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       These reunions are held to celebrate some of our Ancestors travelling to New Zealand over 160 years ago.

In March 2013 the 3rd reunion took place pretty much as expected in both the North and South Islands - See the links above for the planned activities and locations.

Many photos from the 3 days have been posted as follows:

We would be most gratefull for all corrections to captions - please send to bsaxon@pcug.org.au
Also Betty has been asked to post a record of the reunions including pictures by others. So if you have some good ones - Betty would be happy to post them with hers on the various days. So send them to her if you could {:-))

I have removed the Sign up and Bring/Send pages but left the for sale form - there are still some items left - so first in best dressed.

Lanktree Davis wrote an excellent report repeated below - many thanks Lanktree! Please bear in mind that his report was to the Knyvett mailing list - so is fairly Knyvett oriented. There were quite a few Saxon & Horneman items as well
 

The Knyvett -- Saxon -- Horneman Reunion was held on Saturday 2nd and
Sunday the 3rd march 2013 at Tatuanui, near Morrinsville

Saturday

Tatuanui is at a cross road with a school, dairy factory (you will see
some Tauta products in your supermarket), engineering works, PGG shop
and hall,The bustle of city and town was left well behind.The hall was
excellent.We started with registration and morning tea, looking at some
of the extensive wall charts and printouts and photos.We mixed and
mingled with many new faces.

We had families from Australia, France, England and Canada

Then photos were taken in total and family groups.There was also a
cutting of three family cakes decorated with family crests.

BarryWilliams launched his book, "*Knyvett Pioneers*".This is 185 pages of
careful research of our family history, photos, maps and paintings, and
includes Lanktree's "family tree" to which so many of you
contributed.The books are available from Lola McCormack, 10 Rangiura
Pl.,Putaruru3411, emaillolandtony@xtra.co.nz.They are $50 each plus
$3.30 postage within NZ.Or less detailed and of all three families is
"*Our Story*".This is out of print but if enough people ask, Lola could
get a reprints done. It would be $15 + $3.50 postage in NZ.


We were then treated to some Knyvett music on the piano. I have a copy
of the manuscript if you are interested.

Lunch followed.We were a bit anxious about the food so far from
civilisation, but the caterer did us proud and with a cheery smile.

After lunch we were free to further study the many displays and photos
and documents.The display included many relics from the early days and
even Keith Elliott's VC under lock and key.

There was then a reading from a passenger on "Slains Castle" on which
the Horneman family were fellow passengers.They endured much hardship
and were very lucky to avoid shipwreck in a storm.

John Knyvett from Perth introduced his concept of a Knyvett Website
which he plans to set up and will invite contributions from all. The
website will be at http://www.knyvett.com.au/ when John gets it organised.

Then John Saxon, the Saxon genealogist and more, spoke of a DVD he has
produced about the Saxons, plus family tree and possible websites.

After (an excellent) afternoon tea we were offered tennis but I did not
see any takers.

There was an outstanding sit down evening meal at 6 pm and then the
hardy souls stayed on for music and dancing but we left as we were
fairly exhausted and retired to our motel.

Sunday.

First there was a tour of cemeteries in Morrinsville for Saxon and
Horneman graves.

Followed by morning tea at the Tatuanui Hall.

Anne Powells then conducted a Commemoration service which was
appropriate and rather moving.

After lunch, Pippa and some friends went for a visit to Hobbiton which
they all enjoyed in spite of the heat.The Waikato was in drought and
shortly after we left, Morrinsville went onto water restrictions.

On Monday we motored smartly (not ignored by a speed camera) south to be
in Nelson for the two day tour.


Wednesday 5th March

We assembled to organise into two small buses and a few private
cars.Alison Sleath had compiled an A4 booklet to outline our tour.She
included several interesting maps, plans and pictures as well as much
well documented research.We toured several points of interest in Nelson
city.The cemetery of Wakapuaka, a most beautiful site was the first of
many cemeteries and graves to be visited in the next two days.On to the
riverside bridge and a musical site and then charming South Street where
Edmund K taught music at number 5.The house remains much renovated.We by
passed the early settlers memorial tablets on Wakefield Quay, though
next time you are in Nelson we recommend a look.

Then off to Marsden valley, Brightwater, 88 Valley, Wantwood, to lunch
at Kohatu.There we met up with Ed Stevens who took us on a guided tour
down the valley to near Motueka.This was a complex tour and involved all
three families.

At Motueka we were in a very posh motel

Thursday 6th March

Touring on through Motueka where the Knyvetts had a house, The Gables,
at 115 Thorp St, still standing.We toured on over the Takaka hill to
Takaka where we had lunch and visited more cemeteries, none of them
Knyvetts,

Back to Nelson where the bus tour finished and we headed home to
Christchurch.

Pippa & Lanktree
 

John Saxon 17 April 2013