There was a certain amount of anticipation in the press about the stuttering date 9/9/99, and one could have even included the century 9/9/999, or made it a German denial to an offer of any date “Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!” As far as I am concerned it all started with 3/3/33. At that time, Hitler had been in power for a bit over a month. Goering was sweeping out the last vestiges of democracy […]
Born 3/3/1933. Died 14/5/2019 (video of funeral service is here) Born at Langs beach 3-3-33, which number he loved. The family had a farm there right on the beach which ran sheep and cattle, with a house cow. He was the youngest of six children, Margaret (who died in infancy), Hector, Anne, Mary, Ian and Donald. So they roamed all over the farm, barefooted, even on the rocks at the beach. Aged 5 he […]
Cheltenham Aug 20th 1950 Dear Donald, We have just spent four days in Oxford, & could have done with four more. However we hope to go back later in the year. Our Cousin Gilbert Wiblin a lad about my age (Aunt Fanny is 73), took us over many of the colleges, beautiful buildings many of them are, & they all have large quadrangles of perfect lawns & gardens. The finest one is Magdalen, where your […]
664A Mt Eden Rd 23.12.57 Dear Donald, Thank you for your Christmas message. We enjoyed it & Elizabeth says it is the best card we received. More to it, if you know what I mean. Hope you enjoyed your flight(Week in Sydney, tramping in Snowy, on to start PhD at ANU) & didn’t have any bumps. Reports of the heat in Sydney are not nice reading. I hope you haven’t melted to a grease spot. […]
1958 Dear Donald, I expect Myra has told you “all the news that’s fit to write”, as the N.Y.Times says. It was nice to get your letter and hear about your work and all those interesting people you are meeting, but I am glad you have Rabbie Dyer to have a Pie-Island chat with sometimes. Give my regards to Rabbie and tell him we do miss his lissom form from Lang’s Beach. Does he remember […]
Langs’, Waipu 24th Feb, 1958 Dear Donald, We were pleased to hear from you, at least , Elsie & I were, & Annie will be – she is still abroad; in Whangarei this time, minding Ian’s household while he and Gwen are on a holiday jaunt via Napier, Wellington& then I dunno where. Hugh & Hilda are due today, with the dust (now mud, since the rains) of Howick shaken from their feet. At least […]
664A Mt Eden Rd Monday Mar 3rd (1958) Dear Donald, First of all we all send our love & very best wishes for today. A bit late, but they are coming to you by the air as well. We thoroughly enjoyed your newsy letter with the description of your holiday doings. You certainly made the most of your time & managed to see some interesting spots. Now you will be settling down to some grind. […]
664A Mt Eden Rd 28.8.60 Dear Donald, Thank you for your interesting letter, which we all enjoyed. Your time at Canberra is drawing to an end. We are looking forward to seeing you before you take off for your next venture. We hear U.S.A., Israel, U.K. all mentioned. We hope it will be U.K. you go to. We like to think N.Z s best brains go to our own Kingdom for one thing, for another […]
664A Mt Eden Rd Mt Eden S.1. 16.12.60 Dear Donald, Thank you for your fine letter of sympathy, it was much appreciated by us all. Truly Aunt Fanny has been a good example to us, she was sustained by her faith in God right through her illness, & her courage never failed. She was most thankful to Elizabeth(her unmarried daughter, a nurse) for her devoted care & attention, & to be nursed at home with […]
Langs Beach Waipu N.Z. 2-12-68 Dear Donald, We all (Elsie,Myra,Hilda) thank you for your kind letter of sympathy, of course we don’t realise it yet. Annie was the one who never went away from home until your Father was married, and after a while, when our Mother came home again, Hilda stayed with her for the remainder of Ma’s life. (1952) Altho sudden, Annie’s death was not unexpected, we knew she had a bad cardiac […]