Ellen better known as Nell, was born at Camerons, on the West Coast of New Zealand on the 28 Jul 1907. She was the firstborn child to Victor and Eliza Chambers. According to Rayna Gieseler from her dissertation of 1997, Ellen was the first pakeha child born at Paroa – that will need more research. Paroa is only a few kilometres from Camerons, where the birth registration was carried out.
I have not found any school records for Nell.
On the 6 May 1930, Nell married John Harry Radford at the Church of the Epiphany, Gebbies Valley, New Zealand
John and Nell moved around following his work. The first few years were at Gebbies Valley where John worked on farms. Their first two children were born at Gebbies Valley. There was a short stint living in Christchurch at 64 Searells Road, which is literally a few doors down from her brother, my grandfather, Harold Chambers at number 40 Searells Road. My mother suggested they rented at that time.
Following that was a move back to the West Coast to Kotuku near lake Brunner, where John went farming and their last child was born.
By the end of the 1940s, Ellen and her family were at Hukarere, near Ikamatua, still on the West Coast, with John working for a gold dredging company – potentially Snowy River as that was the nearby dredge.
In 1957, Ellen and John moved back to Canterbury, but this time to Hororata where John took a job working in forestry.
The last move was to Kirwee, Canterbury where John took on a manager’s role, still in forestry though.
In the absence of a death certificate, Nell died at Kirwee on 18 Jan 1967, either of Asthma, TB or possibly both. Her final resting place is the Kowhai Garden at the Woodlawn Memorial Garden in Linwood, Christchurch.
John married Alice Bloor and two lived together until John’s demise in 1992. Alice passed in 2003.
Next Generation
John and Nell had 3 children, Douglas, George and Gavin. Douglas and George have passed on.
