Work in progress
Previous | Contents | Next § Cliff wrote an obituary when his Dad died in 1980, which the Advocate printed in abbreviated form. John was born in 1897, and his father William, who was also a miner — as was his grandfather — died when young John was only 15. That meant he, ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next Jack and Annie were mortified when Bob and Evelyn decided to separate the two properties by building a carport and fence on their side of the boundary, and when Heather and I visited later they were fretting about what might have gone wrong with the relationship. The answer was ... Read more
Previous | Contents | The mine at which the tragedy occurred was taken over on Monday by Mr. William Ackers, father of the deceased, from the Hikurangi Coal Company, Ltd., which was to take the supplies of coal from it. The mine is situated on a hill at Waro and was commenced over ... Read more
§ If you have feedback, corrections, photos, or can help fill in the gaps on these family pages, please email or let me know in the comments — thanks! I probably haven’t been consistent, but by and large I’ve called the women by their “maiden” names — e.g. Dorothy McCarroll, ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next You entered the dining room proper from behind the kitchen — open fire; coal bucket, shovel and poker; concrete hearth with easy chairs either side; couch under the window; dark stained wooden table and chairs in the centre of the room; china cabinet opposite the fire. There was a ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next Assisi, and only two days to go before heading home. The six bottles of wine to absorb into my luggage have made me think about packing, but then the thought arises that I might never see this again — better wait ’til the sun sets. ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next I know we told Agostino we’re going to Naples and Pompeii, I said, but there’s no need if you’re not up for it. No, Dad wanted to go. Rather than take the Autostrada we headed off down Route 6 again, the Via Casilina. As we ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next We wasted the morning rather disastrously. First we spent ages looking for the Commonwealth War Cemetery — and drove into a kerb while doing so, bending the wheel rim of our poor little car and damaging the plastic hub cap, which fell off. We got ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next In the Hotel bar at breakfast an elderly, vocal little man in jeans was sounding forth exuberantly to a group of Germans and gesturing to Monastery Hill, which we could see through the windows. It was probably his volubility that prompted another German, courtly but ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next Next day we were all dressed up for the Commonwealth Service at the Cemetery we had visited previously. I had rung to confirm arrangements beforehand with the New Zealand contingent and we turned up in the maelstrom on time at 9.30. It was crowded with ... Read more