Chapter 3 - Robert

Robert (Bob) Pihere Beazley 

Robert was born on the gum fields of Waipu, Northland. Times were hard and he grew up learning the value of a hard day's work as a means to make a living and to survive. He often reminded us as children, "No mahi, no kai, no tutai, ko mate".

When he was three, the then small family moved from Waipu to Pakotai and lived in a small house across the Mangakahia River. Grandpa worked with a road-building gang and kept a small herd of milking cows.

As the family grew, each was required to work alongside Grandma, tending the garden and milking the cows by hand. The milk was separated to cream and sold.

On the 1st of March and at the age of nine, Dad began school at Pakotal. Those were enjoyable days for him, but as it was for many other children in the district, he was often absent as he was also needed at home. His first teacher was Mrs M.N. Morgan. The modest, one room building had a movable partition so it could be divided in two. Students all shared the same background and the majority were Maori. Children were not permitted to speak Maori at school and were caned if they were caught doing so. Because there were no pencils, slates were used; these were small blackboard type apparatus.

Clothing was simple and most often, home-made. Flour bags cost nothing and were popular. Grandma was a good seamstress. As shoes were hard to come by, feet were toughened by the long walks to school over mud tracks. There were times when Grandpa would give them a ride on his horse-drawn buggy.

Due to Grandpa gaining work in Hokianga, the family moved to Ngawha where Dad attended school. They moved homeward and he attended school in Awarua. He returned to complete the remainder of his education at Pakotai. He left school in 1926 at the age of 13 and in standard four, to begin work.

The construction of the swing-bridge spanning the Mangakahia River at Tarai Station also began that year, and this was to be the beginning of his working career. Both Dad and Uncle Norman worked with Grandpa on the bridge. Fifty one years later. on 16th of February 1987, he had the honour of driving the final nail during the completion ceremony of the new bridge

built by the army forces based in Whangarei.

In 1928 the "Old Home" was built on the same spot it stands today. The Kauri house, built by Grandpa with the help of Dad and Uncle Norman, was to be the Beazley home for the rest of their growing lives. Grandma still tended her gardens and established an orchard - there were apples, plums, peaches, lemons, grapes and strawberries.

Dad left home and went to work, milking cows for his Uncle Hone Nathan. Uncle Hone married Grandpa's sister, Sarah. It was there in Dargaville that he met Mum, Matekino Nathan. On the 21st of July 1934 they were married in the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Dargaville; Dad was 20 and Mum was 18.

Life was not all work for Dad and he played football for teams in Dargaville, Mangakahia, and Whangarei. He played half-back.

Alfie spent his pre-school years living with Mum and Dad in Dargaville and also with Grandma in Pakotai. Two other children were adopted in following years, Betty and Phillip. Both babies came to Mum and Dad from the Social Welfare and they were both happy to make them their own. For this reason, we have all loved Mum and Dad because we always knew we were wanted children.Dad gave us all the best life he could provide and often went without to make sure we all had a good education.