Ruby Parker of Raetihi

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 49, 29 May 1984, Page 3

Ruby Parker of Raetihi

The growth that is being experienced in the Waimarino area has its good and bad points. Obviously the revenue from tourists and skiers alike can only help that growth, but in the hustle and bustle, we tend to forget about the past. Quc,region has its characters with stories to tell of the past and it seems a shame not to share them with ourreaders. In a regular column, Mary AnneGill will be talking to these people, finding out their story and relating them to our readers. She spoke first to Raetihi's 'senior' senior citizen, 98-year old Ruby Parker.

Waimarino's senior citizen The minute you walk into Ruby Parker's home in George Street, Raetihi, a tremendous sense of history pervades the air. On the walls around the house, hang pictures of herself as a young girl, her husband Alfred ('Paddy') Parker, countless relatives and her eight children. Every picture has a story to tell lovingly related by Mrs Parker. Born in 1885 at Kiata in the Wimmera district of Victoria, Australia, Ruby Parker has early memories of long droughts and hot days. She met her husband, also from the district, and married him in 1910 and it was then that the two of them decided to try their hand in New Zealand. Ruby and Paddy first settled in Dannevirke, Paddy helping to clear the bush and Ruby pregnant with their first child, Reg. After a year there, they firstly moved to Taihape before finally settling down in Raetihi at the end of 1 9 1 1 . The couple leased land behind the A&P Showgrounds until 1927, at which time they purchased the property. Ruby Parker has vivid memories of the fire that swept through Raetihi in 1918, destroying several houses and timber mills, leaving people, including themselves, homeless with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. At that time, she had four young children and nowhere to live. People, as they invariably do, rallied around and gave help to the Parker

family until their house was rebuilt. Over the years, the family has played an important part iirRuby's life. In all, she bore eight children, seven of whom are still alive. Her son~ Donald died in a freak car accident at Raetihi having just returned from the Second World War. In addition to her family, she also has a keen interest in politics, specifically the Labour Party, who rewarded her for her loyalty in 1 977 by conferring life membership, truly a great honour for any person. In her time she met such great men as Michael Joseph Savage and Norman Kirk and recently received an impromptu visit from the King Country Labour Party candidate, Jim Simons. As she nears her century, Ruby can look back on a wonderful past. Her husband died in 1975, but only after

they lived a full and happy life together. With twenty-five grandchildren and two great grandchildren along with countless life-long friends in the area, Ruby is seldom alone. When she does stay at home, she loves watching the soap operas on televisipn and names 'The Young Doctors' as her favourite programme, closely followed by 'Days of Our Lives' and 'The Young and the Restless'. Every Sunday, she is picked up by Ian Horne and his wife and taken to the local church for services. People like Ruby Parker are the backbone of our community. The work they have put in over the years can still be seen and appreciated by all. We all look forward to celebrating her one hundredth birthday on 30 October 1985.