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MAVIS BROWN's story

This account has been adapted from "Browns of Kyeburn Peninsula" by Wally Brown - to whom many thanks



Mavis was born at Awatuna, which is between Opunake and Kaponga in South Taranake. The family moved to their own farm on the Manai Road, just below the bushline of Mt Egmont when she was 15 months old. They were dairy farmers and Mavis remembers walking to meet her Dad on his way home from delivering milk to the factory, enjoying the short ride back home. Wally writes "I can almost hear the milk cans clanking on the horse drawn dray" Unfortunately it was soon to end because her father died when she was just seven. Mavis remembered her mother as a very busy person who loved sewing and gardening - and especially the lovely clothes she made for her.

Jim was a builder but he served for two years in WW2 with the 13th reinforcement as a despatch rider, taking messages to the front line by jeep, although most used motor cycles. Mavis worked for two years at the ammunition factory in Petone. Jim changed from building houses to selling them; he was keen on fishing and shooting, but Mavis said he was a dab hand at the dishes! She enjoyed flower arranging, gardening, sewing and knitting and was a dab hand at oil painting most of which were sold.

They had four sons - the first two at New Plymouth and the other two at Opunake before they moved to 61 Victoria Street, Whakatane.

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