‘My sweet babe.’ Thirty years after losing her five-day-old daughter on the voyage to New Zealand, Sarah Harris can barely speak of the experience. Her words wander across the notebook page, she breaks off, starts again, cannot find words or syntax to convey her feelings. Phrases trail off, repeats falter. She can’t find her way, Read More…
Tag: nz
Edwin Harris, Painter &c
Sometimes the answers are right there. It just takes a while to see them. We’ve read the William Bryan passenger list, 7 names in the cabin, 141 men, women and children in steerage. The Harrises are there: Harris, Edwin Painter 32; Mrs 30; Boy under 7; Girl under 7; Girl 10 months. In fact Edwin Read More…
The Family Songbook Goes Live
‘A night or two ago I dreamed that I said it is a long time since I called at my Father’s and your parents and that I was determined I would go the next day. I awoke to disappointment wishing I might never dream again.’ (Sarah Harris #15) ‘Will you in the next send me Read More…
Houhere (lacebark) in Flower at Milford Sound
The Union Steamship company offered special excursion tickets to Melbourne at reduced prices during the International Exhibition of 1880-81. We don’t know which boat Emily Harris took to Melbourne but it is safe to say that she would have been travelling saloon class and paying the 16 pounds that gave her the option of a Read More…
White Mānuka and Pōhutukawa
The bouquet of white mānuka and pōhutukawa blends into a landscape, ocean in the distance, a blue sky with wisps of cloud and gulls flying. A context is being suggested but not a straight-forward one. We are looking at a bouquet and yet these fronds and stems of flowers stand in for the trees in Read More…
Meeting the Descendants
Two years ago today great great grand-daughters of Edwin and Sarah Harris came to Special Collections at the University of Auckland to meet researchers working on Emilys story. They brought with them a shopping bag full of family papers, a photo album and two war medals. Annabel Galpin, Roseanne Cranstone and their cousin Heather Jones Read More…