Nettie May (Heal) Brewster (1913 - 1973)

Born 19 May 1913 in Gisborne, Poverty Bay, New Zealand

Ancestors

Wife of Edgar Roy Brewster — married 14 Jan 1947 in New Plymouth New Zealand

Died 6 Apr 1973 at age 59 in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand

Nettie May Heal 1913 - 1973

Nettie was a florist, she met Roy Brewster as he went about his rounds in New Plymouth, tending the potted plants he rented to shops and business premises in Taranaki.

Nettie and Roy were married in New Plymouth on the 10th January 1947; Roy romantically sealing the occasion with an Aero Club plane hired to drop rose petals over them as they left the church – though the wind carried the petals away and they were dropped over the town instead.

Nettie encouraged Roy to experiment with musical composition, Roy writing the words and Nettie the music for a number of songs which were published in the 1950s, the most notable of which was "Welcome Queen Elizabeth" sung by a massed school choir to Welcome Queen Elizabeth 11 to Pukekura Park New Plymouth in 1952.

Roy's interest in honeycomb construction was extended to the construction of a beautifully crafted home constructed from hexagon modules that they called Norian because there were no right angles in nature. With a hexagonal window near Nettie's grand piano perfectly framing a view of Mount Egmont, the house, fittings and furniture, complimented by Nettie's antiques, were designed to demonstrate Roy's philosophy of life. Roy and Nettie opened their home to visitors and between 1953 and 1972. Well established on the local tourist circuit, Norian was visited by over 250.000 people and filmed several times. Sadly, Norian was demolished in 1975. Built of untreated timber; it didn't stand the test of time.

Nursed faithfully by Roy, Nettie died on the 6th April 1973, after a long illness.

Burial: 6th April 1973 in Te Henui Cemetery New Plymouth, the Hendre St.ext: row 9 block 8 plot 2

Sources

• N.Z. Govt. Historical Records
• N.Z. BIRTHS - 1913/1541 - Heal Nettie May - parents : Ellen Frances & John Thomas
• N.Z. DEATHS - 1973/39428 - Brewster Nettie May - birth 19th May 1913