Every year in Waipu, on New Years Day, there is a Highland Games. More Scottish than the Scots, the descendants of the big migrations celebrate their scottishness with a festival of bagpipes, highland dancing, tossing the caber, throwing the wheatsheaf, etc. etc. It’s also often a family reunion, as the family who have left […]
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 & […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 24-12-‘69 Dears All, D.J &j Your message arrived and was much appreciated – so much that I told Doreen that I proposed to cable a reply in time for Christmas. It shocked her Scottish soul – mine is shock proof by now – and when she said that an air-mail message […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 24-02-‘71 Dear Donald, We are very pleased to hear that you are heading homewards in the not too distant future. We can hardly wait to see you and Jean and your nice little family. This note is to explain who Alison Clark is, in case she contacts you before you leave. […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 12-06-‘71 Dear Donald and Jean and j and a, Surprise! surprise! I don’t believe I wrote and told you how much I appreciated your kindness to young Alison Clarke. I heard from her mother that she thought you (and your children) were “super” and she thoroughly enjoyed your company. Yesterday I […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 19-04 – 72 Dear Donald, Greetings to you and Jean and your nice little family. So many times I have thought of you and planned to put the thoughts on paper so here at last they are. Especially we missed you at New Year when we had a sort of muster […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 19-04 – 72 Dear Donald, Greetings to you and Jean and your nice little family. So many times I have thought of you and planned to put the thoughts on paper so here at last they are. Especially we missed you at New Year when we had a sort of muster […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 03-03 – 73 Dear Donald, We were more than pleased to get after Christmas letter bearing your family news. This must be a riposte of a kind – an after birthday reply, but at least bearing witness that you were not forgotten, and also bearing loads of good wishes from us […]
Langs’ Beach Waipu, N.Z. 03-01 – 77 Dear Donald, Here is my first note written this year. Here I am chief cook, bottle washer, night watchman, burglar alarm, everything. All new roles for me. So please excuse delay. Our (Myra and Hilda) thanks for your letters, which were much appreciated, as also was, and will […]
Written by his cousin Donald Lang My first cousin Donald McKenzie scrambled his name a bit while learning to talk. He was known as “Dollar” for some of his youth. After a decade or so, when people were about ready to become more formal, two new “first cousin Donald”s arrived for him. My father and […]