Personal History

I was born in Balclutha, South Otago, which is close to where my family was farming sheep and wheat just south of Clydevale on the banks of the Clutha River.

I became engaged on 7 September 2002 and married my English wife, Wendy, on 21 December 2002. We lived in Whitby, near Wellington, until we moved to Onerahi, Whangarei in 2017. Our current home is in Ngararatunua.

Schools

• Clutha Valley (Clydevale)

• Cathedral Grammar (Christchurch)

• South Otago High School (Balclutha)(1972-73)

• Whangarei Boys High School (Whangarei)(1974-76)

University

• University of Otago (1977-1980)

I did an honours degree (BA (Hons) First Class) in History and Political Studies (my dissertation was on "The Aristocratic Revolution in Tonga, 1799-1810" and my supervisor was Associate Professor Gordon Parsonson). This included first-year Philosophy and the Legal System.

Employment

I worked for the New Zealand Government in Wellington between 1981 and 2017, first with the Ministry of Transport, in the Air Services Policy Branch and the Public Affairs Branch, then with the Treasury, in the Communications Directorate. After seven years away, in 1996 I moved back to the Ministry of Transport to a position in the Aviation & Security Team, then in the Technology & Transport Systems Team of the Aviation and Maritime Group, before briefly working in the new Resilience & Security Team. I retired in 2017.

Ancestry 

My great grandfather was William John Macilree, a chemist/dentist who married Charlotte McQuinton and migrated to Christchurch.

My grandfather James Macilree (died 11 November 1938 aged 46) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was an engineer and served in the New Zealand Field Artillery during the First World War. He married my grandmother Mary Gwendolen Mosley (11 April 1894-14 October 1979 aged 85) in Wellington on 8 December 1921. 

Her father was Joseph Mosley who farmed in South Otago and played an active part in local body politics, at one point serving as the Chairman of the Bruce County Council (died 14 August 1941 aged 78). 

His father was William Alfred Mosley (July 1817-23 October 1889 aged 72) who arrived in Otago in 1848 on the John Wickliffe. He farmed on Inch Clutha. He was also active in local politics and served a term on the Otago Provincial Council.

My maternal grandfather was Edgar Thomson Shand (28 February 1891-15 January 1938 aged 47). He was an farmer who owned Maritanga Station near Kokonga in Central Otago. He briefly served in the Royal Flying Corps (17 Squadron) until shot down during the First World War. 

His parents were David Thomson Shand (died 23 October 1926 aged 66) and Mary (nee Johnstone) Shand and his grandfather was William Shand (died 5 September 1870 aged 71) who arrived in Otago in 1857 on the George Canning and was at one point a member of the Dunedin Town Board. 

My maternal grandmother was Margaret Rattray Douglas (5 April 1897-25 November 1978 aged 81), daughter of John Fleming Douglas (died 20 May 1909 aged 43) and Marian Rankin. At one point he served as Chairman of the Waimate County Council before migrating to Australia in 1907 where he owned Booloocooroo Station near Curlewis, New South Wales.

His father John Douglas (1829-1903 aged 74) owned very large estates at Mount Royal, near Palmerston, and Waihao Downs, near Waimate.

My father James Joseph Macilree (28 June 1923-19 September 1998 aged 75) served as a pilot in the RNZAF during the Second World War flying Hudson bombers (4 Squadron) and Catalina flying boats (6 Squadron). He farmed Riverslea near Clydevale in South Otago before moving to Whangarei where he died.

My mother Margaret Patricia Macilree (13 March 1925-18 January 2016 aged 90) was born at Maritanga Station, Kokonga in Central Otago and died at Whangarei.

Genealogy 

I have used FamilySearch to trace and record all my ancestors in New Zealand and have found many references to them using Papers Past. Other useful New Zealand sources include:

• NZ Ancestor Search Helper 

• The Wilson Collection 

Overseas sources include:

• ScotlandsPeople 

• GRONI - Northern Ireland 

• Irish Genealogy 

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Last updated on 10 August 2023