Meeting my ancestors for the first time - 150yrs after their arrival into Lyttelton

3 July 2024

View of a person standing in a graveyard under a tree.

Contributor's note: In seeking to understand how I came to be born in this land, and how to orient myself within the Treaty of Waitangi relationship, I found my ancestors. They arrived from Lanark, Scotland aboard the Dunedin on 3 July 1874. They now lie in an unmarked grave in Addington. I never heard anything about them while I was growing up, but I’ve since learnt they were tailors. Their great-granddaughter—my nana—was also a tailor, so I went to meet them wearing a coat she made. Meeting them has collapsed time and shown me how colonisation continues to impact us all.

Creator: Nixon

Area: South West / Addington

Contributor: Nixon

Source: Entry in the 2025 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt

Reference ID: CCL-PH25-DW-198991

Uploaded by: Nixon

Copyright status: In copyright

Reuse license: Contact me