Harriet Lean Biography

HARRIET JANE LEAN

(NEE PARKER)

3rd JULY 1894

HARRIET JANE PARKER 1894 –

PARENTS:    William Charles Parker
Clara Alice Johnston

WILLIAM CHARLES PARKER

William Charles Parker (Charlie) was born in Durham, England in 1868 the youngest of seven and had trained as a school teacher. The idea of teaching did not however appeal to him, so when his brother Robert (Bob) started planning to emigrate to New Zealand he decided to accompany him.

In 1891 the brothers arrived in New Zealand and took up employment as ploughmen in the Waikato. They are also known to have ridden horses from Waikato to Hawkes Bay in three days, sometimes riding at night.

Bob did not marry and returned to England in 1912.

CLARA ALICE JOHNSTON

John Johnston (Scotland) and Jane Harriet Ball (daughter of William Ball Washington Valley, Nelson – previously England) met on the boat coming to New Zealand and were married on the 4th August, 1864 in Nelson.

John Johnston was a sea captain and owned his own boat the “Lady Bartley” which carried cargo between Wellington and Nelson. Jane used to meet the boat on Sunday at 11 a.m. at the completion of an overnight trip. She was seldom absent.

Clara was born in Nelson in 1867 being one of ten children, three girls and seven boys. Maude, Camellia, William, Arthur, Herbert, (Bert) Henry (Harry) Frederick (Fred.) Lionel (Liony) and Jack. Jack shifted to Australia.

Clara worked as a cook on Mackersey’s Station at Wanstead near Waipukurau, and this is where she met Charlie Parker.

They were married on the 20th July 1892 in St Matthew’s Church, Hastings (the 45th couple to be married there). Charlie and Clara lived in a two storey house on leased land at Wanstead. Clara was a talented woman. There was a large storeroom on the ground floor where she stored the beer and wine that she made in her large washhouse. She also mended the family’s shoes, knitted (even producing sox), was good at crocheting and was still doing it on her death-bed. She also enjoyed growing gladioli.

HARRIET JANE PARKER

Harriet Jane Parker was born on 3rd July, 1884 in Napier  At 3-4 weeks of age Harriet was taken home to Wanstead by her mother on horseback. (Clara often rode side saddle).

Grandmother Johnston wanted the first born to be named Jane Harriet after her, but Charlie was determined he was not going to be ruled by his mother-in-law and deliberately changed the order of the names. Apparently she was a very strict lady. Charlie had a sister named Harriet and he disliked the name so decided to call his daughter Hetty, the name she is most commonly known by.

Charlie and Clara had five other children Mable, Rhoda, Peter, Innes and Bob. Peter died at the age of sixteen of complications of measles.

The family lived at Wanstead until the homestead was burnt down in February, 1901. Hetty was six and a half years old. She remembers running barefoot from the house in her nightdress to the nearest neighbour, but they were away in Napier so ran on some distance to McNutt’s about three miles from her home. She recalls being scared of the squawking crows in the trees. After the fire the McNutt’s took the family in for a time.

Hetty attended Wanstead school for a short time before being taken to Nelson by her Grandmother. She spent two years in Nelson where she attended school (and even remembers being given a holiday when Queen Victoria died). The climate however did not agree with her so her father brought her back to Wanstead. She then attended Waipawa school for a time, but as there was no paddock for her horse, she changed to Argyll school where she completed her schooling. There was one teacher at the school.

Argyll was one big station owned by a Mr. Carlisle. He split up the land and it was balloted out. Charlie missed out on a ballot but Bob balloted about 530 acres. Charlie did however manage to purchase approximately 530 acres in July, 1904 as one man who was successful in the ballot sold it to him since he had already acquired some land at Onga Onga. A house was built and the property was named “Ferrydale”

Before Argyll was split up Charlie and Bob had been in partnership calling themselves “Parker Bros.” and did farming and contracting. Many roads around Wallingford and Wanstead were built by them. They had several teams of horses plus spares. When Charlie bought Ferrydale and Bob his farm at Argyll they sold all but four to five teams of horses which they kept for ploughing and went into sheep farming. So successful were the sheep farming ventures that both Charlie and Bob were given a tailored suit each by the stock firm Wenley and Lenore for reaching the highest price for wool at a wool sale in Napier.

Charlie bought the first car in the district while they were living at Argyll. It was a 1904 Overland.

Bob sold his farm at Argyll about 1910 and went back to England where he lived until he died.

Charlie sold Ferrydale on 6th august, 1920 and shifted to Petane in Hawkes Bay. He bought a house from a Mr. Harvey (who owned some horse stables in Napier and ran a coach service through to Taupo).

Charlie became bored doing nothing and was asked to relieve at the hotel at Rangiwahia. He enjoyed the work so much that he bought the hotel and became a hotel-keeper. Charlie died at Rangiwahia of a gastric ulcer on 26th October 1927 at the age of 59 years.

After Charlie died Mable looked after Clara at Rangiwahia until she became too much for her and she went into a home in the Waikato where she died in 1948 aged 81 years.

Hetty left school at the age of fourteen to help her mother look after the family. Some years later she left home for a job as a ladies help at Oilrig [Olrig] Station, Hastings. Innes, her brother had a job there as a shepherd and it was through him that Hetty got the job.

Hetty met Alexander Annan Lean at a social evening at Oilrig Station and they were married on 7th September, 1921 at Eskdale Church, Napier (on the Taupo Road)… The wedding reception was held at Mr. Harvey’s old home. They started their married life living on a seven acre block of land at the showgrounds end of St. Georges Road in Hastings. From there they shifted to “Te Mahunga [Mahanga]” Station in Mutiny Road, Hastings where Alex. was farm manager. They stayed until the farm was split up in 1925. The three boys were born during this time. The only transport was by horse and gig and they shopped and collected mail at Paki Paki [Pakipaki]. There were no conveniences in the house and the wash-house was outside.

In late 1925 the family shifted to 207 Garnett Street in Hastings where they milked one or two cows. Alex. took on a droving job with W.R Richmond Ltd.

The three boys attended Hastings Central School and later Hastings High School.

The family were living in Garnett Street at the time of the 1931 Earthquake. Alex. was away droving up the Taihape Road at the time. He arrived home to find the chimney’s down and one resting in the fork in a plum tree. The preserves were all in a broken mess on the floor. For six weeks they lived in tents down Garnett Street until the chimney’s could be rebuilt. For cooking they had a wood and coal range, but it could not be used until the chimney was repaired. In the meantime they cooked over an open fire outside in the yard.

In 1933 they shifted to Tollemache Road West in Hastings. They had about twelve acres of land where they milked about twenty cows. Further land was leased from Jack Cameron in Southland Road. Here they stayed for seven years.

In 1939 they moved to Twyford where Alex. bought twenty-one acres of land and continued to milk cows.

Alex. and Hetty bred pedigree jersey cows. They used to show their animals at various Agricultural and Pastoral shows in Hawkes Bay and Palmerston North with much success. On show days the boys would lead the animals down Southland Road into Charles Street then into Tomoana Road and down to the Show Grounds. They would lead the animals in the Grand Parade and collect two shillings and six pence (twenty-five cents), so made money on the day.

Over many years the cows were tested for butterfat production. Alex. and Hetty got to know many Herd Testers and Hetty still corresponds with Bill Kirby and his wife who live in Cornwall, England (where the Lean’s Originated from).

Hetty and Alex. were keen card players and during the war were regular attenders to card evenings at Twyford School).

In October, 1964 Alex. and Hetty ventured overseas and had a two week holiday in Norfolk Island.

In 1966 or 1967 Alex. stopped milking and the land at Twyford was leased to Mr Griffiths. They continued to live in the house.

On the 3rd. July, 1939 Hetty joined the Women’s Institute. The meetings were held at Twyford School (across the road from where she lived) until the Twyford Hall was built. Over the years she won many prizes with her cooking. She was a member until 1991. Hetty was also a member of the Fernhill Federated Farmers for many years.

In 1949 Hetty remembers a hail storm that hit the Twyford area with huge stones hitting the windows making it very frightening. There was a lot of damage done to the fruit trees in the area.

Hetty also recalls going to Polo Ground Road (now Chatham Road) by horse and gig with the boys to Baptist Sunday School picnics.

Hetty attended R S.A Reunions with Alex. for many years and had many lasting friends.

Alex. died on January 1st. 1969.

Hetty continued to lease the land and live in the house until the 3rd July, 1991 when she sold the farm to Ron Flowers. At the age of 97 she moved to Eversley Home in Nelson Street North, Hastings, where she resides to-day.

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