Graham Ellery’s Family History

1990  Produced a 20 page newspaper titled “100 Years of Service and Friendship“ to mark the Centenary of Freemasonry in New Zealand.
55,000 copies of this publication were delivered to every home in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North and Taradale. Copies were also distributed to all delegates attending the Communications in Christchurch.

1990  The Bay Mason was launched. An 8 page A4 publication distributed to all Lodge Members in Hawkes Bay (Wairoa to Woodville)

This continued with 10 issues published per year until 2001 when the name was changed to The Central Craftsman and the circulation was extended to include members in the Ruapehu/Manawatu Districts. In 2003 Wellington, Hutt Valley and Kapiti districts were included. A total of 4,150 copies were printed each month (February to November inclusive)

1992  June 30th saw the production of a 16 page tabloid publication titled “Freemasonry in Our Community”. This was circulated to over 55,000 homes in the Napier and Hastings.

The editorial focused on the various charitable works and pensioner housing undertaken by the local lodges and Trusts

1991  Saturday 12 December another tabloid newspaper was distributed to every household in the Napier/Taradale area marking the opening of the Missionview Masonic Village

1993  A similar publication was produced to announce the opening of the Knightsbridge Masonic Village in Taradale. This publication also included a feature about the Taradale Masonic Village Open Day distributed to every household in Napier/Taradale area.

1996  Special 8 page tabloid publication announcing the opening of the Raureka Masonic Village. 55,000 copies delivered to every home in Napier and Hastings.

Publicity Officer for the Hawkes Bay Masonic District from 1991 until the formation of the Central division. Coordinated various masonic information pages in the two local community newspapers over a period of years.

Executive member of the Hastings and District Masonic Trust since 2000.

Awarded the Roll of Honour in 1997

Member of the Heretaunga Lodge No 73. Treasurer since 2004.

Conferred with Honorary Grand Rank 2003/2004 Past Grand Bible Bearer.

Retired as Editor/publisher of the Central Craftsman March 2006.

Variety entertainer at many Civic functions in Hastings and Districts:

Ventriloquist, Puppeteer, Lightning Cartoonist

Night school tutor at Hastings Boys High, Salesmanship for Junior Retailers & Promotional Merchandising

Training Officer for local retailers (particularly during the conversion to Decimal Currency)

District Secretary (Raureka) Scouting Association

Designer and builder of Festival Floats for many local business houses and the Hastings District Council

Member of the Hawkes Bay Retailers Assn Conference committee for two NZ Retailers Federation national Conferences

Member of the Hastings Branch of RNZAF Association Inc since 1959. Served on the executive committee for 3 years

Executive member of the Hastings and District Masonic Trust which administers 110 pensioner flats and units in Hastings and Havelock North

Past President of the Hawkes Bay Cancer Society (1999 to 2005). Present executive committee member. Since 1996 produced a quarterly newsletter “Pick of the Bunch” which circulates to over 2500 Donors and members of the Hawkes Bay Cancer Society.

I was born on 30th June 1937 to parents Donald Clive Ellery and Mavis Esther Ellery (nee Gray) at Greymouth in [a] private nursing home. We lived in a seaside suburb called Blaketown for a short time, then shifted to 108 High Street, Greymouth from where we resided (except for a short period when we lived in Kakapotahi 13 miles south of Ross where Dad built the local school) until the whole family including my brother Raymond Henry, and Lynda Maud shifted to Otane, Hawkes Bay in August 1952.

Attending Grey Main Primary School and Greymouth Technical High School, I was in the 4th form when we moved. My woodwork teacher at school was the same Mr Judkins who taught Dad woodwork when he was at school in Greymouth.

On reaching Hawkes Bay I was enrolled at Waipawa District High leaving school in December 1953. Before I started my first job at Roachs Ltd Department Store in Hastings March 1954 and prior to shifting to Hastings I worked for 3 months for the local baker in Otane, Cedric Martin. In Hastings I boarded at Mahora until my parents & family bought a house in Murdoch Road sometime in early May. My sister Carol Robyn was born on 18th December 1955.

Employed as a Window Dresser and Ticketwriter, I was ably taught the profession by John (AJK Bailey).

In February 1956 I resigned my position and went to Queensland spending about 2 months with Dad’s sister Lily on a cattle station of about 144 sq. miles in [an] area at Mount Coolon, inland from Bowen. I mustered cattle and was a general roustabout also building a Fernery for Auntie Lily beside the house before I left for Brisbane.

Employed by Allan and Stark a large Brisbane department store as a Display Artist I stayed until returning to Hastings at the end of 1956. During my time in Brisbane, I boarded with Morrie and Esther Stutz. Esther’s mother was a “West” who was a cousin of my father’s.

I was re-employed by Roachs Ltd on my return to Hastings and in April 1957 saw me commence 3 months of Military Training with the Royal NZ Air Force, at the Taieri base station out from Dunedin.

After completing basic training I started my Trade training as a cook. I was fortunate to have been chosen (being the best dressed on parade) out of 150 airmen to have a flight in a Harvard training plane (I was the envy of the intake). My reg number 579624 AC 1.

I was also made a Flight Commander for the Passing Out parade. On my discharge and two stone heavier, I returned to Roachs where I was appointed Display and Advertising Manager with a staff of three.

I was engaged to Rossie Sedcole, a co-worker at Roachs in March 1957. We were married in February 1958 at the Presbyterian Church in Pahiatua, honeymooning in Rotorua.

Our first and only home is in Murdoch Road East. A one bedroom cottage we rented for 7 years before saving enough for a deposit of $1000 and with a mortgage of $3000. This was the start of what was going to be a lifetime of building and renovations.

In 2005 we did our final (I hope) alterations to our kitchen. The house has 3 large bedrooms, and ensuite off the main bedroom, a small lounge off the main bedroom which is used as a sewing room, separate dining room, split level lounge, separate bathroom, laundry and toilet, carport with an attached office (which could be used as a 4th bedroom, 800 sq foot garage, built-in spa pool room attached to the garage and an inground kidney shaped pool with waterslide.

This .1012 hectare property is fully fenced, fully landscaped and planted with fruit trees, shrubs, lawns and concrete paths and driveway. The buildings have a total number of 50 power points.

The birth of Janene Kay in 1960 started the building phase; when Tracey Lyn came along in 1963 it continued and didn’t stop until 2005.

In 1964 we moved to Wellington where I was Advertising Manager for James Smiths, a leading department store. We rented a house firstly in Raumati then in Wainuiomata. I was offered my old position back at Roachs and returned to Hastings in 1965 (to a somewhat increased salary) a position I held until I left to manage HJ Grieve Ltd in 1968, an old established Jewellery shop in Hastings.

1970 saw us as a family move to Brisbane where I worked for Myers (who had taken over Allan & Stark) where we stayed for approximately 9 months. Dad came and visited us for about 2 weeks, his first visit back to his birth country in 50 years.

On our return to Hastings I took up my old position at Grieves resigning in 1975 to work for The Daily Telegraph Newspaper as an Advertising Representative. With the retirement the Advertising Manager after 40 years I was appointed Assistant Advertising Manager.

After a number of internal promotions, I was appointed Manager to launch the community newspaper “The Courier” the first community paper in Napier. In August 1984 I left and contracted to build the animated Gnome figures in the mountain on the Log Flume ride at Rainbows End Manakau City Auckland.

After the contract was completed in 1985 I returned to The Daily Telegraph as Special Projects Manager where I remained until 1996 when Rossie and I started our own publishing business Circle Communications Ltd, publishers of the Chatham Islander Community newspaper and the Central Craftsman, a masonic magagzine [magazine]. I published the first Chatham Islander newspaper in 1992 while I was at the Daily Telegraph. We sold the publishing rights of the two niche market publications to Mr. John Hart a longtime colleague in March 2006