Family gather from far and wide

Easter reunion for descendants of couple who had 17 children produces some enlightening moments

Emily and William O’Hara had 17 children and an Easter gathering in Whanganui saw 80 of their descendants come together for a reunion.

They came from throughout New Zealand and Australia: Auckland, Takapau, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hastings, Feilding, Whanganui; and across the Tasman, from Gosford and Sydney.

The O’Hara family reunion kicked off on Friday evening at Stellar’s Restaurant and Bar, with the main event at the Racecourse Function Centre on Saturday, then winding up over a Sunday brunch at Caroline’s Boatshed.

“Several made enlightening speeches and we learned many facts and experiences that we were not aware of,” said Trevor Dickason, of Whanganui, whose mother, Melva, was an O’Hara.

“There are many relatives still living in Whanganui. We were fortunate to have information from previous reunions to draw upon,” he said.

Emily and William O’Hara were both born in Wanganui in 1893 and raised 17 children — the eldest

(Thelma) was born in 1910 and the youngest (Betty) was born in 1936. Emily died aged 46 when Betty was 3.

At the previous reunion held in Whanganui in 2012, Betty was the only surviving member of the 17 children and emphasised at the time that all 17 children were born to the couple.

Betty also remarked how she and her siblings were always well dressed for Sunday school and other occasions.

Co-organiser of the weekend’s reunion, Tony Dickason, of Auckland, said he had huge respect for his mother Melva who, along with her older siblings, sacrificed much to look after the younger children.

Having lots of cousins, Tony also said he remembered being warned by his uncle Kevin (O’Hara) to be careful about who family members dated in Whanganui because they could be related.

The O’Hara family grew up in Wicksteed St and Sydney Place with the children attending Queens Park School.

William O’Hara was a talented photographer; the photo above of Melva Dickason, Little Dreams of Playmates, was one of his many works.

The impressive O’Hara reunion cake.

William O’Hara was a talented photographer; this photo of Melva Dickason, Little Dreams of Playmates, was one of his many works.

Cousins at the O’Hara reunion, some of whom are now retired, came from a range of occupations/professions: accountant, commercial diver, insurance underwriter, Justice of the Peace, locomotive driver, hairdresser, nurse, manager, administrator, police officer, company director, bus driver, and more.

O’Hara descendants from Auckland, Takapau, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hastings, Feilding, and Whanganui, and from Sydney and Gosford in Australia, gathered in Whanganui at Easter.