Alexander and Harriet Lean Biography

Alexander Annan McIntyre Lean

Most of his life, he was interested in farming of sheep, cattle and latterly, pedigree jerseys.

His first job was on a big station belonging to Lyons’, South of Bridge Pa. He left there and went to Mr St Hill’s Station out towards the coast of Dannevirke (Mr St Hill lived in that big homestead at Takapau).

When he was 19, he enlisted to go to World War I. He did his training at Trentham and then went overseas. He saw service in Belguim [Belgium], and France, and was badly wounded in his back in September, 1916. He eventually got to Walton Hospital, England, had two operations and was in England for 6 months before he was well enough to be sent home. He was under Drs in Napier, and it was a good while before he was discharged.

He got a job at ? Station as a shepherd, with 3 others. He left there, and got a job at Te Manga Out Station (near Mt Erin), as a married couple. They lived there until the part of the station they were living was sold. Things were hard and jobs were few, but he got a job droving for W.R. Richmond Ltd. He liked droving and his dogs, and continued with it until he went dairy farming.

Harriet Jane Lean

born Harriet Jane Parker, July 3rd, 1894, in Hastings. The reason for this was that her parents lived at a place with only a track to the main road, which was about 3 miles away.

The farm was near Wanstead and there was no mid-wife or hospital in Waipukurau. She was taken from Hastings to Wanstead, age 3-4 weeks, on horseback. Her mother used to ride side-saddle.

Harriet went to Wanstead School first, then Nelson, Argyle and Waipawa. She left school to help her mother, who by this time, had 6 children. Uncle Bob (her father’s brother who was in partnership with her father), lived with them too.

She married Alexander Lean at Eskdale on [unfinished]

Alexander Annan McIntyre Lean   Harriet Jane Lean
great grand parents.