A Southern Sojourn # 13

Invercargill. We've been there before, but this time the visit was a 'family history' visit.

We varied things somewhat as, in the past, I've gone from Manapouri via Lumsden. This time we went more directly south passing through Tuataupere and Riverton and approaching Invercargill from the west. A quite different route, including a lovely stretch of coastal road.

We stopped in Tuataupere for morning tea, as instructed by Klaske, and to have a look at the contents of a charming cafe-cum museum - Yesteryears. This was filled with collections of the ordinary and mundane from the early and mid-20th century - things we grew up with and remember well.

But we were in Invercargill to catch up with Graeme Mulligan & his wife Marie, and video an interview with them. Graeme is also keen on recording family history, and has a remarkable collection of photos and memorabilia. He was willing to share them with me, so here are some of them:

Graeme and Marie when young
Graeme even younger!
Graeme's father, Alexander (Sandy) Simpson Mulligan
Graeme & Ivy Brown on their wedding day, 24 February, 1920
Sandy Mulligan in 1955. Sandy is the inspiration for another project, more of which later.

But Graeme also has a collection of lovely photos of other Mulligans, so here are some of those:

This is Edwin Joseph Mulligan
and this is Agnes Gertrude Mulligan
While this is Margaret Elsie Mulligan, who lived in Canada for many years

and this is Frederick Charles Mulligan, who lived most of his adult life in Australia, before retiring in Patearoa
These two young fellows are cousins of my father, and to our amusement they have (almost) the same names as my brother and myself - they are Ron and Brian Mulligan
To my surprise Graeme had photos of my family, taken when I was very young (7?) and we still lived at Narbada Crescent in Khandallah
and a terrible quality print of a family portrait taken (probably by Peter Nicol) at Cashmere Avenue when I was in my early twenties.

But the real treasure was the discovery that Graeme has a diary written by his father during his time on Gallipoli!