Birth, Death, Marriage: May DAVIS.
William Barker was born at Ardlossa, an outback station at Rissington, Hawke Bay. In 1886 the family were living in Gisborne when Mt Taraweru erupted. Rumour had it that the Russians were shelling NZ from their warships off the coast. William went to school in Kamo until in 1893 the family returned to Hawke's Bay. He then attended taradale School but soon opted out. His first job was with a shearing gang, then driving a brewer's wagon in Wanganui. 1897 found him working on a farm at Korokipo. The following year he entered into an apprenticeship with Taradale saddler Sam Williams. In 1906 he contracted rheumatic fever and took up outdoor work with the Rabbit Board. Married in 1908, the family was living in Maotuku by 1912 where William was sharemilking. All the children were born back in Taradale.
The DAVIS family were in Palmerston North for the peace celebrations at te end of WWI, the Great War. During 1919 they lived at Whakaronga near Palmerston North. The family left Palmerston North mid 1920, and lived with Lewis SCOTT who had the Post Office - a typical country store in fact - at Maharahara, south of Dannevirke. They were there for six months, before moving to live with Herbert and Ada in Osier Rd, Greenmeadows for a year. They then shifted to Avenue Rd at the begining of 1922, living in the first house until October 1930, before shifting across the road to a larger house with more land. They experienced the1929 Depression and the 1931 earthquake while living in these houses, and the family did not shift again. In her Family History 'A Little Bit of Irish', Cherry SWAYN gives a wonderful description of this last house. William didn't enjoy the best of health, and consumed many bottles of Lanes Emulsion. The family went swimming at Shelley Beach, just below Park Island Cemetery, at the back of Inner Harbour. The whole area was raised by the 1931 earthquake, and is now farmland, the H.B. airport and Tamatea housing. During the quake, the house lost its chimney. During WWII Will served in the Home Guard. Later in life he suffered from emphysema and cattarh. He died 28/5/1971, and Grace lived on in the house until her death in 4/8/1974, when it became May's property. May lived there until 5/6/1975.
[May DAVIS]
Will was an odd-job man, a builder and a farmer. [Thelma SCOTT]