New Zealand Visit March 2005

The visit to NZ was a personal one following up on the previous occasion in 1997. Janette had been in Sydney Australia with the only other Cowans of her kind on the globe. Two nephews and a niece along with their children. In the case of Alister, the older nephew, the children are not in their early 20s so a great opportunity to link up with them in their adult lives.

Gena the niece was very interested in her father and mother who she never knew as they both passed on at the time of her birth. Alister's children also expressed interest in their Aunt and the past. Janette's brother, her Mother and Father were all committed Christians but sadly this group in Sydney have lacked this heritage. Making it an opportunity for sharing something of this side of the family and its traditions.

Contact in NZ remain limited to the original peer group at the time of Colin's departure in 1953 for Pakistan. Encouragingly the majority of them have led consistent meaningful lives. Linking with them anew was a rewarding experience. This group are in Auckland.

The second major group centre around sister Kathleen who remains in Christchurch the ancestral home of Colin's Mother. Now a married daughter lives in Hamilton and a son in Wellington area at Waikanae. The third daughter Anita is returning home from a protracted visit to London which has lasted for five years or so.

A smaller third group are connected to our mutual history in Asia adding another dimension of international interest to the visit.