PIONEERS’ FAMILY MARK ANNIVERSARY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30575, 19 October 1964, Page 2

PIONEERS’ FAMILY MARK ANNIVERSARY

Nearly 300 descendants of the late Andrew and Mary Dawson, who settled in the Waterton district, near Longbeach, celebrated the 124th anniversary of the couple’s arrival in the district with a variety of functions at the Ashburton racecourse and at Waterton during the week-end. The reunion began on Saturday with a roll-call and photographs at the racecourse, and afternoon tea. In the evening a children’s banquet and adults* banquet were held, followed by a dance and socal function. Sixty children attended the children’s ban-

quet, and 230 descendants attended the adults’ banquet. The celebrations concluded yesterday with a service in the

if Waterton Church followed by y visits to the cemetery, where e Andrew Dawson and his wife j- are buried, and an afternoon h tea function at Waterton. s Descendants of the pioneera ing couple came to Ashbure ton from all parts of New Zeat land. 1. Andrew and Mary Dawson t- sailed from England to New d Zealand on the ship, Port- >, land, in 1840. The couple e farmed in the Waterton disit trict for many years, and were [, well known among the local >- wheat growers as in later n years they operated a mill and i- steam engine.

They threshed wheat by contract in addition to farming their own property of 800 acres. The mill was afterwards operated by a son-in-law, James Patterson.