Family celebrates milestone
Descendants of the Albertlanders, who arrived in New Zealand from England in 1862 and settled in the Wellsford area, stand strong today in celebration.
The well-known Wharehine/Wellsford Witheford family came together last month to celebrate their youngest sister’s, birthday.
The 90th birthday celebration for Olive Ferguson (nee Witheford) was a celebration that sparked history as she is now the youngest of five surviving siblings in the Witheford family who are all in their nineties.
The family were well-known for farming, business and trades in the 1900s.
Ferguson’s parents, Alfreda and Thomas Witheford had nine children who contributed to significant change and improvements in the Wharehine area, so much that they have a road named after them and their history is in The Albertland and Districts Museum and Heritage Centre.
In 1930, the Withefords bought land on Witheford Road in Wharehine. This was where their father built their family home that stands in similar condition today.
From the age of 19, Ferguson moved to Auckland and studied nursing, she later went to working in a sewing factory making dresses.
Ferguson married Trevor Ferguson in Auckland in 1949 and had five children - they now have 13 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
‘‘I have lived a very happy life. My tips would be to eat healthy and be active. We always lived clean, simple and knew our limits,’’ she says.
Ferguson has always been a strong woman, so much that 10 days prior to her celebration she became unwell and was not expected to live.
Ferguson’s daughter, Cheryl Mailand believes it was much to the doctor’s surprise that she survived.
Ferguson has been living at the Royal Heights Rest Home for the past two years and still visits family up in Wellsford.
The remaining Withefords, Laurie and Walter live in the Auckland area, Anne still lives in Wellsford and Ivan lives in Tauranga.
Currently there are still Withefords and relatives living in the Wellsford area who continue to soldier on and share history, just like Ferguson.