Gallery Samples Stories of our Ancestors | Page 83

W PART 3: THE NEVER-ENDING STORY CONTINUES e are coming to the end of this book of family history. I have spoken about the Anderson family, the Hodgkiss family, the Brownlee and Stretch families. Wherever possible, I have told the stories and legends that were passed on to me and I have searched the Internet to add veracity and dates to the composition. I am aware that it has not always been possible to be objective about the ancestors who people this history and someone else might have written it quite differently. Who is to say which one person would be correct in all aspects? Of all the sections written, the one to follow is undoubtedly the most difficult to write and hence I have made it the briefest. Ironically, it is the section that I am most familiar with. It is also the one that I cannot possibly be objective about except if I keep to dates and events and photos. So that’s what I will do. In any case, most of our family movements and events have been recorded in the photo albums I have kept going all our lives together. Russel born in 1966, Tracy following in 1969 and Lauren in 1977; it’s all there complete with photos and other bits and pieces. I don’t know what you as a collective are going to do with them but I expect that they will fall to pieces anyway when once they’ve been looked at enough. And that will be Okay too. I have written this book for my three children so that, if you wish one day, you will know something of where you’ve come from, and I’ve written it of course for the family which continues through Lauren to my three Millennium Grandchildren: Erin born 2002, Kelsey born 2005 and Ethan born 2012. And, because I’ve included the Brownlee and Stretch families, I’ve also written it for Denis who left us nearly ten years ago, on 4th December 2003 and for any of his extended family who might be interested. We cannot finish without giving thanks to our Ancestors for all that they endured in their pioneering days, and for paving the way for following generations to live in comfort in their chosen land. We pray that we can pass on their strength and love to the generations which follow. I will end with a few photos of our immediate family: 83