Newspaper Article 1994 – Owners’ descendants gather

Owners’ descendants gather

Old connections were made yesterday when members of the first families associated with the historic Te Aute store, met there at an afternoon gathering.

Present were descendants of the store’s builder and first owner, Samuel Firth, and of Constance Rebecca Gundrie, the second owner.

Both families were associated with the early Ormondville sawmilling partnership, Firth and Gundrie.

Samuel Gundrie built the mainly pit sawn kauri, tawa and matai store and two storey house in 1858.

Thirty years later Constance Gundrie became owner, beginning a long-running family association with the premises.

The store was successively run by her daughter Flora, and niece Jessie Osborne.

When Jessie died, her husband Buster Smith married again, and Joan Smith, Jessie’s long-time friend, became the owner until 1986.

The store, now under the ownership of Kay Highwood, has become a tourist attraction.

Mrs Highwood, a keen historian, is also building up considerable information about her property and area.

Mrs Highwood’s interest in Constance Gundrie, who was considered a woman ahead of her time, prompted her to track down some descendants.

Mrs Gundrie was a schoolteacher and started the Ormondville School before becoming a business owner when she moved to Te Aute.

This year is the 80th anniversary of her death, and was the reason for yesterday’s gathering.

Among the 70 who attended were Constance Gundrie’s granddaughter, Ruth Rawley, Auckland, and two great-granddaughters, Jan Rawley, Auckland, and Beth Thurston, Hastings.

Connected with Samuel Firth were his great-niece Ril Ross, aged 91, Hastings, and his great-great-niece Bethel Kappley, Woodville.

Hastings mayor Jeremy Dwyer also attended the function.

Mrs Highwood managed to trace members of every family connected with the store, except for two.

She has turned up some interesting facts about her historic building. Of the seven owners, five have been women; it has been inherited five times and sold only twice for money.

For Mrs Rawley, yesterday’s visit was only the second. She was last there 60 years go as a sick 14-year-old with appendicitis, she said.

Her mother, Ivy Hope Margaret Gundrie, was the youngest of Constance Gundrie’s children, and was married at the store.

Mrs Rawley said she was “enormously proud”, of her grandmother’s achievements.

“She was a woman of courage and fortitude.”

She paid tribute to Mrs Highwood’s enthusiasm in organising the gathering, presenting her with a photograph taken with her mother, to hang in the museum.

Photo caption – Firth and Gundrie descendants, left to right, Beth Thurston, Ruth Rawley, store owner Kay Highwood, Ril Ross, Jan Rawley and Bethel Kappley.