Final Resting Places: - Ronald Herbert English

Sitting high above the township on Crawford Road, just outside of the small Southland town of Mataura, sits the Mataura Cemetery. It is a very quiet place, with the only noise being the occasional passing of a car or farm tractor, or the bleating of a lamb from the surrounding paddocks.

Block 5, plot 185 in this quiet, peaceful cemetery is the final resting place for a person who long ago meant the absolute world to me. My eyes would light up when he walked into the room ….. I wanted to go everywhere with him ….. and I often waited along at the corner of our street for him to finish work so I could walk home with him. 

But all too soon this childhood love was over. I had only just turned seven when my dad, Ronald Herbert ENGLISH, died unexpectedly. My dad is now resting peacefully in block 5, plot 185 in the Mataura Cemetery, a place where I still frequently go to visit him, just to talk to him and feel close to him once again. 

My dad with his older brother Evan
(please click on image to enlarge)

Dad was born in Mataura in December 1941 and spent his whole life in the town. He was the second son of Bob and Lizzie (nee RENSHAW) ENGLISH and he had one older sibling, my uncle Evan. Dad was educated at the local primary school and then continued on to Gore High School, where upon leaving school he ventured to the local freezing works, one of the main employers in the town, to seek employment. The boss at the freezing works was a friend of my grandparents and he told my dad that he would not employ him in the freezing works as he had too good a brain for that, but instead offered him a job in the company office, which my dad accepted.

In March 1968 my dad married my mother, Maureen EGAN, the eldest daughter of Doris and Jack EGAN. My mother was a primary school teacher and her father Jack was the principal of the local primary school. In the years that followed my parents were blessed with three children; firstly Stephen, then myself, and later on Julie arrived on the scene too. And my parents were happy. 

As was the norm in the 1960’s and 70’s, Mum stayed home to look after the children while Dad continued to work at the freezing works. In his spare time Dad loved to go duck-shooting or fishing, he loved to play rugby, tennis or golf, he loved gardening and harness racing, and he particularly enjoyed spending time out on the farm of his good friend Barrie Cullen who lived just outside of Mataura on Terrace Road.

My dad with my older brother Stephen
(please click on image to enlarge)

After many years in the freezing works office Dad did finally venture into the actual processing part of the freezing works to work, and at the time of my birth his occupation is listed on my birth certificate as wool-pullers assistant. But he wasn’t content with just “working on the chain”, a term used locally to refer to those working along the production line at the freezing works. He had aspirations of going higher so went away to Lincoln College and re-trained, this time as a meat inspector. When he came back he was employed by M.A.F. (the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) to work at the Mataura freezing works as one of their meat inspectors.

Life was once again back to normal for our family and as much as I can remember from back then, we were a normal, very happy family. But all too soon life was to change and our quiet happy life would be shattered.

My dad, Ronald Herbert ENGLISH
(please click on image to enlarge)

Dad began to experience frequent severe headaches and upon seeking medical treatment was sent for a brain scan. And when the results of the scans and the tests came back our world was turned upside down. Dad had a brain tumour !!! 

But it was soon discovered that the brain tumour was a secondary cancer and the source of the cancer was actually his kidneys. A double blow !!!  Because I was so young at the time I am a bit unsure about the exact time-frame of what happened next. All I can really remember is that Dad immediately went into Wakari Hospital in Dunedin where treatment was to happen. However, within a very short time of him being in hospital he suffered a traumatic brain haemorrhage and passed away. 

My dad was only 36 years old and within the space of a few short weeks we had gone from a normal, happy and loving family to one that was completely devastated. My mother was only 31 years old and was left to raise three young children, aged 9, 7 and 3, all on her own. And that she did, and made a wonderful job of it. My brother, sister and myself are now all grown up and if our dad had still been alive today he would find himself the proud grandfather of five beautiful grandchildren.

I missed having my dad in my life when I was a child growing up. And I miss him still, and will until the day comes that I pass from this world and get to join him in Heaven. I am especially sad that he never got to live long enough to give me away at my wedding, that he never got the chance to meet my wonderful husband, that he never got to be a part of my children’s lives and that my children never got to know him and love him too.

Block 5, plot 185, Mataura Cemetery
Ronald Herbert ENGLISH  (26 Dec 1941  -  9 July 1978)

Thirty six was too young to die. And the seven years that I got to spend with him was not enough time for me. Sometimes life just doesn't seem fair. Dad has now been gone for more years than he actually lived, and his three children are now older than he ever got to be. 

My dad is never very far from my thoughts. I will continue to visit his grave in the Mataura Cemetery for the rest of my life. I will continue to remember him and miss him, and I will continue to love him .....…… forever.

Final Resting Places: - John and Mia Hurrell

Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand is the final resting place for my husband's paternal grandparents, John Joseph and Mia Edith Myrtle (nee PRESTIDGE) HURRELL.

Mia (nee PRESTIDGE) and John HURRELL **

John Joseph HURRELL was born on the 16th of November 1901 in Park Road, Christchurch, the fourth child and eldest son of Albert Augustus and Fanny Frances (nee BRUNT) HURRELL. John grew up in Christchurch alongside his six siblings; Maude (b. 1897), Olive Myrtle (b. 1899), Lawrence Edgar (b. 1900), William Romney (b. 1904), George Edward (b. 1906) and Frank (b. 1910). 

On the 23rd of February 1927 John married Mia PRESTIDGE at the St Michael's and All Angels Church in Christchurch. John was aged 25 and Mia 19.

Mia was born Edith Mia Myrtle PRESTIDGE on the 17th of February 1907,  the fifth daughter of Alice Augusta Jean EDWARD and the second daughter of Edward PRESTIDGE. She had an older sister Elsie Hannah Jane PRESTIDGE (b. 1904), and three older half sisters, Eleanor Alice Mary WARREN (b. 1894), Anita Dorothy WARREN (b. 1896) and Penelope Maude WARREN (b. 1899).

At the time of their marriage John was working as a motor driver. The newly-weds settled in Christchurch and went on to have a family of four children together; John Edward Albert (b. 1929, d. 1979), Frances, Alice and Kevin.

An untimely death

John was accidentally killed on the 19th of August 1954, aged just 52 years. I located his death registration and it reveals the terrible truth of what actually happened to him. His cause of death is listed as:

"Coroners finding: Cardio respiratory failure caused by lacerations and contusions

of the brain when a bicycle ridden by deceased collided with a Transport Board

bus at the intersection of Oxford Terrace and Antigma Street, Christchurch."

His accident must have been a huge shock to his family. His children were aged between 10 and 25 at the time. Mia lived in Christchurch for the rest of her life until her death 11 years later on the 14th of September 1965. She was aged just 58 years old. She was buried on the 16th of September alongside John at the Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Christchurch.

The plaque belonging to my husband's paternal grandparents, John and

Mia HURRELL, Block 36, Plot 278, Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Christchurch

______________________________

(Please note: the photo marked ** is not mine and was kindly loaned to me by Frances, daughter of John and Mia)

Final Resting Places: ..... and a city destroyed

In February 2011 the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was devastated by a strong, shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake that destroyed large areas of the city and left over 180 people dead. As well as having to contend with the shaking, many suburbs were affected by liquefaction, a term that before the earthquake many had never heard of. Much of the city had been build on land that had a shallow soil structure with a sandy base, and as a result, with all the shaking the sand and water rose to the surface and spewed up from the ground. 

The cemeteries in the eastern parts of Christchurch took a real hammering. Hundreds and hundreds of old historic headstones were no match for the shaking and were rocked off their foundations and smashed. Other areas were affected by liquefaction that resulted in the lowering of the ground levels in many places. Although I did not see the damage to these cemeteries in person for nearly two years,  even after all this time and a bit of tidying up, it was still heartbreaking to see.

My husband's family has very strong roots in Christchurch and many of his family members, including his parents, grandparents, great grandparents and great, great grandparents are all buried there. We venture north to Christchurch only about once a year and ever since we were first married it had always been my intention of visiting the various cemeteries and finding their final resting places. But like many other things in this life on my "to-do list", I had not quite got around to it yet. I did have photos of some of the graves, but always felt that a visit was needed to pay my respects to them, especially to my mother-in-law and father-in-law that I never had a chance to meet.

Seeing the damage for myself

In March 2013 my husband and I got to visit Christchurch for the first time since the earthquake and see for ourselves the damage first-hand. To see it on television is one thing, but to see it in person is something else. Although two years had passed, in places it still looked as though the earthquake had happened just yesterday. A drive through the now-deserted suburb of Bexely was heart-breaking. Street after street after street of near-new houses, all broken and empty, windows boarded up, gardens overgrown. A very, very sad thing to witness.

And not far from there we visited the first of three cemeteries that we would visit that day. Ruru Lawn Cemetery was our first port of call to hopefully find Ross's parents and grandparents. I had been online and had downloaded maps of the cemeteries and had found the plot numbers that I needed. I was sure that this would be a quick, easy job locating the graves we wanted. But as soon as we drove in the gate I knew I had severely under-estimated the task. What greeted me wasn't the rows and rows of upright headstones that I am so used to down home. Instead I discovered that this was a cemetery where the plot markers and plaques lie flat on the ground. Which is all good and well in a normal situation. But when you add into the equation an earthquake and massive amounts of liquefaction, what we then have is a logistical nightmare.

I could tell where many of the rows were, or should have been. And I could see plenty of plot markers were still visible. But many of them were no longer visible, having sunk below the surface when the earth was shaking. This wasn't going to be an easy task at all.

The area where Ross' parents graves are located, but hardly a plot marker to be seen.

After nearly half an hour spent searching for Ross's parents graves in the small area where I knew they should have been, we had to admit defeat. Sadly, they were no where to be found. So we moved on to the next search in a different area, searching for Ross's paternal grandparents, John and Mia (nee PRESTIDGE) HURRELL.

Clearing away the dirt to reveal the plaque
four inches below the surface.

After another half hour of fruitless searching we were once again about to give up, but then we struck the jackpot. We were just walking back towards the car and walked across an area of grass with some plaques visible, but with many others buried. And in just one quick glimpse down I suddenly thought I saw some letters that looked familiar. In a small hole in the ground the letters "ELL" caught my eye. I scraped my foot over it to try to push some of the grass aside and the whole word "HURRELL" appeared. Finally we had found one of the plaques we were looking for. After a bit of digging by hand and a clean with a wet rag, Ross's grandparents plaque was once again visible to the world.

That same day we also visited the nearby Bromley Cemetery and the Linwood Cemetery, two of the older cemeteries in Christchurch. Although the "Friends of Linwood Cemetery" organisation have spent a lot of time and energy at the cemetery since the earthquake, there is still so much damage apparent. Many of the oldest historic headstones are broken and smashed, or have fallen face down so they are unable to be read. As is the case in most cemeteries, the Christchurch City Council is only responsible for the actual cemetery, not the headstones. Any repairs to actual headstones must be made by the families. The big problem with this is two-fold. The first problem is that many of the headstones are very old and the chances of finding any family members still connected to these families is probably quite slim. And the second big problem, even if they do find family members related to the people buried in the plots, they probably would not be willing nor able to afford the cost of repairing these headstones.

My husband's paternal grandparents,

Ruru Lawn Cemetery

Of all the plots we were looking for the day we visited the Christchurch cemeteries, we had about a 50% success rate in finding what we were looking for. Although we had the maps and the plot numbers, it definitely wasn't an easy task. I hope to return to Christchurch early next year to continue my search for all those plots that eluded me the last time we visited.