Chapter 21.1 

William Ihaia Elers and Ngaire Margaret Elers 

The Family of William Ihaia Elers and Ngaire Margaret (McCormack) Elers

The lives of William Ihaia Elers and Ngaire Margaret (McCormack) Elers

• William (known as Bill) was born in Te Oreore Masterton on 11 September 1929. He was the second child of James Rupuha Elers and wife Whanaupani (Himona) Elers.

• He was educated at Te Oreore School, Masterton.

As a youngster of about twelve years of age he spent quite some time in hospital. It is believed he may have had hip problems at that early stage of life.  His children have inherited a wartime autograph book kept by Bill during his hospital stay, which has entries signed by various American servicemen who visited the hospital wards, as well as some by his friends and fellow hospital patients.

Bill was only nine years old when his mother died (she died giving birth to her eighth child who was born weighing 14lbs)

Bill and his siblings went to live with Aunt Lil and Uncle Dick (Whanaupani’s brother) at Te Oreore. He later went to live with his father, but never lost contact with the rest of the whānau.

At some stage he joined up with the Air Training Corp in Masterton.

He started work at Sharman’s Cycle Shop, 104 Queen Street, Masterton to train as a bicycle mechanic.

Along with his brother Tom, Bill played softball for the Red Sox team.

He met Ngaire Margaret McCormack (youngest child of six born to Cecil McCormack and his wife Ruth Sarah (Savage) McCormack) in 1947, and they married in the Masterton Registry Office on 2 August 1950. 

Their first child (Tony William) was born at the Maternity Annexe Public Hospital Masterton, on 9 January 1951. After Tony’s birth they left Masterton to set up a new life for themselves in Hastings.

On arrival in Hastings, Bill continued in the bicycle trade working at the cycle shop at 312 Heretaunga Street West, owned by local identity Tennyson (“Tenny” or “Ten”) James William Heighway.

Bill and Ngaire spent the first year in Hastings living at the Ranfurly Hotel, situated on the eastern side of Warren Street, between Heretaunga and Eastbourne Streets. They then moved to a house on the corner of Riverslea Road and Dufferin Street (106 Riverslea Road South - still standing today in 2023, albeit in a delapidated state). The current owner of the property now aged in his 90’s, is the son of the owner at the time Mum and Dad lived there. He remembers them well. He explained that Mum, Dad, and myself (an infant) lived in the front right hand bedroom. They slept, ate, and cooked in that one room, only leaving it to go to the toilet and to the laundry, both outside and both still standing (Aug 2023). They then purchased a ¼ acre section at 120 Tollemache Road where they built their family home.

Bill left the bicycle mechanic trade and spent the rest of his working life at the Tomoana Freezing Works, firstly on the wool presses at the wool scour. Son Tony spent a year working with him in the scour in 1970, so has first-hand knowledge of his father’s work ethics. Bill was recognised as the fastest stitcher of the full bales of wool. As in all aspects of Bill’s life, everything needed to be immaculately clean and so it was in his work space at the wool scour. After the completion of the sewing of each wool bale, he would load the press with an empty wool fadge, shut the press swing door, then press the button to send the wooden press cap back upstairs for the gang up there to refill the shute with wool. In the meantime he would trolley the full bale away to brand it, store it, then return to the wool press to sweep the floor of minor strands of wool left behind during the pressing process, re-string his needles, then await the next bundle of wool to come down the shute to start the process all over again. This was his workday, processing countless numbers of wool bales for twelve hours per day (5.00am until 5.00pm) plus half a day on Saturdays.

Bill had a reputation for giving nicknames to his workmates eg “Half Day Harry” (for regularly having time off work), “Flash” (he was allegedly a slow worker), “Stretch” (for a tall workmate). These names were all accepted with humour by the recipients of such nicknames.

He later transferred to the top floor at Tomoana for a shorter working day and was employed as a “sticker”. This involved Bill slitting the throats of the sheep as they were about to enter the production line. At the start of each day, all Bill’s workmates, ready at their workstations, knew when work was about to begin when Bill would bellow “Here they come” indicating the sheep were about to begin walking towards their slaughter. Bill had the reputation of being the best of all the workmen doing the same job.

At the end of the working day, Bill would shower at the freezing works, climb aboard his bicycle and cycle home. More often than not, he then put on his collar and tie, and headed off to the Heretaunga Club for a few ales – always immaculately dressed.

By now Bill and Ngaire had five more children – Sandra Julie (born 28 March 1952) and died on 19 April 1952 at home 106 Riverslea Road, Hastings aged only 22 days. She died of Congenital Abnormalities Microcephaly. Marlene Julie was the next born on 2 November 1954 in Hastings. Then Ritchie Neil born on 13 January 1959 in Hastings. Then came Donna Maree born 5 October 1960 in Hastings. Finally, after a gap of thirteen years, Vanessa May was born on 11 May 1973 in Hastings but died the next day with her cause of death being declared as “Cyclops Monster, Hydrocephalus”.

Marlene’s birth certificate declared Bill’s occupation as a Cycle Mechanic, then on Ritchie’s certificate he was noted as a wool presser. So somewhere between 1954 and 1959 Bill changed his occupation. Vanessa’s death certificate notes that her home address was 410 South Hastings Street (the dairy that Ngaire and Bill had purchased – more about that later).

Back to the Tollemache Road property: a feature was how immaculate the house and grounds were kept. Bill maintained a vegetable garden that took up probably 25% of the property in which he grew a full range of vegetables plus three fruit trees. He was only interested in growing fruit and vegetables rather than flowers and shrubs. His attitude was “if you can’t eat it, then it’s not worth growing it”. 

On their property they built a car garage measuring 20 feet x 30 feet. Bill’s softball mates provided free labour to build the garage on the condition that they could have parties there, particularly during the softball season. Consequently many nights were spent partying in the garage. Entry fee to the parties was always a flagon of beer. The writer remembers his first invitation to join a party when Bill considered he was old enough to do so. 

Inside the garage there was a large wood shed that was always stocked with plenty of firewood for the winter. There was also a large potato bin that was full from Bill’s annual harvest. Also inside the garage was a “sump” built for a person to stand upright in, to conduct mechanical repairs on vehicles.

The property was not on town water supply so a septic tank was a part of life there. Periodically the septic tank would fill and begin overflowing. Bill refused to employ the local septic tank cleaners to empty it. So it was Tony who had to do the job – barrow all the human excrement from the tank to the vegetable garden for fertiliser!!

Sunday morning was always “Sunday School” day when Bill and his mates would meet at Norm and Elaine Campbell’s place in Riverslea Road to chew the fat talking about a whole lot of inconsequential stuff at a guess. Entry to these Sunday morning sessions was again – a flagon of beer. 

Trips to Te Awanga Beach to gather mussels were frequent occurences. In those days there was no limit to the numbers of shellfish allowed to be taken, so it was not uncommon for two or three sugar bags of mussels to be brought home. Bill had a 44 gallon drum in the backyard suitably adapted to allow the heating of the mussels over a flame, allowing them to open fractionally. Then sitting around in a circle, Bill and his mates, accompanied by the compulsory flagons of beer, would shell the mussels and distribute them among themselves. Between the front end of the concrete driveway and the roadside itself there was a kerb of about 15 feet. It was Tony’s job to crush all the empty mussel shells with a 4”x2” slab of timber. That piece of the driveway was always full of crushed mussel shells that were further crushed as vehicles drove over them. In a strange sort of way, the effect of these crushed shells was even slightly attractive. It was left to the rainfall to eventually wash away the smell of shellfish.

Another “highlight” of life at Tollemache Road was the “raiding of the paddocks” at the time of the year when vegetable harvesting in Hastings took place. Some of Bill’s brothers would come up from Masterton with an empty trailer with the plan to fill it up with the fresh produce growing in the Hastings area and take it home. The garage party would be in full swing with family and softball friends in attendance. When it became dark enough, the “operation” would bounce into action. Onions, sweetcorn, pumpkins, fruit for preserving, even chickens were on the radar for the night. 

A couple of episodes spring to mind – after one raid, the sweetcorn they were happily picking was, in the light of day the next morning, found to be maize! On another occasion there was a young couple doing their thing on the back seat of their car on the side of the road outside an onion paddock. Bill asked them to move on as he explained the paddock belonged to him and he was frustrated at people stealing his onions. The couple drove away as instructed. Bill and his team then jumped the fence and helped themselves to a few bags of onions. The most audacious event was the raiding of fowls from a chicken farm no more than half a mile from their Tollemache Road home (on the corner of Riverslea and Tollemache Roads). The next morning the police did a house-to-house door knock, asking if any of the residents had heard or seen anything untoward the night before. The response was negative of course. Had they gone inside the house they would have seen the oven absolutely full of chickens being cooked!

After selling the Tollemache Road property, Bill and Ngaire bought a dairy on the corner of Massey and Hastings Streets (still standing in 2023). Ngaire worked in the dairy while Bill continued working at the freezing works.

Their next move was to buy a house at 212 Terrace Road. A feature in the backyard was a large dolls house. The dolls house was large enough for adults to enter in a stooped position. Bill won this item in a raffle run by the Committee at Te Oreore Marae. The dolls house was made to resemble a wharenui (a Māori meeting house on a marae). The maihi (bargeboards) and amo (bargeboard supports) were carved by two of 

Bill’s nephews, Bernard and Peter Himona (sons of Bill’s brother Pani). They carved it whilst at Hato Paora College, Feilding. The Terrace Road property was limited for its access to the backyard so the dolls house had to be lifted into place with the use of a crane.

Over the years the floor and walls of the dolls house deteriorated to the point it had to be dismantled and dumped. However the maihi and amo remained in good condition and were sent back to Bernard and Peter. To this day (2023) the maihi can still be seen at the entrance to Ahitainga Urupa, in Bideford Road, Masterton, still in prime condition.

On the sporting front, Bill was a sportsman of some note representing both Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa at softball. He was also an accomplished boxer during his time in Masterton. It is also reported that Bill and Ngaire were better than reasonable ballroom dancers.

On arrival in Hastings Bill played softball for JLP (Junior Labour Party).

At the end of his softball-playing days, he spent a number of seasons coaching teams from the Wolves, Saints and Taradale Clubs as well as Hawke’s Bay representative teams.

He was actively involved in the establishment and painting of the Hawke’s Bay Softball Association clubrooms on Akina Park, Hastings. He was a self-appointed custodian of the toilet/ showers block. As per his penchant for cleanliness, the facilities were always immaculate. His work for the Softball Association was rewarded when he received  Life Membership of the Hawke’s Bay Softball Association in 1982.

Bill joined the Hawke’s Bay Mens Evergreens Softball Club in 1974. The Evergreens are a team of ex-representative players who attend their national inter-provincial tournament each year. This is similar to the Golden Oldies type of competition. The Hawke’s Bay team has an honours board that is dedicated to all its deceased players.

He was a highly respected member of the Heretaunga Club (a workingmens club). Upon news of his death, the Heretaunga Club President spoke of “one of nature’s finest gentlemen.”

Final comment refers to Bill’s strict attitude to discipline. He was a very strict disciplinarian, his methods of retribution maybe bordering on severe. He had strong expectations of his children – they were to show the utmost respect to all those with whom they came in contact, in particular their Uncles and Aunties. These are traits that were readily taken on board by his children. 

Bill died in the recovery room of the Hastings Memorial Hospital from cardiac and respiratory failure following a hip replacement operation. He is buried at the Hastings Cemetery, Orchard Road in site Block Q, plot number 706, along with his wife Ngaire and two infant daughters Sandra and Vanessa.

SOME ENTRIES IN BILL’S AUTOGRAPH BOOK

YYURYYUB, ICURYY4ME   =   Too wise you are, too wise you be, I see you are too wise for me   

Here’s to Eve, the mother of us all, when clothes were few and a leaf covered all.
Here’s to Adam with his back against the wall.
There’s a good time coming when the leaves begin to fall.            
(J. Doug Patterson 27 Mar 1943)

Why is a shark like a woman?     
Because they both lie on their backs to get the bait

There is no fool like the fool who kicks the stones of his mistakes ahead, so that he may stumble over them again    
(W S Benton, Nurses Home, Masterton)

He was teaching her arithmetic, he said it was his mission

He kissed her once, he kissed her twice, he said “now that’s addition”

And so they added, smack for smack, till timidly she gave one back

And said “now that’s subtraction”

But Pa appeared, he raised his boot, and snorted with derision

He kicked poor John ten yards away, and said “that’s long division”

(signed Ngaire McCormack 9 Feb 1948 – “Junior”)

I’ve travelled all over the Pacific blue, and met many friends both old and new

But you my friend are by far the best, for you are quite different from all the rest

You greet each day with a smile so true, not letting one thing ever worry you

As the days and years pass all the while, I hope and pray you keep that smile

(signed A US Marine and Friend, P.F.C. William C. Pofahl, US Marine Corps)

The happiest moments of my life, were spent in the arms of another man’s wife

- my mother (signed Bill Patet from the US Destroyer Preston)