Chapter 7 - Samuel

Samuel (Sam) Beazley

Sam was born at Omanaia on 21 September 1922, the eleventh child of Alfred and Ani Beazley. He was baptised Haami Pihere on 4 November 1923.

He went to school at the age of six, Joe at seven and Fred at about eight, and one particular year the three of them were in the same class. He remembers being one of the lucky ones in the family at school, as he had a pakeha mate who took him home each day for lunch. The boy's mother would send him back for Sam if he went home without him. He loved these lunches and it was there he learnt to enjoy barley soup which was especially good during winter. He also remembers their diet of dry bread and rotten corn. The smell of it was so bad the teacher complained so they ended up only able to eat it Friday nights and weekends. School days hold fond memories as he held three school records - long jump, hop skip and jump and the high jump - records he held for a number of years.

There was no such thing as Saturday off at home. One of the jobs for Sam and Joe was pulling out the T-tree with bare hands. Got a few blisters out of that job. Look out if they were caught playing around, they would get wacked by their father with the last bundle they had done up. They had their normal chore of milking the cows across the river but they soon learned that when there was only a few cows to milk they would make sure to take their time so that when they got home it was nearly dark, then they would not have to go pulling out the T-tree as well. They also learned to kill for the family meat - cows, pigs etc.

One time Joe and Sam pinched their father's horse to go to Dargaville for toheroas, leaving early in the morning and arriving back that night. the first time they did this they got a hiding but the second time it wasn't so bad especially when their father saw the toheroas they had brought back.

Sam also remembers Norman's horse, Rabbit. If Norman didn't want you on his horse he would call out to the horse to buck you off, which it did.

Somewhere along the line he had a pushbike, and he reckons the girls used to get jealous because he carried the dog on the back of the bike and the girls wished they were there instead.

At the age of fifteen he landed a job at Kirikopuni and when his father heard about this he took him to Whangarei to get shoes (his first pair), dungarees (the first 'real' pants he ever had), socks and a shirt, but no undies. All this was because he was going to a pakeha's house.

After about a year at Kirikopuni it was back home to Mangakahia for a short time before going to Ruakaka for a year (a lonely time that was), then back again to Mangakahia for another short spell.

While he was working he bought clothes and at that time George and Bill didn't have a job. Whenever they had somewhere to go the beggars would race home to pinch his clothes, so it was first home best dressed. These two thought about other things rather than buying their own clothes.

Sam paid £4 for his first Brownie camera. He had tried to get one by buying up blues to collect the pictures, twelve dozen to the box. First of all he would eat the blues himself until he got sick of them, so then he would take them home for the others. Susan loved that. The picture cards were all he really wanted as you could win prizes - won a portable grammaphone one time. Must have taken a lot of blues.

He spent around four years in Dargaville and remembers getting kicked out of - the pub when he was two months short of twenty-one, then again after he wasof age - can't argue with the Police in those days. 

The next spell was around four years working for Tom O'Shea at Maungakaramea on a farm before going on to work at Limeanite in Okaihau for about six years. During that time he met Makarita Harris (better known to most as Pat). They were married at the Motukaraka Catholic Church, Hokianga, in a double wedding with her brother, Joe, on 20 April 1949.

Not long after their marriage, the two couples vowed, the first born child of both unions was to be named after the Uncle or Aunty, if Joe had a son it was to be called Sam , if Sam had a son it was to be called Joe. If Ihapera had a girl, it was to be called Makarita and if Makarita had a girl, it was to be called Isobel. This did not happen, Joe and his wife were the first to produce children, their first son was born and they named him Richard Samuel, so when Sam and Makarita had their first child, they named her Susan Isobel.

In 1951 Sam and Pat adopted Marion, and Alfred, a few months old then, in 1954. It was then back to sharemilk at Maungakaramea for Tom O'Shea again for seven years.

Those were the party days - Titoki Bridge, the small bridge near Jack's Road and there was also another one - party bridges, also at Bob's and Norman's etc. His pride and joy, the Ford 10, at one time was used to cart 4x5 gal kegs, 6 doz beer, 6 bottles spirits back to Mangakahia; the car was so overloaded, but made it. Another time, for a bet, Bob and Norman, Fred and George, Sam and Bill, were partnered off. On this drinking spree Sam and Bill won but what the others didn't know was that Sam had helped Bill drink his whisky. Fred's partner couldn't hack it! Fred reckons for wonder they are still around when you think about the number of times the cars ended up in ditches - just pull the car back out, see if it goes, then off.

Fred's first job, milking cows, paid 2/6. Didn't last long at that. The next one on a sheep farm paid 10/- a week, provide own dog, own horse, work seven days; plus keep. While in Ruawai he paid £90 for a sheep dog (Bob). An estate owner offered £400 for it. This dog ended up having its back leg chopped off by a horse drawn mower. When Fred left Ruawai he had 18 dogs, got to Kirikopuni with five and left there with none. Most of them died of old age. Had one called Nigger, another called Darkie and there was also one who rode on the motor bike with him.

In 1960 Sam and his family moved down to Auckland, staying at Grey Lynn for a few months then on to Kingsland for a couple of years. Sam started work at Southdown Freezing Works where he remained for over twenty years until they closed down. During that time they adopted Stephanie (1961) and had Susan (also in 1961). After a short time in Manurewa they finally moved to their own home in Otara (April 1962) where it remains the family home today.

In the following years, Mary, Roland, Darrin, Sarah and Jacqui were born, with the sad loss of Michael Anthony, stillborn, in August 1969.

In 1977 Sam and Pat ventured out of New Zealand for the first and only time, on a well deserved holiday in Melbourne. This was quite an event seeing as they had never been to even Wellington.

The year of 1983 saw great sadness for the family with the loss on 20 March of a much loved and treasured wife, mother and Nana. She is buried at Motukaraka, Hokianga.

Ironically; while growing up, our mother always celebrated her birthday on the 15th March, she said " when I was asked for my DOB, it was the first date that popped into her head" after a bit of digging, it was revealed that date was incorrect.

After many years of hard work he is now on the Government scheme of retirement, superannuation style. He can look back on a full and interesting life, the good and bad times, the sad and glad times. As of August 1988, the family consists of ten children (nine surviving), fifteen grandchildren (the loss of baby Makarita on 24 August 1987, daugter of Mary and Lemo Matai).

Two of Dads favourite sayings - "don't worry about it!" "regardless!". This is our DAD, a proud man!

It is now 2014, and like most families; ours has increased tenfold.

We have experienced a few more losses, Dad died May 5th 2000, he is at rest with Mum,. Joseph Beazley Junior; son of nephew; Joe and Sandy died April 2009 and sister Podge aka Sarah Beazley June 2011, all bured in Motukaraka.

No loss is without pain and grief, but I feel, it is extremely harder when you bury the babies and your younger siblings.

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Editorial Notes

• the words that are written came from Sam apart from those that are in italics, they are by daughter Susan

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