Gordon Noel Elliston (1925 - 2016)

Born 23 Jul 1925 in New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Addeen Forlong Snow — married 3 Dec 1953 (to 1981) in Auckland, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 11 Mar 2016 at age 90 in Katikati, New Zealand

Sources

^[1]

^[2]

Biography

Gordon was born on 23rd July 1925 in Auckland, New Zealand. He died 11 March 2016 in Katikati, NZ. His parents were married in 1920 in Suva, Fiji. His father was Australian and his mother was a New Zealander and chose to return to New Zealand for the birth of each of her two sons so that they would be New Zealanders. Gordon spent his early life on the Island of Taveuni in Fiji where His father managed a Copra Plantation. In the school term Gordon and his older brother, Warwick, went to New Zealand to attend school and while there the two boys lived at the home of their Uncle, Gordon Fagan, in Birkenhead on the North Shore in Auckland The boys went back home to Fiji for the school holidays. During the term time while at his Uncle's house Gordon would get up before dawn every morning to deliver the daily newspaper "The New Zealand Herald". He knew all the "old families" in the district. His friend Wilf Dil of Hinemoa Street founded Dil's Funeral Services in 1960.

He married Twice. In 1953 he first married Addeen Forlong Snow in Auckland, daughter of Hastings Snow & Dorothy Gledstanes. Addeen was descended from Irish Gentry. She was very interested in discovering ancestors. He second married Gilly Wood, daughter of Brigadier Lionel Wood and Dorothy Mary Wood. Gilly's Profile can be found here: [[1]]

Gordon was a Land Surveyor and it was Addeen who encouraged him to apply for the position of Tutor at Auckland Techhnical Institute and he was still teaching there when he and Gilly were married in 1981 in Glenfield, Auckland. They lived at the property that Gilly already owned prior to their marriage. He was Gilly's third cousin once removed. (Her grandmother was Ada Muriel Elliston). Gilly and Gordon often went for drives to Birkenhead where Gordon would enjoy gazing in fond memory at the house that once belonged to his Uncle. He had sentimental memories of Tavenui and he used to talk about it to Gilly. His family were close friends with the man who ran the local Radio Station on the Island and when Averill, his wife, returned to New Zealand she telephoned without fail every week and told Gilly many stories of Gordon as a young boy.

Gordon surveyed a great deal of the land in Northland and Albany including the land belonging to the Wright family & also Sid Clemow's land. Sid and Gordon were at school together and later they were both in Rotary. Gordon & Gilly often visited the Orchard before Sid sold the land that was developed for housing.

1. ↑ Elliston New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists Name G N Elliston Event Type Immigration Event Date 15 Jun 1929 Event Place Suva, New Zealand Age 3 Birth Year (Estimated) 1926 Ship Name Tofua Departure Port Auckland Arrival Port Suva (other ports also listed) Arrival Place Auckland Citing this Record "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDN-JZJY : 24 May 2014), G N Elliston, 15 Jun 1929; citing ship , Archives New Zealand, Wellington; FHL microfilm ..
2. ↑ The Descendants of Robert William Elliston by Michael J. Wood, Genealogist; p. 116; Family No. 82 & p.163; Family No. 191

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Gilly Wood for creating Elliston-95 on 5 Sep 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Gilly and others.