Francis Henry Guilford and Mavis Anona Pelvin
FRANCIS HENRY* GUILFORD was born April 23, 1900 to
parents FRANK and MARIA
GUILFORD at Waitohi Flat, Temuka, and he died November 17, 1978
in Public Hospital, Timaru and was cremated at Timaru. Henry married MAVIS ANONA PELVIN February 27, 1935 in St Alban's
Church, Pleasant Point, daughter of ARTHUR PELVIN and ROSEANNA HUMPHRIS.
She was born June 19, 1912 in Waimate, and died December 14, 1988 in
Public Hospital, Timaru.
Henry's parents started their married life by farming the
Cone land before they moved to Timaru. Henry attended the Waimaitai and
Marchweil schools and in 1912, his schooling days over, left to help his
father take milk to customers by horse and cart from their farm at Pages
Road, Timaru.
The Guilford family sold in 1916 and bought at Cattle
Valley (Raincliff Rural No 8) and here that Henry's life's work in farming
began. Henry spent several years helping on his father's farm, joined by
brother Fred before, at age 17, he went to the Mackenzie country
rabbiting. The lure of high prices for skins and over abundance of the
rabbit and his skill with the rifle is evidenced by early photographs of
lines of rabbit skins outside his tent. The life soon palled and he spent
several years working on dairy farms in the North Island.
There was an opportunity to lease
a farm next door when he returned, and Henry worked this in conjunction
with his father Frank. Just over the hill in Middle Valley, "Chasleton"
owned by John Brownlie for nine years, came on the market in 1928. This
was situated next to the Raincliff Forest with a house and woolshed and
Henry added the adjoining 333 acre block "Middle Hope" next door. The name
"Middle Hope" was dropped and the combined area was called "Chasleton".
This was the start Henry was looking for and in spite of the depression
years, he established himself very well with sheep, cattle, and some
crops. In 1935 he married Mavis Pelvin whose parents farmed at Totara
Valley and they raised five children. War brought hardship and
restrictions and their eldest son Dick died aged eight. Dick boarded
during the week with his grandparents Frank and Maria at Cattle Valley so
he could attend the Skipton school. Without transport, Winsome, Bruce and
Heather were home-schooled by lessons sent from the Correspondence School
at Wellington.
The difficulty with
education led Henry immediately after the war to lease and shortly after,
buy "Te Puke" on Nixons Road 4 miles and 500 feet above the township of
Fairlie. "Te Puke" means "The hill" which was a large limestone outcrop
and this later had Barwood's limeworks on it - the rock being
crushed and spread as farming fertiliser. The house was very large with
seven bedrooms but was covered in corrugated iron - durable in the often
harsh weather conditions but not aesthetically pleasing. Here their
youngest daughter Allison was born and the family lived at Te Puke for 27
years before Henry and Mavis retired to Timaru in 1972.
During his farming years Henry was
among the more progressive members of the community. He had a very
inquiring mind and was keen to try the latest technology and explore new
ideas. An equable nature and good humoured approach made him a delight to
know. He was among the first in the district to use aerial top dressing
and vacuum silage and grew some tremendous crops of Montgomery red clover
seed.
At Te Puke, dipping was revolutionised by his installing a
rotary sprinkler eliminating the old unpleasant method, the labour
intensive emersion of sheep in a trough to prevent ticks and lice.
Henry was a shrewd judge of land and it is significant that both his
farms included the better soils of the district. Together, he and Mavis
made two overseas trips and took a keen interest in farming affairs on
both occasions. Henry was one of those people born into farming who, while
enjoying and making a success of it, was always frustrated by the
intellectual limitations which the life style imposed. He relished the
stimulus of debate and was always looking for new horizons. He would have
made an outstanding academic but there is nothing like a mob of footrotty
ewes or ten hours on a tractor to quell such mental energy. Some people
are destroyed by such frustration but Henry's sense of humour and family
commitment kept him in good shape.
The mile-long straggle of 2000+
sheep before and after winter, traversing the 14 miles of road between
farms and taking a whole day in the process was to be avoided, especially
if you were a motorist travelling in the same direction! The school bus
"the Biscuit Tin" with the children's arms encouraged to hang out the
windows and bang the sides to hurry the sheep from their path, who by
Allandale mid-way, after their early start, had settled into a slow
methodical meander with the occasional stop for grass along the wayside.
Someone walked in front to close farmer's roadside gates or divert sheep
from taking another route and at the back, Henry followed up with tractor
and trailer to carry the stragglers who got tired on the way and the
ever-perceptive dogs Boss and Fog, just two of a long line of excellent
dogs who could sense exactly what was needed to herd strays back in line.
There was no woolshed at either the Middle Valley farm although one was
built about 1960, or at "Te Puke" - sheep were shorn at a neighbours. Electricity came to Middle Valley about 1956 -
farmers helped to put in the poles and had to guarantee a more than
adequate level of usage yearly. Henry installed a generator for power at
"Te Puke" about the same time for despite seeing the lights of Fairlie
twinkling in the distance four miles below, it was not until then that
instant light was achieved by the push of a switch. Gone the years of
candles, the hiss of the Colman and
Tilley lamps with their delicate mantles and petrol
irons and heaven help those who read late - the last one to put out
the light, switched off the tell-tale diesel motor thumping in the
distance! Luxury was achieved - a fridge, freezer and washing machine.
Both houses by now had undergone major renovations - "Chaselton" was
demolished - taken back to 2 bedrooms and completely rebuilt. The "Te
Puke" home got its large decks replaced, was reroofed and modernised -
roughcast was plastered directly over the iron. Henry had made a Swiss
chalet with the snow capped mountains behind. For added income Henry
went stripping browntop, and at Te Puke, grew linen flax for the factory
at Fairlie. Paddocks were cultivated for turnips, swedes and choumollier
for winters were usually severe and could come any time between May till
late September when spring lambs lay on the hearth to be thawed back to
life. Prolonged snow and root crops for stock were supplemented generously
by lucerne hay bales and silage harvested in over the usually extremely
high summer temperatures.
1952 was the boom year for the sheep farmer - wool reached
£1 for a lb of wool and Henry imported a Desoto station wagon from America
- his pride and joy. How quickly it use and power was recognised as dogs,
farm equipment and other stores were stowed in the back! Mavis played
her part by maintaining a good home and garden, had hens and milked the
house cow and was an excellent cook welcoming all to share her table. She
had a long association with the CWI. She was a very positive person which
was probably valuable for Henry as his health deteriorated after suffering
a heart attack while in America. Both had a good sense of humour so they
made a great pair. When Henry and Mavis retired in 1972 to Timaru, "Te
Puke" was sold - their son Bruce who was the only one to remain in the
district had taken over "Chasleton" in 1969.
Children of HENRY GUILFORD and MAVIS PELVIN
are:
i. FRANCIS RICHARD (DICK) GUILFORD, b. August 08, 1935,
Fairlie; d. August 09, 1943, Cattle Valley, Fairlie. Burial: Timaru
Cemetery.
ii. WINSOME DAPHNE GUILFORD, b.Timaru, married NEVILLE
GRIFFIN at St Stephens Church, Fairlie, son of CLARENCE GRIFFIN and DOLLY
NEWSHAM, born at New Plymouth.
Their son: LLOYD KEITH GRIFFIN, b. Dunedin. His Partner
was CYNTHIA JEANETTE NGAWAKA, daughter of THOMAS NGAWAKA and FRANCES
DAVIES born Dunedin. Their family: GEMMA LOUISE GRIFFIN (Gemma Louise
Ngawaka; Father Geoffrey Douglas THOMAS) b. Dunedin and TYLA FRANCIS
GRIFFIN, b. Gore
iii.BRUCE JOHN GUILFORD b.
March 27, 1940, Fairlie; d. June 27, 2001, Fletchers Rd., Rangiora..
Cremated at Harewood Crematorium, Christchurch, Ashes Fairlie He married
JEANETTE ETHEL MACDONALD November 03, 1962 in Timaru, daughter of HECTOR
MACDONALD and STELLA MILLAR. She was born in Timaru. Children of BRUCE
GUILFORD and JEANETTE MACDONALD are:
i. STEPHEN JOHN GUILFORD, b. Fairlie. He married WENDY MAY
JONES at Invercargill, daughter of RONALD JONES and MARIE JOHN. Their
family born at Invercargill: BARRY JOHN; JACKIE KAY and MARK
JAMES ii. MURRAY NEIL GUILFORD, b. Fairlie; m. REBECCA LUCI THACKWELL
at Christchurch; she was b. Upper Hutt. Murry and Becky have two
daughters, Ellissa Ruth and Meghan Jean Diana iii. ROYDEN ANDREW
GUILFORD, b Fairlie. Daughter is: STANAANNICA GUILFORD Royden m Helen
Mann at Whangaparaoa and they have twins, a boy called Cathan Jett and a
daughter Acalia Jade born Auckland. Helen passed away Tuesday 11th
December 2012 aged 43 years and her interment was at Whangateau
Cemetery.
iv. HEATHER ROSE GUILFORD b.
November 13, 1942, Fairlie; d. May 15, 1992, Kermedec Island.Burial:
Whangarei Cemetery married JURGEN ROTZEL May 18, 1963 in St.Stephens,
Fairlie, son of RUDOLPH ROTZEL and HILDEGARD STEIN. He was born in Dessua,
Germany. Thier children are:
i. CHRISTINE ROTZEL, b. Remscheid, Germany and partner
Paul Hannibal have a daughter, Anastazya . ii. HANS JURGEN ROTZEL, b.
Remschied, Germany; m. VICKIE PERFECT at Napier; where she was born to
Steven James Perfect and Gay Maree Tong. iii. RAINER ROTZEL, b.
Fairlie, South Canterbury and Linda Olsen have a son, Elias and daughter Isla Heather Rotzel, born in
Nice, France. iv. KLAUS DIETER* ROTZEL, b. Whangarei and his partner
Sue.
v. ALLISON ANONA GUILFORD, b.Fairlie; married LLEWELLYN EDGAR SAMUEL AMON on February 28,
1975, Timaru; Llew was the son of EDGAR CHARLES AMON and EDNA ALICE MAY
WATSON and was born August 13, 1945, Hamilton; d. November 09, 1999, North
Road, Dunedin where he was cremated.
Ref: "The Raincliff Story"
Heather Rotzel; Neville, Lloyd and Winsome Griffin;
Allison and Llew Amon; Seated: Mavis and Henry Guilford at the
Guilford reunion 1976, Christchurch Tribute to Bruce, Heather and Llew

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