My family: Martin and Abbott

My family moved to New Zealand, but most of them came from South Africa

Some info about South Africa: link.

Katherine Abbott

My Grandmother

Childhood and Family Life

My grandmother was born in County Cork, Southern Ireland in a pretty
little town called Fermoy on the banks of Black Water. She had one
younger brother and had a happy home life in a very religeous
environment. My grandmother's hobbies were hockey and swimming as
well as cooking and sewing which she still enjoys to do now. Her
mother was very strict and her father was a quiet person. Her
grandfather were in the british army, and he served in India, where
her mother (my great grandmother) was born.

Her earliest memory

One of her earliest memories was her grandmother taking her into town
when she was three years old. When walkingout of the store with the
china doll they had just been bought, it fell out of the pushchair and
shattered.

Young Adult Life

When my grandma finished school she moved to England (in a boat) at eighteen
and trained to become a nurse. While she was studying in England she met my
Grandfather (her future husband) who was also living in England at the time.
After two years in England she moved to South Africa with my grandfather who was
from SA and they got married. She then had two children that grew up in South Africa.

In the garden of their family home in South Africa

Living in New Zealand

My grandparents moved to New Zealand in September 1999.
They moved here because my parents had moved here two years
before. She says that life is a lot different now to how
it was when she was younger.

Clive Abbott

My Grandfather

Childhood and Family Life

My Grandfather was Born in Maritzberg, South Africa during the end of WW2.
He had an older sister and brother and lived in a fairly small three
bedroomed brick house. He grew up in the anglican church and his hobbies
were woodwork, bike riding and walking which he still enjoys today. His
mother was a popular and friendly lady who was a great cook who baked a
amazing bread. His father worked in the council. His grandmother was a
very short women under 5 foot that all of his cousins loved.

His earliest memory was his family covering the windows in black cloth so that
the war airplanes could not see the lights at night. He had a dog called Thunder
that used to hop on the bus by himself and everyone in the area knew the dog
because of it. My grandfather's family heritage traces back to England; his
ancestors were some of the early British settlers in South Africa.

My Grandparents in England

Living in New Zealand

It was an adventure moving to New Zealand and it was very different to
South Africa. When he arrived in 1999, Smales Farm was actually a farm
with sheep and cows. Auckland has expanded a lot and was smaller and
quieter place twenty years ago.

Young Adult Life

When he was 19, he travelled to England by ship and lived there for
several years. He worked at an ice cream factory as a taste tester
and has still has a love for ice cream. He met my grandmother in London
and he used to bring home ice cream samples for her to try.

Then he and and my grandma moved back to South Africa where they got
married and raised a family.

My mum, my uncle, my grandmother, my grandfather (left to right)

Vanessa Abbott

My Mother

Childhood and Family Life

My mother was born in Durban, South Africa and went to Durban High
School. She had one older brother She grew up in a Catholic Family
as her mother (my grandmother) was from Ireland and was a devot
Catholic. She received news from the radio and televisions. Her
family was one of the first families in the area to own a television
and other families used to come over to watch sports games on it.
She also remembers having lots of family discussions about current
events.

In South Africa it was very hot and many families had pools. She
always had animlas and dogs growing up and still has a love for
them. She had a large backyard and was very fond of her childhood
house. When we went to South Africa on a holiday a few years back,
we went and visited her home and it was nice to see where my mum
had grown up. She has a detailed memory of rescueing a bird with
a broken wing from a tree in preschool with her friends Megan and
Marian. When she was only a few years old she went to visit her
grandparents in Ireland and had a terrible plane experience.

Young Adult Life

After my mother gad finished school in 1988, she went on a exchange
programme in Chile. She learn how to speak spanish and enjoyed living
a differnt lifestyle in South America. She lived with a host family
with two sisters and one brother.

Immigrating to New Zealand

After my parents got married in 1997, they decided to move to New Zealand,
which was a country that offered a brighter future. My parents stayed with
my mum's best friend who she meet during her exchange trip in Chile (they
were both exchange students - my mum from South Africa and her best friend
from NZ) when they first arrived in New Zealand.

Chris Martin

My Father

Childhood and Family Life

My father was born at Durban Hospital, and grew up in a sugarcane
farm in Zululand. At home he spoke french with his family and didn't
learn english until he went to primary school. His parents were born
in Mauritius (where my aunty and some of my cousins live) which is a
french speaking, tropical island off the coast of South Africa. He
is the oldest of four siblings and he received news from an
international television at school and the BBC radio. He attended
boarding school at 7 because there were few schools around in his
rural area.

Running the 800m

His first memory was an encounter with a snake while riding a bike at 4
years old. His hobbies were beach volleyball and soccer, which he still
plays and enjoys today.

How my parents met

My parents met at the line for a party they were going to in South Africa.
They often saw each other at these parties and eventually became friends.
They travelled the world together and lived in England together. My dad
proposed to my mum when they were diving in the underwatercaves in Turkey.
They got married in 1997, and then moved to NZ where they raised my
brother and I.

Young Adult Life

After schooling, my father served two years in the South African Army.
He said that the Army was a good experience and taught him valuable life
lessons about looking at the positive side of things and not giving up.
After two years in the army, he and my mother went and lived in London
for a few years. They lived in a flat with three other couples and used
to take the train everywhere. London was a great place to live because
it was in Europe and close to many other countries. They travelled a lot
during their time in England.

My family has a diverse ancestory from all over the world, and they have demonstrated an adventurous spirit as they have lived in many countries. I hope this curiosity and desire to travel continues in the future.

Flags that represent my family history:

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