A Raetihi family history recalled

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 476, 9 March 1993, Page 15

A Raetihi family history recalled

From page 1 1 Household duties, cheese and butter-mak-ing, candles and soap also, plus the growing of vegetables and strawberry plants were carried out by Ellen and daughter Nellie. As there was no main trunk line all stores were carried by packhorses from Pipiriki. Alfred Ashwell was a younger member of a family of sons, all farmers except Frederick who

had a watch-maker and jewellery business in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire, 30 miles north of London. Ashwells still farm there and we have detailed data of oxor ancestors for 8 generations back, all yeoman farmers. The present member of the family farming there, Geofrey Ashwell, has been out to visit us on two occasions and was

last here in January 1992 when he took a video of the Ameku Road farm. What a tremendous change for the pioneers to come out from fully developed farms with hundreds of years of history behind them with farm labourers and servants for household duties to the hardships of pioneering in a harsh climate in New Zealand. The Ameku Road farm ,

was sold just before the 1918 fire. Alfred and Ellen shifted to live in Ranfurly Terrace. They had been burnt-out twice before on the farm. Their daughter Nellie nursed them until they died. Alfred had been injured in a farm accident and as a , result was confined to a wheel-chair. Alfred's son Walter started business next to Pike's Hotel, later the

Commercial. He married Harriet Mahony one of the first teachers in Raetihi under headmaster Hird. She was well liked because unlike most of her contemporaries, she rarely used corporal punishment and had considerable Irish charm. Their two-storied shop was situated where Fredericksens Foodmarket shop (recently sold) is today.

The shop was a booksellers, watch-makers and jewellery business, also selling toys. In common with many others in New Zealand they suffered a crippling fall-off in custom during the depression of the 1930's with the result that they closed business and left Raetihi for Gisborne. Great grand-children

of Alfred and Ellen Ashwell remain in the district, John Nation in business in Ohakune and Betty Bryers living in Raetihi.