It's always quite special for us when people who lived on Struan Farm, or their whanau, return to visit. At the end of last week Beryl Huia and her daughter Glenys came to stay. Beryl lives in Piopio, but wanted to come and overnight once again in the Cottage, where she lived with husband Tom and several children, including Glenys, when her husband worked on the farm for John's dad Maurie. Her husband was called "Young Tom" to avoid being confused with his father, "Old Tom."
Beryl was able to describe to us how the Cottage was laid out in her day. She remembers having to learn to cook on the coal range, something she hadn't been familiar with coming down to the King Country from Auckland. She also remembers Jim Ngarama bringing her "puha," or watercress to eat, a food with which she hadn't been familiar. It was interesting to see several photos of the Cottage and the family.
We learned that Young Tom had been born in the Huia Homestead across the river, where we'd taken cuttings of what we now call the "Huia Fig Tree." And that Old Tom had also lived in the Cottage before the Robertsons bought the property, working for the Hunt family. Glenys went home with a few cuttings from the fig tree--we glad the Huia whanau has their fig back.
Welcome home Beryl and Glenys!
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