Lost Family

[Awhina]

Jacqueline
I cannot see a way to send a Personal Message  but if there is a way,  and IF you want any research done here in NZ, please feel free to contact me!
BTW I am female, have probably worked in more war zones than most soldiers and as I am still alive, believe I possess sound common sense, know when to hold my counsel and retain a sense of humour
Cheers
Awhina

[Langstraat]

Awhina,

Those three qualities will be most welcome here. 

re: To send a message.
Click the name of the recipient and activate: send private message.

[jasper14]

Hi Awhina, or should I say   kia ora e hoa...
 I,m from Birmingham,now live here in NZ, have done for 38 years
all in Hamilton..........I have,nt "worked" in war zones but have lived thro
the 1939--1945 war ..................I also believe in peace, love and hope,but
at my age nowadays take what comes.  BTW I am a female too.
Keep plugging along on here Ka pai koe.

[Awhina]

Tena Koe Jasper
Hamilton?  My deepest sympathy!
You have obviously settled in well!

I too live in a river city just south of the belching volcanes from you!
Guess you are recovering from that awful blast at the refrigeration plant and the sound of the racing cars - hardly peaceful weekends?

I found a nurse at the local hospital from Brum and insisted he keep talking so I could try to imagine what my great gran sounded like! All mother & cousins could remember was that she asked every morning for the NOOSE Paper!

She obviously was a very strong lady, married at 17, arrived here at 21 with husband & daughter and subsequently cleared land, had 10 kids, upended everything into a well when threatened by the Land Wars and lived into her 80s.

She came from the St Thomas area. Her husband was from Alcester but moved to Aston in the 1870s - guess something might  be familiar to you?

Ka kite ano
Awhina

[Awhina]

Langstraat
Kia Ora ( Thanks!) New site for me so I'll get the hang of it eventually! Bit slow Down Under,  possibly because we are constantly "all shook up" in the Shakey Isles!
Cheers
Awhina

[Jacqueline]

Awhina,
     There is only one snippet of info i am missing from NZ and that is the name of the last woman John married. I prefer to call him John rather than dad.
      John became a prison officer in Victoria and was with a fellow officer who was shot dead during an escape attempt. John was one of the main prossecution witnesses in the Ronald Ryan trial. The last man to be hung in Aus. He was pensioned off following the trial and went on a cruise where he met the lady in question.
      This lady was a number of years older than John and was the rich widow of a brain surgeon. I was given the surname but cannot remember it except that it was a short name with only three or four letters.
      John moved into her home which was on the south island and the property was localy known as fort knocks. The widow died soon after leaving everything to John. The following years were one long party for John until his health failed and he went into a nursing home in Christchurch where he died in 2004.
      If there is any chance of finding the name of the surgeon and his wife it will put the final jigsaw piece in place. I say final but he also served in Korea before i was born so i might yet find a Korean sibling.

      

[Awhina]

Kia Ora Jacqueline
What a story! Shouldn't be too hard to track but tonight we begin a long Weekend  to commemorate ANZAC soldiers. Patience please!
Of course I'll need some names so will PM you now Langstraat has told me how to do it!
Do you know his date of death /place of burial?
I'll need to check back on Electoral Rolls from his date of death etc. Once I have his name it shouldn't be too difficult unless of course he was using an assumed name!
Regards
Marlene