I was recently asked by a Scottish cousin if I could find out what happened to his uncle Roddy McKenzie who went to Australia and lost touch with his Scottish family. Roddy or Roderick MCKENZIE was the middle of five children born to Angus McKENZIE and Margaret GIBBONS. He was born on 2nd February, 1910 … Read more Finding Roddy
When I was just 23 years old, I booked my one way ticket from Australia to Europe. Granted it was back in the days before email, but I could keep in touch with my family through mail and, if necessary, very expensive phone calls. There was also the thought that I would eventually return home … Read more One Way Ticket
In October 1906 the HMS Sparrow was stripped of her armament and commissioned as the Training Ship Amokura (a red-tailed tropical bird), she was no longer a warship but a New Zealand government funded training vessel. In February 1907 she was transferred to the Marine Department to prepare young New Zealanders for either the naval … Read more Angus John McKenzie and the “Amokura”