Journeys to Waipipi – from Woodford to Cape Town

On 27th September 1864, 251 passengers waited at Table Bay, Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, to board the Barque Alfred bound for Auckland, New Zealand. Among them were Thomas and Mary Ryan, Mary’s young son Thomas Aylward and Thomas and Mary’s infant son, Michael. Michael Aylward (c1830-1860) and Mary Spain … Continue reading Journeys to Waipipi – from Woodford to Cape Town

Les’s daughters

In 1982 I was given a photo to add to my collection of family photos. It is titled “Les’s daughters”, and the three girls are labelled Eileen, Joyce, and another name, hard to make out, but that I always thought might be Miriam. Les is Leicester Alfred Cooke (1867–1954), my father’s maternal grandfather and the … Continue reading Les’s daughters