Aunt And Nephew With Same Object

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30038, 24 January 1963, Page 14

Aunt And Nephew With Same Object

(N.Z. Preu Association) NELSON. January 23. Twa Australian descendants of a Nelson pioneer family met for the first time yesterday. They visited Nelson within a few days of each other for the same purpose—to trace the family history. They are Miss Gertrude Monel Hooper, of Perth and her nephew, Keith Horton Hooper, of Sydney Although Mr Hooper is 42. Miss Hooper did not know he existed until he introduced himself in the Government Tourist Bureau in Wellington, yesterday Miss Hooper is the daugh ter of the late James Richard Hooper, of Brisbane, who was bom in Nelson. Mr Hooper, a journalist on the "Siydney Morning Herald.” arrived in New Zealand on Sunday on holiday and intended visiting the Registrar-gea-eral's department in Wellington on Monday to search the records for traces of his family. When be found that Monday was the Anniversary Day holiday in Wellington he decided to go to Nelson tor the day. During his inquiries Mr Hooper was told that a Miss Hooper from Perth had been asking similar questions last Thursday. Mr Hooper knew he had an Aunt Gertrude but be bad

not met her and had no idea she lived in Perth. Mr Hooper traced Miss Hooper to Wellington. At 7 a.m. yesterday he went to the Wellington-Auckland landliner office and found that Miss Hooper had reserved a seat on a bus leaving for Auckland but had cancelled it. Continuing his search he went to the Government Tourist Bureau and was there when she walked in. The news of their relationship was a tremendous surprise for Miss Hooper because she was unaware that Mr Hooper’s father, her eldest brother, had married.

Her family had lost trace of hi m in 1911. The new-found aunt and nephew spent most of yesterday together looking up family records in the Turnbull Library. Miss Hooper will visit her nephew at his home in Sydney next month. Mr Hooper’s mother’s parents also were New Zealanders. Yesterday he traced them back to Major-General W iliiam Delves Broughton who fought in the Maori Ware in the 1860’s while stationed at Auckland.