State of grace(land)

By HELEN HARVEY helen.harvey@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki D


Elvis is not allowed inside the house. Or in the car, at work or down the pub. He is confined to the garage. And Hawera's biggest Elvis fan, Kevin David Wasley KD to his mates is quite happy about that.

He doesn't have tunnel vision. His whole life doesn't revolve around the king of rock 'n' roll. But part of it does ... and has done for more than 45 years.

KD was about 12 when he first heard Elvis Presley sing. But it wasn't until he saw what the singer looked like that he became totally hooked. He saw the cover of an EP record with a black-and-white head shot of Elvis taken side on.

"The way his hair hung down in front motivated me to find out what Brylcream was." Later, KD's parents banned mirrors from the house because he was always combing his hair.

His hair is gray now, but KD still has the same swished-back hairstyle. And he still has the sideburns.

Wife JJ has never known him without the sideburns, though his three now adult sons, David, Greg and Chris, once planned to shave one while their dad was sleeping. Their mother talked them out of it. Just as well, KD growls, or they would have been sleeping out here.

"Pictures From The Past-Taranaki"

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NEW-ZEALAND/2003-09/1064983329

From: "Carol Spragg"
Subject: [NZ] "Pictures From The Past-Taranaki"
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 16:43:07 +1200

ISBN 1-877327-042
Chris Lonsdale,available at Whitcoulls $24.95

ANDERSON Dorothy, Kiore School via Stratford page 61
ARTHUR Family Beach House Opunake page 48
Avona Tearooms, Stratford page 58
BAKER Clarice Inglewood page 53
BARRY Sylvia Inglewood page 53
BEARD's Furniture New Plymouth page 17
BELL Francis Dillon Bell Block page 32
BRONS L Tailor High St, Eltham page 66
BYRN, STEVENS & Co Motor Mechanic & Engineer New Plymouth page 20
CAMPBELL Family Ihaia Rd, Opunake
CARRINGTON Frederic & Octavius page 8
CHEQUERS Tea Rooms New Plymouth page 13
Clarendon Hotel, Waverley page 84
Club Hotel Waitara page 34
CLOUGH Bert Inglewood Page 53
CLOUGH's Menswear & Drapery Inglewood page 53
Commercial Hotel, Stratford page 58
County Hotel, Stratford page 59
DENBIGH Road School via Midhirst page 51
DIXON Mr Hawera page 80
Dominion Hotel, Kaponga page 72
DUDLEY Mr Butcher Opunake page 44
"Egmont Post" newspaper, Stratford page 60
EATON Hilda Hawera page 80
EUSTACE Miss Rahotu page 41
EWEN New Plymouth pages 15 & 16
FAWCETT & HENDERSON Grocers Inglewood page 52
FORD Misses Hawera page 69
FRANK Ernie, Eva, Huiakama, page 9
FREWIN J Boot Importer Inglewood page 52
GRANT & Co Hawera page 76
GRANT George & Jane Kakaramea page 85
GRANVILLE V Bell Block page 32
HARROP's Clothiers Hawera page 81
HENDERSON & Fawcett grocers Inglewood page 52
HOPKINS Land Agent New Plymouth page 13
HUGHSON Thomas Pole Rahotu page 41
HUGHSON Geofrey Rahotu page 41
Huiakama School swimming pool via Stratford page 62
Huiroa school swimming pool via Stratford page 61
JACKSON's tank cleaning company page 47
JUDSON J Blacksmith Opunake page 44
KAKARAMEA Hotel Sth Taranaki page 85
KING A E Kaponga page 70/71
KING H C Albion Douglas Saddle via Stratford page 64
Kiore School, via Stratford pages 61 & 62
LARMAR Mary Inglewood page 53
LEPPER Maxwell Lepperton page 33
LIDDINGTON T G Art China & Crystal, Hawera page 80
Manaia Hotel, Manaia page 75
Masonic Hotel Waitara page 35
MASTERS E L & Co Toko, via Stratford page 63
McCORMICK & Co Funeral Directors, Hawera page 76
MERRION T Lepperton page 33
MOSS Pearl,Henry,Owen,Elizabeth, Keith Tataraimaka page 40
NGAIRE/NGAERE Gardens Stratford/Eltham page 65
NOLAN L A & Co, Auctioneers New Plymouth page15
Okau school North Taranaki page 37
Presbyterian Manse (1st) Stratford page 58
REESBY Bros, Butcher Westown, New Plymouth page 21
ROBERTSON Mrs Rahotu page 41
ROCHE Newton Inglewood page 53
ROGAN John page 8
SALTER T B car for hire, New Plymouth page 20
SARGOOD & EWEN New Plymouth pages 15 & 16
SHEPHERD's Tea Rooms New Plymouth page 15
SPENCE W Kaponga page 72
STEVENS, BYRN & Co Motor Mechanic New Plymouth page 20
Trocadero Hotel, Stratford page 58
SUTHERLAND Nip,saddler Inglewood page 54
Tarata Dairy Co via Inglewood page 54
TARRY James Inglewood page 54
Toko via Stratford page 63
TRIMBLE Robert Inglewood page 51
VINNICOMBE Mr piano tuner, Hawera page 80
WESTFIELD House, Eltham page 69
WESTWOOD G H Chemist Hawera page 81
WILKINSON C A General merchant Eltham page 67
ZINSLI Thos, Saddler Inglewood page 64

A century's worth of life well-lived

A Hawera centenarian celebrated her birthday in style last week. Margaret McNeil-Adams spent two days toasting her 100th birthday with family and friends. Born Margaret Isobel Morrison in Stratford on May 10, 1913, she spent most of her life in south and central Taranaki. The eldest of seven children born to Joe and Jean Morrison, Mrs McNeil-Adams dreamt of becoming a teacher. Training at the Auckland Teachers' Training College before the war, she returned to Taranaki to teach at many country schools including Auroa, Manaia and Otakeho. "During the Depression in the 1930s Margaret spent some time at Matemateaonga, east of Eltham, acting as a governess to two children," her sister Betty Morrison said. It was there that Mrs McNeil-Adams met her late husband Murray. Ms Morrison described her sister as a keen hockey player with plenty of energy. The couple had three daughters, Jennifer, Marion and Allison. The couple's youngest daughter, Allison, died in a Burmese plane crash in 1978. Allison and her husband Hugh Taylor were on a teaching sabbatical travelling the world. "What Murray and Margaret did was establish a lodge, Pokaka, near Tongariro," said Bill Morrison, her brother. "It's a place that secondary students can go and do skiing in the winter time." The legacy helped the family get through an otherwise traumatic and devastating experience, he said. She has seen four generations of her family and is a grandmother to five children and great-grandmother to seven. "Her granddaughter, Katherine, with her two small boys, have come over from Perth for the occasion," Ms Morrison said. Mrs McNeil-Adams is now a resident of Annie Brydon Rest Home but lived alone until well into her 90s. - © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR Last updated 10:40 16/05/2013