends Pukeoware School.  He too is a member of the Waiuku Athletics club, enjoys swimming and rugby.   He rides a motorbike and generally has developed quite a love of all motor sports.

Kirsten  - born on 12^th February 1969 and after finishing school at Waiuku College went to work in a petrol station at Glenbrook.    In 1986 went to Sydney for six weeks and worked in a Mexican restaurant putting on 3 stone – then it was back to New Zealand to work as a postie where she slimmed right down on the bicycle.   A short stint followed catering at Kingseat  Hospital .   1987 saw her off again working her way through Europe and during the Gulf War she was living on a Kibbutz in Israel and describes that whole year and experience as – wild.  We can under-stand.     The end of 1990 saw her return to work again at a service station.    There she met   Brent  Steel and they were married in 1994.    They have three children, Ned, born on 6^th February 1997, Isaac, born on 18^th October 1998 and Ruby-Jean who was born on 20^th December 2000.   The family have made their home in a lovely old villa in Waiuku.   Kirsten finishes her story and I quote
“I love my sports and watch out if you are on the opposition.  I play netball and indoor basketball and am absolutely unbeatable at swingball.   These days I am totally busy being a mum but when I’m not too tired to think, I love my family and between kids I don’t mind a bit of a party.”

Joyce, was the third daughter born, and attended primary and secondary schools in Waiuku. She enjoyed athletics too, and won a cup for running at the Centennial Sports, and represented Waiuku School in tennis in her Form 2 year. She left school to work in the Kay Dee Milk Bar as a shop assistant and worked here for five years before moving to Auckland where she worked for Kodak for 12 months printing photos. She took a trip up to Fiji for three weeks and stayed with Bev and her family not long after she had started working. Joyce married Graeme Sexton, and they made their home in the Waiuku/Pukekohe areas. At present they own the Bombay Hills Restaurant where they both work, so travellers passing by - how about a cuppa!       Since 1981 there have been changes….
They sold this restaurant and Joyce worked in Woolworths in Pukekohe for a few years and then moved to Laverton, Western Australia where Graeme worked in a goldmine as a driller.    Joyce worked in the Laverton Hotel for five years.     They returned to New Zealand in 1995 where Graeme worked for Galloway Asia Pacific delivering water tanks around the north island.   Joyce works for Manukau Knitting Mills.   

In the notes that she gave me Joyce wrote a little bit about their travels in Australia.  I wanted to just reprint them here because I felt they were really good notes.    Joyce wrote    -

After leaving Bombay we travelled to Adelaide where we bought a car and travelled across the Nulaboor to Western Australia eventually arriving in Laverton, 350 km North East of Kalgoorlie to a job in a gold mine for Graeme as a driller and a hotel job for me. 
After a couple of years we took time off to see the country touring up the west coast from Perth to Darwin taking approximately four months.  On the way we stayed at Roadside Camp, some 63 km from Fitzroy Crossing for six weeks while Graeme drove a water cart.  Nothing but red dust and bush.
From Darwin we drove down the middle via Alice Springs, Ayres Rock and 1,100 km of dirt road back to Laverton.    By the time we arrived back after four days of very rough roads we had 24 feet of caravan with broken springs and full of red dust with flour etc fallen out of cupboards and broken doors and the fridge fallen over.     The local Aussie comments were “only Kiwis would tow a large caravan over that country”.     We stayed in Laverton a few years before returning to settle in Howick.”
Graeme and Joyce have three children.

Barry was born around 1965 and he had his own market garden at Bombay for a few years and then bought the old Bombay Restaurant now known as Grandma’s Kitchen.   After selling that he moved to Newmarket.  He has also enjoyed some success driving rally cars.

Tania must have been born about 1966 and she spent some time working in England and travelling.  When she returned she worked for D.H.L.   She married Gary Nalder and they live in Howick with their two children, Tayla born about 1994 and Jaden who was born about 1997.

Geoffrey would have been born about 1967 and he and his partner Ngaire O’Rouke also worked in gold mines in Australia.   When they returned to NZ they settled in Tuakau where Geoff works as an excavator driver.

The fourth member of the team is Glenys, making the team more than half complete. While attending school in Waiuku, at the primary and secondary, she represented both Waiuku and South Auckland in netball during her 14th year. She left school to work in the Telephone Exchange for 18 months, and she too left to go to Fiji on a six week holiday and stayed with her sister Bev. Arriving back in Waiuku she worked in Leaming's Butchery in the office for 12 months, then went on a working holiday through the South Island, enjoying apple picking in Upper Moutere, near Mouteka, for a time. Back in the 'main land' she found a job in Papatoetoe working for Sainty and Hodgson Chemists, and trained as a cosmetician. After 12 months here she moved back to Waiuku and took up a position in the Telephone Exchange again, and remained here until her marriage to Russell Brookes. Russell was employed on the development of New Zealand Steel Limited at Glenbrook at that time. They spent several years in Invercargill and now have their home in Papakura where Russell is a Foreman for Downer Construction Limited.   That was in 1981.  Again, things have changed…….   Sadly, Russell passed away in 1996 at the age of 52 having had heart surgery some years earlier.   He was still employed with Downer Construction in the capacity of site superintendent on the Pokeno by-pass at the time of his death.   Glenys remains in Papakura and worked for many years at Vita Health Foods part-time and also full time as manageress.      The biggest highlight of the past 20 years for Russell and Glenys was a trip to America and Canada including Tijuana and Hawaii.  This trip included many wondrous sights such as the Grand Canyon, the Canadian Rockies and seeing the killer whales perform at San Diego Seaworld.    They have three sons.

Shayne – born around 1968 has worked in aluminium joinery for 14 years.  

Gary – born 1970 and his trade is engineering, specializing in small aircraft for some years.  Gary’s eldest son Cody was born in 1991 and now he and his partner Sunita have three children Taegan, Daneeka, and Paris with another baby due in January 2001 as we go to press - in fact they had a son and named him Seth.   Unless I have it wrong, this very busy household has grown again with another son, Quin.  

Dean – born 1972 worked for Downer Construction for eight years then branched out into drainlaying and digger work.

No. 5 was Marilyn, and she attended both primary and secondary schools in Waiuku. Marilyn married David Beer and they made their home in Pakuranga for a time and then later moved to Mt. Albert where they owned, and both worked in a Superette. They had three children, Angela 14, Rochelle 11 and Jason 9. However, tragedy struck this family when David was killed in a motorbike accident in March 1979. Marilyn continued on in their home and quite recently she remarried Mau Solomona and they have made their home in Glendene, Mau working in the timber business and their daughter Renee was born at this time.   Marilyn and Mau later divorced in 1987.  She now lives on the Te Atatu Peninsular where she operates her own stationery and craft shop business and has since 1993.

Angela  was born in 1967 and attended Glendene Primary, Kelston Intermediate and Kelston Girls High gaining her School Certificate and University Entrance.  She attended A.T.I. qualifying as a lab technician and worked for several years at Pacific Pharmaceuticals in Penrose.  For some years she travelled overseas with David Swain working in England, Scotland, Ireland and on the Continent.  They returned and married in 1996 and have since made their home in America where they live with their three children, Jessica, Jake, and Matthew. 

Rochelle was born in 1970 and she too was educated at Glendene Primary, Kelston Intermediate and Kelston Girls High, attaining her School Certificate.  She worked for the Post Office as a clerk and Post Bank as a bank officer.    She also worked in the accountant department for Bay Corp.    Rochelle and her partner Todd Campbell have a son Kieran, born in 1990.  He attends Matipo Primary school and is a keen league player.    They have been their home in Te Atatu. 

Jason was born in 1972 and also was educated at Glendene Primary, Kelston Intermediate and Kelston Boys High.    He is currently employed in the roofing trade.   He has a son Jack and the pair also made their home in Te Atatu.

Renee has attended schools in the Te Atatu Peninsular and she is at present awaiting results of her School Certificate exam.   She will be attending 6^th form this year, 2001, at Rutherford College.    She represented the school at outrigging and paddles for Waitakere.  She also plays soccer for Te Atatu and Rutherford College and represented New Zealand at the world outrigging champs in Australia in 2000.

The sixth member of the team was Vivian, born at Franklin Memorial Hospital and she went through all her schooling in Waiuku, excelling in sports and won numerous awards in athletics during her early years. After leaving school, she worked as a machinist for two years, before leaving to go on a working holiday to Australia for three months. She travelled from Brisbane around to Perth, and on her return she settled in Auckland, working for Warner Lambert Pharmacutical and became the first lady tablet maker in New Zealand.    Vivian and her partner Brendon Howe had one son Darren and later on she met and married Rick Cathcart and they have made their home in Titirangi, Rick working as a sheet metal worker. They have four boys, Darren 10, Bevan 6, Vincent 4 and Kerry 2 months.    The family moved to Australia in 1986 living in the far north of western Australia.  She continued her love of art gaining 13 units at Karratha College in fine arts.   She returned to New Zealand in 1998 after separating from Rick, pursuing a career in art.    She won 1^st prize in oil painting at Franklin Arts Festival in 2000.    Vivian currently lives with her fiancé Darcy Gillbanks in Waiuku.

Darren was born also at Franklin Memorial Hospital, on 14^th May 1971 and educated in Waiuku, Titirangi and then back to Waiuku College.   He excelled in sport representing New Zealand at the Pan Pacific Games held in Auckland in 1985 where he won a silver medal in the synchronized trampolining.  After leaving school he completed a building and carpentry apprenticeship with Coe and Lewer builders in Waiuku.  He went on to form his own business, D.B. Short Builders operating in Waiuku and he also gained his Master Builders Certificate.   He has played rugby and his other interests include hunting, fishing and diving both in NZ and overseas. He has just acquired his pilots license for ultra light aircraft and dabs away at motor racing also owing his own car, racing his A Grade stock car and into dirt track racing.    Darren and his partner of 9 years Janine Black of Waiuku, have a son Ethan Darren Short who was born on 31^st October 2001.

Bevan was born at Middlemore hospital on 30^th August 1974  and educated in Titirangi.  Another keen rugby player he competed in trampolining and has quite an artistic flair as well.   He lived in Australia in NSW, Rockingham and then Karratha, western Australia completing his schooling there.   He returned to NZ to live and work as a deckhand in Northland.   He completed a 3 year plumbing apprenticeship then went into the car trade.    He currently lives and works in Palmerston North.   Bevan and his partner Maree Akroyd have a son Connor who was born in 1997 at Waitakere hospital. 

Vincent was also born at Waitakere Hospital and educated in Titirangi. As with the others he played rugby, competed in trampolining, attended Boys Brigade and enjoyed art, music and it seems life in general.   He travelled with the family to Australia in NSW, Rockingham and then Karratha, excelling in music.    Vince worked on the Barrup Peninsular before becoming very ill with Luekemia in 1998 and has not been able to work since.    He had a bone marrow transplant matched and donated by his brother Bevan and returned to NZ to live on 11^th January 2001 after his long convalesence.   He is now living on the Te Atatu Peninsular.  
Kerry, born at St. Helen’s hospital on 14^th May 1981 and was educated in NSW, Rockingham and Karratha also.   His mum describes him as the only person she knows who hated school from the day he started to the day he finished.   I think a few more of us know that feeling !!!     He plays guitar, is a keen skate boarder and presently lives in Perth.  After spending some time as a gib stopper he now works for a cabinet maker learning the trade and installing kitchens.    His mum also adds this comment “Kerry has spent 15 of his 20 years in Australia and he now speaks fluent Australian !!!!”

Then things changed in the Short family, everyone announced "it's a boy", and along came the referee in this netball team, Terrence Vaughan Short. Terry attended Waiuku primary and college, and left during his 6th form year. He gained his school certificate and upon leaving school he worked for several local firms including J.F.Martin Contractors, which business is now known as Short and James Limited, and they are involved in agricultural and industrial drainage contracting work.    Terry has continued on with this work, running his own business, T.V.Short Contracting doing earthworks and drainage laying etc. He is also involved in property development and the family live on their farmlet at Waiuku.    He married Robin Craig, daughter of well known Pollok farmers Ian and Pixie Craig and for those of us who know Pixie will understand that Robin has inherited her mother’s creative skills, recently winning the Franklin Art Festival photography prize, along with being a great dressmaker and gardener.   Terry and Robin have a family of five daughters.
Fiona – born on 19^th February 1986 and at present attends Waiuku College.  A keen sportswoman she also has the artistic flair, winning the fourth form art prize in 2,000 plus two overseas trips for her family in 1998 and 1999 – one to America and one to Australia!
Rosemary was born on 17^th December 1987 and she starts College this year.   Another fine athlete she excels in netball, tennis, athletics and touch rugby.  She also received the art trophy for Form 2 at View Road School.
Kathryn was born on 27^th September 1989 and attends View Road School, showing more of the sport talent with an interest in cross country and long distance running as well as tennis and athletics and fits in some piano there as well.
Emily, born on 8^th July 1992 also attends View Road school and joins in the others with a keenness for sports and music and goes to athletics.
Sally was born on 25^th May 1994 and attends View Road school and yes, she carries the family tradition of high achieving in sports, music and anything creative and artistic.   Sally won her age group points prize for running at athletics recently.

The netball team was all set to go with the arrival of Debra. She gained all her schooling in Waiuku being on the Honours List for Form 1 and 2, and receiving an award in Form 3 for top in book-keeping. She left school after gaining her School Certificate and worked in the Post Office for two years before transferring down to Christchurch for 12 months. While with the Post Office she passed her Junior and Senior Machinist exams and travelled a lot while in the South Island. She too came back to the 'main land', and took up a position with New Zealand Motor Bodies in Auckland as a receptionist before marrying Bruce Ellery and moving to Australia one week after their wedding in 1977. They bought a caravan and spent three years travelling, mainly in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, where they both gained one hell of a good sun tan! They settled  in Karratha, Western Australia, where Bruce drives a fuel tanker for the Shell Company.    Debra works at Kingsway Christian College in Perth as a High School Art and English teacher.   Her spare time is consumed with extending her artistic pursuits.    They have two children.

Casey was born about 1979 and his interest lie in sporting areas with success in both swimming and athletics.  He is also a keen surfer.  Currently he is completing a Bachelor of Science in sports science at Edith Cowan University in Perth.  He intends pursuing a career in high school teaching.
Kimberley has had significant success in art and fashion design throughout her high school years.  She has just graduated from year 12 which is equivalent to our 7^th form.   She received several awards for art at graduation and is planning to begin study in fashion design at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Victoria.

(12) ALICE MAY - born at her parents' home at Awhitu on the 8th May 1912, Alice began her schooling at Pollok, continued on at Awhitu Central and then went on to attend St. Mary's Convent in Ponsonby, Auckland. Alice returned home after completing her schooling to work on the farm and help out about the place, and this she continued to do until her marriage in 1934. The local cream carrier who had the Awhitu run was of course, well known to all the Short family, including Alice, but it wasn't until they both began attending the dances at Orua Bay or wherever, that a real friendship developed, and then things could only get better. Alice became Mrs Ray McNamara in 1934, and they made their home in Victoria Avenue, Waiuku. Ray continued driving trucks, then during World War II formed Waiuku Transport which helped them all to overcome the problem of spare-part shortages. After the war Waiuku Transport was disbanded, and he retained one truck which he continued to drive. They shifted from Victoria Avenue to Sandspit Road, Waiuku and lived there for 12 years, then bought a farm at Waipipi on Boundary Road, and lived there for 11 years. Eventually they retired to their home on Glenbrook Road, just out of Waiuku, and need we say anymore! Those people travelling out of Waiuku will remember their brick home and the superb garden that Alice established there - it was a joy to look at, no matter what the season or the weather. From there they moved to Norfolk Rise in Waiuku, and Ray passed away on 11th December 1982 after a long illness. Alice continued on in their home, and a new interest she had taken up was leather-work, producing some very impressive articles indeed.  She has since passed away.
Alice and Ray have two children, both born in Waiuku, and both having gained their education at Waiuku primary and Colleges.

Doreen - worked at James' Bookshop in Waiuku for five years after leaving school and continued here until her marriage to Bob McQuire on 2nd April 1956. Bob was a carpenter who came from Aka Aka and they made their home in Waiuku, and have lived here ever since. Bob had a milk run for three years, then they had their Knitwear Factory in Waiuku, and this has been a full-time occupation for them both ever since and they are still very actively involved in this business, although Doreen does find time to enjoy a few rounds of golf.   Their three children were all born in Waiuku, and attended primary school in Waiuku, and Waiuku College.

Yvonne, born in 1957 worked in a secretarial position in Auckland. She took a keen interest in ballroom dancing, doing very well at this, and recently travelled overseas to travel throughout Europe, and is at present working in London.

Their son Colin, born in 1959, has worked as a Greenkeeper at the Onewhero Golf Course for some six or seven years, and has recently returned to Waiuku, driving machinery for Short and James Contractors.

Kevin, born in 1960, did his apprenticeship as a fitter and turner at the Steel Mill at Glenbrook, and is now employed by Heards in Waiuku in this same capacity.

As we go to print here I understand that Doreen and Bob along with all of their family and grandchildren are now residing on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, in the sun and the surf. 

Terrence - after leaving school Terry worked as a carpenter in Waiuku until his marriage to Pat Powell in 1962. Pat is from Waiuku, and worked as an Exchange Operator at the time. They made their home at Matakana for a short time, Terry working for a trucking firm up there, then moved back to Waiuku where Terry has continued working with Knight and Dickey Ltd. Terry enjoys playing snooker and billiards, and has represented his local Club on several occasions.

Their daughter, Karen, was born when they were in Matakana and gained her education at Waiuku primary and College. She worked in Heards factory in Waiuku for a time but now travels to Auckland each day from her home in Waiuku.  She remains an enthusiastic netball supporter.

Craig was born in Waiuku and gained his schooling here also, and is now employed at the Steel Mill at Glenbrook.   He married Colleen Turner, daughter of Trevor and Dot Turner (nee Kennedy) two very long time resident families of Pollok.   Craig and Colleen’s son Dean attends Standspit Road School just 3-4 houses down the road from home.

Maxine, also born in Waiuku, and attended College there.   She has travelled extensively spending some time in England then returning home briefly before residing in Perth, Western Australia.   

(13) AGNES MARGARET - born at her parents' home at Awhitu on 9th November 1913 and attended primary school at Awhitu Central, then along with her sister Alice, attended the Convent at Onehunga to finish her schooling. At this point she learnt to play the piano, then upon leaving school she travelled to Australia to join a Convent over there. However, a vocation was not to be hers, and after a time she returned home, taking a job at Glenbrook as a domestic help. Someone at this point talked Agnes into joining the Wrens, and it was while she was in camp at Wellington that she met Jim Mulcare. Jim was also in the Air Force, and they were married in Pukekohe in 1951. After their marriage they made their home in Blenheim, and they continued to live on here, then after a very long illness, Agnes passed away on the 15th May 1974. Jim continued to live on in Blenheim for some time and now has made his home in Christchurch.