Photo approx 1965: Mick Robinson (son-in-law), Bluey Hill, Gerry Kemp, Gladys Hill and Ben Kemp
Gladys Eileen Abbott, also known as Eileen Gladys Abbott – born Hampden now Tikokino near Waipawa, North Island.
Nanna & Poppa Hill, and their old sawmill house at Te Kinga, were the glue that held a very large group of relatives and friends together.
By large, I can recall Nanna proudly saying one Christmas that there were 28 people (young and old) that had been fed at Christmas dinner. Those were fun times, with hordes of Kemp, Fairhall, Perrin and Robinson kids swarming everywhere.
- Roast lamb, fresh new potatoes from Poppa Hill’s garden with mint from the Crooked River bank, fresh peas, beans, carrots & parsnips and ladles of gravy…
- The obligatory Plum Duff (aka Dead Man’s Head) and lashings of custard and cream… Trifle with a hearty dash of sherry, and fruit salad…
Nanna Hill was a fantastic cook – not only hearty meals every day from the old black stove she polished religiously every week, but an array of cakes, slices and biscuits! Every Tuesday was “Baking Day” and it was our solemn duty as small boys to empty every cake tin of every crumb by the next Monday night!
Nana Hill was rarely seen around the house without her trusty apron. Read here about the delightful history of the apron. For many of you this will evoke nostalgic memories of Nana Hill and her daughter Mary Patricia Hill – Nan Kemp.
