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NAME:
Maraea Priestley
BORN:
7th Dec 1915
MARRIED:
John Edward (Ted) Ward
29th Jan 1939
DIED:
2nd Aug 2001
This chapter is dedicated to Marie, the 1oth child and the youngest daughter of William and Kate Priestley. It has been written through the memories of various family members, with the majority of which, are those of her son Michael.
When putting her life in review, a sense of commitment, dedication, loyalty are a common theme throughout. It would be fair to say then, that she was a typical well bred Priestley wahine. That in itself, is a high honour indeed.
Any corrections, additional information, pictures or stories relevant to this chapter can be submitted via the contacts in the footer section of this page. Accreditation is given, where applicable. Many thanks to all those who have contributed.
Maraea (Marie) Priestley
Maraea (Marie) Priestley
The Early Years
Maraea Priestley was born at 47 Cochrane Street Gisborne on Tuesday 7 December 1915. An early Christmas present for an already large family, and no doubt a wonderful distraction for them during their worrying wait for their oldest son and brother Wi Kepa to return home from World War One.
It is unclear where the name Maraea originated, but her father had a sister named Lydia Maria who died as an infant, so Maraea may have been a translative of Maria. And although she was refereed to as Maraea and Maria at times, she was more commonly known as Marie.As with many of the Priestley children, not a lot is known about Marie's childhood. Her generation probably thought it unimportant to pass this information on to their next generation. It was however observed by her children that she enjoyed talking about her childhood memories with her siblings whenever they got together. Unfortunately this was always out of earshot of her children, but from this, we could at least assume that it was a happy time in Marie's life.
The facts we do know are that she was brought up in a large extended, close and tight-knit family. And although the Priestley family had limited means of income and resources, they were a very generous and well respected family. Growing up in this environment made her a resourceful and a warm hearted person, which were traits of her father William. It also gave her the tools to later in life, become a wonderful wife and mother. The influence of her mother Kate Campbell no doubt played a large part in this.
What did set Marie apart from many of her siblings was her uniquely colourful and bubbly personality which was also reflected with her sense of style. This may have had something due to her being the youngest daughter.
Outside of the family unit, Marie attended Te Hapara School with the rest of her siblings and also, like her siblings she excelled in her educational pursuits. She then went onto Gisborne High School before taking up tertiary studies to become a school teacher.
Adulthood and Marriage
Marie was still staying at home at Cochrane Street when she started her teaching in Gisborne.
It was around this time that she met her future husband John Edward (Ted) Ward . Ted was the son of Jack and Ellen Ward of Gisborne. Jack was the founder of Ward’s Transport in Gisborne. Ted drove for his Dad, and then for Jack Musgrave when the company ownership changed hands.
Miss Marie Priestley then became Mrs Marie Ward when she and Ted married on Sunday January 29 1939. As with all Priestley family weddings, it was an occasion not to be missed. Bill Paku who was 7 at the time recalls his Aunt Marie and Uncle Ted’s wedding day as having lots of “flashy dressed people and good things to eat.” Although a tinge of sadness on her wedding day would have been that her father didn't walk her down the aisle and sister Rangi wasn't present as they had both passed away some years earlier.
Marie aged 4
Ted would take on other jobs during this time which kept him away from home for long periods which left Marie having to look after the children by herself. The motherly skills learnt at a young age from her Mum Kate were obvious. She ensured her young son's needs were always catered for and that the household ran smoothly and was ship-shape when Ted arrived home.
Sadly when mother Kate passed away in 1945, the physical motherly-daughter presence was lost but her mother's influence was to remain and guide Marie throughout her life.
1945 was also a time of jubilation as it marked the end of WWII and her brothers Pat and William's safe return from overseas combat. Marie stayed in contact with her Priestley brothers and sisters throughout her life and they would visit each other when they could. These were always happy occasions for her.
Around the late 1940s the State Advances Corporation began building State Houses in Waverley to help people into their own homes. Marie and Ted were given the opportunity to choose the first state house in Waverley to live in. Why they were given this, may have been due to their standing in the community at the time.
They duly nominated a house of their choice and a section at 37 Smith St, It was closer to town which meant shopping was easier to get done. Once they moved in to their new house, Ted immediately got the veggie garden going and some fruit trees planted. This gave Marie more ingredients for her baking and she also was kept busy preserving the fruit.
Another favourite activity of theirs was white baiting on the local rivers. Marie's whitebait recipes and her son's appetites ensured that there was never any need to preserve the whitebait.
Marie Place Map
Marie Place Map
Ted and Marie's Wedding
The newly weds were stationed at Hicks Bay on the East Cape shortly after their marriage. Ted had the daily freight run from the Cape to Gisborne, collecting freight from around the area and delivering it to Gisborne. After unloading the freight in Gisborne, he would loaded up with more freight for the return journey back home.
More often than not, Ted was also asked to drive to other parts of the country which kept him away from home for days at a time. This left Marie, a young bride, in the unenviable situation of being alone in the isolated settlement.
Bill Paku remembers visiting his Aunt Marie at Hicks Bay during school holidays. It was an peaceful spot right by the sea. They would take sandwiches and a fishing line and enjoy themselves all day while waiting for Uncle Ted to come home.
Ted and Marie had a small Hillman car at the time and they also occasionally visited Bill and his Mum Kitty in Wairoa. The photo on record with of Bill in a bathtub holding an umbrella and Aunt Marie using the watering can was taken on one of those occasions.
Family Life
Not far into their marriage, Marie and Ted's eldest son William John Patterson (Pat) was born in Gisborne on Saturday 30 November 1940.
Just after Pat's birth, Ted received compulsory army training which involved the family relocating to Featherston in the Wairarapa. Ted then departed New Zealand to serve overseas in the Middle East. However, on the way over, he picked up an infection in his eye and by the time he arrived in Egypt he was too ill to continue on and was returned back home on the hospital ship Oranji. He was later diagnosed with reoccurring Iritis which excluded him from partaking in any future active duty.
Ted was back in New Zealand and the family were in Wanganui when their second son Michael Edward Campbell Ward was born on Sunday 28 June 1942 to complete their family. So within the first three hectic years of marriage Marie and Ted were parents to two very gorgeous and energetic little boys.
Soon after Michael’s birth the Ward family moved to Waverley. There, Ted first worked in the local cheese factory and the family lived in a factory house nearby .
These were the WWII years and like many families at this time the priority was always about trying to keep the family happy and moving forward. Ted supported the family financially and Marie was a stay at home Mum supporting her young family with her fabulous cooking and home-making skills.
They did not have a vehicle at the time and with no public transport, getting the groceries with two toddlers in tow was always quite a mission for Marie. The house was about 2 Miles from the main township and there was a steep hill to contend with. There was also no weekend shopping, limited hours and limited stock in those days, but in saying that, it was the same for everybody.
Sons Michael & Pat Ward
Once Pat and Michael started attending school, Marie made many of the boys clothes and school uniforms. This included flour-bag lining in their winter school shorts for sports days. And even though they got quite a bit of ribbing from their mates for this, the clothes were that well made, many of the boys school clothes would become hand-me-downs around the neighbourhood. Marie gained quite a reputation as an accomplished seamstress and was kept quite busy with garment making requests.
With the children at school, they decided to build a dairy/grocery shop opposite the District High School. It became known as Ward’s Corner Store. Marie made home-made pies for school lunches but they became so popular the pie making became almost a full-time job. Workers would also buy them for their lunches, families would buy them with a milkshake after their Saturday sports, they would fill people's hunger after the Saturday night dances and they were very popular on a Sunday morning when the Dad's picked up their weekend sports papers.
The Ward family also took over the Waverley milk run. It was an early morning delivery finished by about 8.00am with sons Pat and Michael helping out. The milk run worked in well with the shop hours at that time.
After many years of this hard work and after the boys had left school, Marie and Ted decided on a change of career and both ended up working at The Farmers Co-operative Society store. Marie was in the grocery department and Ted in the produce department. The Farmers was a Taranaki Stock and Station farming store and they worked there for a number of years.
The Latter Years
Marie and Ted shifted to Wellsford for period of time towards the end of their working career with Ted working for Wright Stephenson's and Marie worked in the local 4 square supermarket. It was their intention to look after Ted’s mother during this time but this did not come to fruition as family decided on other arrangements for her. This gave them more time to themselves in Wellsford and so surf cast fishing became a favourite pastime of theirs. From Wellsford they returned back to Waverley for semi-retirement. Ted was offered a job in the Parts Department at Waipipi Iron sands. Marie went back to the Farmers store part time. They enjoyed spending much of their spare time fishing. When they decided to fully retire, they shifted to Wanganui. Life was good for them during this time and they both thoroughly enjoyed their retirement. They kept themselves busy with repairs and renovations on their property. Ted started a new hobby during retirement of making latch hook rugs and wall hangings. His talent at designing and skill at making a quality product was obvious immediately. He made many of these during his retirement which were much appreciated and it gave him much pleasure.
Marie through her retirement and as she had for all her married life continued be the supportive wife and home-maker.
Both Marie and Ted were cremated and through their instruction, their son Michael sprinkled some of their ashes at their various family places of residence and significance. Their remaining ashes were interred in the Priestley family plot at Te Arai Urupa in Manutuke and memorials were erected there for all of Marie's family that had passed away.
They are remembered with love and fondness. May they rest in peace.
Marie Timeline
Marie Timeline
> 1915 - Born: 7 Dec 1915
> 1918 - Brother born Charles (Charlie) Priestley b. 28 Aug 1918 (3 years)
1918: The Influenza Epidemic of 1918. Refer also to New Zealand History online
1918: End of World War I.
1927: World population reaches 2 billion.
1931: Napier earthquake.
> 1933 - Sister died Rangi Priestley d. 9 Mar 1933 (18 years)
> 1936 - Father died William Augustine Priestley d. 19 Dec 1937 (21 years)
> 1939 - Married John Edward (Ted) Ward m. 29 Jan 1939 (23 years)
1939: Start of WWII. Germany invades Poland.
> 1940 - Child born William John Patterson (Pat) Ward b. 30 Nov 1940 (24 years)
> 1942 - Child born Michael Edward Campbell Ward b. 28 Jun 1942 (26 years)
> 1945 - Mother died Kate (Rangikahiwa) Campbell d. 24 Mar 1945 (29 years)
1945: End of World War II. V.E. Day.
1950: Korean War. (1950-1953)
1952: New Zealand's population reaches over two million.
1952: Reign of Queen Elizabeth II
1953: Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay conquer Mt Everest
1953: Tangiwai rail disaster
> 1959 - Brother died Chris (Karaitiana) Carrington d. 14 Nov 1959 (43 years)
1959: Auckland Harbour Bridge opens
1960: World population reaches 3 billion.
> 1963 - Brother died Harry Jones Priestley d. 16 Dec 1963 (47 years)
1965: Vietnam War. (1965-1975)
1968: Wahine inter-island ferry disaster.
> 1969 - Brother died Wi Kepa Priestley d. 14 Jun 1969 (53 years)
1969: Man walks on the moon. Apollo 11 mission.
> 1973 - Brother died James Patterson (Pat) Priestley d. 18 Nov 1973 (57 years)
1973: New Zealand's population reaches three million
> 1974 - Sister died Katherine (Kitty) Priestley d. 13 Aug 1974 (58 years)
1974: World population reaches 4 billion
> 1977 - Brother died William Augustine Priestley d. 18 Aug 1977 (61 years)
1977: Home Computers become commercially available
1979: Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashes on Mount Erebus, Antarctica, 257 people die.
> 1980 - Sister died Pani Priestley d. 12 Feb 1980 (64 years)
> 1982 - Sister died Sarah Harriet (Sally) Priestley d. 16 Jan 1982 (66 years)
1982: First köhanga reo established
> 1986 - Sister died Amelia (Dine) Priestley d. 23 Jun 1986 (70 years)
> 1987 - Brother died Charles (Charlie) Priestley d. 8 Sep 1987 (71 years)
> 1987 - Child died William John Patterson (Pat) Ward d. 11 Nov 1987 (71 years)
1987: World population reaches 5 billion
> 1995 - Husband died John Edward (Ted) Ward d. 10 May 1995 (79 years)
1999: World population reaches 6 billion.
> 2001 - Died: 2 Aug 2001 (85 years)
Marie Media
Marie Media
When Marie's last surviving sibling Charlie died in 1987, she became the last survivor of her Priestley generation.
Unfortunately, there was to be more sadness during their retirement when their son Pat died later in 1987 aged 46 and also their grandson Michael (Pat's son) in 1989 aged 21. There is no rhyme or reason why these things happen to the most undeserving of families. Marie and Ted stayed strong for the sake of their family.
Ted passed away in Wanganui on 10 May 1995 aged 77 years with many friends and family attending his funeral.
Marie later shifted to Rotorua for a short time before son Michael moved her to live with him in Otorohanga in 1998. Marie’s health started failing from late 1999. She passed away on the 8 August 2001 aged 85. This for us, signified the end of her Priestley generation.
Marie, moko Michael (jnr), son Michael (snr) and moko Debbie
(Click on enlarge icon below to view in full screen)
Marie Whakapapa
Marie Whakapapa
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