Kia Ora, Good Evening and Hello
It’s great to be at our reunion
with Clan Ayson cousins we know
Here what you’ll find that just blows your mind
Is that there are so many cuzzies
To meet and greet
So you take a seat
and the stories suddenly start to flow
and you find in family books and photos
cousins you didn’t even know.
Now whether we’re here from South or North
Or from across the ditch in Oz
We all know that we’re welcome here
Because because because
Whether you share the DNA
Or were smart and married in
Whether you are a familiar face
or a new one with a friendly grin
we are united in family stories
that go back to the past in Glenshee
then we move on to the Kiwi stories
that create bonds between you and me.
So Clan Ayson let’s meet again
We don’t know where
But you and I know when-
At the next reunion five years from now
Just make sure you’re there again.

Our 2023 reunion wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for our cousins on the Clan Ayson Committee and the reunion committee: Clan Chief Hugh, my sister Lindy Daniell who is the National Clan Secretary and Di Buchan. I have been on the organising committee for three school reunions, so I know about the challenges from personal experience. So thanks guys for hanging in there. We’re having an awesome time. Thanks for all the work you have put in.

How many New Zealanders have the privilege of waking up in the morning in the highland home of their Scottish ancestors? How many people have visited Corrydon, the Ayson family home in Glenshee? Thank you Alistair Buchan for the film you made about Corrydon we saw this morning, it brought back so many good memories. I was lucky enough to stay there in 2011.

The appearance of Corrydon has changed little since the Aysons left. The same winding drive leads up the hill to the white walled, two storey home. As we arrived it was a New Zealand farmer’s nightmare! I couldn’t believe how many rabbits came out to party silhouetted against in the late summer evening sun.

Part of the magic of the Corrydon experience was having someone to share it with. I was with Lindy and Garry Daniell. Another part of the magic was enjoying the ‘homing instinct’ and embracing the opportunities like allowing my imagination to wander back into nineteenth century Scotland as I gazed at the distant heather covered hills from the upstairs bedroom when I woke up in the morning.

What was it like to live there for Peter and Douglas Ayson and their ten children? In winter the land is often blanketed in snow. Just keeping the family warm would have been a daily issue. There was no gas, no electricity, no hot water no insulation. Internet opportunities to connect with the larger world and computer games were not even dreamed of.

Corrydon was advertised as sleeping five in three bedrooms. As the mother of eight children myself I marvelled at how my great-great-grandmother managed. I walked round the house asking questions like ‘ Douglas, where did all your ten kids sleep? Where did you store the food? How did you cook it?

I enjoyed exploring the old vegetable garden overrun by thistles, surrounded by a strong stone wall. I walked up the hill where I could listen to the gushing spring that provided fresh water for the family and sitting down to admire the glen below.

We walked down to the river where the Ayson kids would have fished and swum. We photographed the black faced sheep with their impressive curly horns and thick wool. I remembered reading in The Ayson Story that a good shearer could average twenty sheep a day back in the 1840’s.

We visited the little stone church where the family worshipped with their neighbours. As we wandered through the graveyard we recognised the surnames of families who were their friends.

In the evenings we shared beautifully cooked meals at the ‘Spittal’ hotel about a mile up the road where Douglas Lammond used to work before her marriage to Peter. Tartan wallpaper. Large framed pictures of Scottish battle scenes. As we walked in the door there was a notice which said:

"Unfortunately, during its 100-year history the Spittal has been burned down at least 15 times. However, our insurers have estimated the next burning will not occur before the year 2029 AD. Meantime travellers, come in and relax and take the best food in the Glen. A stranger ye come a friend ye shall depart."

Unfortunately, the insurers were wrong. 50 firemen couldn’t save the Spittal when it was burnt to the ground in 2014. We saw the remains in the fim this morning.

Mr Grant, the owner of the Spittal Hotel lent two coaches to the Ayson family in 1853 when they left for New Zealand.

It is special that the reunion committee chose Wharewaka as our reunion venue. It reminds us that all New Zealanders have ancestors who came here from somewhere else, whether it be by waka, ship or plane.

Wharewaka reminds us how the iwi of Otakou Marae, descended from Maori who had been living in the Otakou Peninsula for 700 years since the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, came to the rescue of the Aysons and the exhausted passengers on the Royal Albert in 1853. After a journey of nearly five months, the longest emigration journey in the world, the ship had to anchor in the Otago Heads because it couldn’t reach the port.

The iwi offered passengers on the Royal Albert a warm welcome, food and comfort. The Aysons never forgot it. I remember we made a special visit to Otakou Marae at the 150th reunion in 2003.

I know there will be people here who have been to many more Ayson reunions than I have.

The first big Ayson reunion was in 1953 not just to celebrate 100 years since Peter and Douglas and their family landed in Dunedin but also to remember Alexander and Joan Ayson and their family who arrived in 1856. Our reunions have always included the descendants of both families.

Is there anybody out there who was at the 1953 reunion 65 years ago, maybe as a child, when the clan celebrated 100 years of being in New Zealand? Could you wave your hand in the air?  

We were delighted to find on the night that two cousins, Ian Ayson and Les and Green had attended the first reunion in 1853 when they were children.

We have many reasons to remember the organisers of the 1953 reunion.

• They brought us together from all over the country.
• They published the history of the Ayson Clan in the book The Glenshee Story which you can now access on our Clan Ayson website.
This is the 20th Ayson reunion. At the 125th reunion in 1978, Di Buchan’s mother Dulcie led the singing. Tonight Di led the singing for our 170th reunion. Thanks Di.

I missed the 1990 reunion in Christchurch, but my dad, Graeme Ayson and my sister Lindy were there. Was anyone at the 1990 reunion? Give us a wave!

My first Clan Ayson reunion was at the Rotorua Racecourse in 1997.

Who was at the 150th reunion in Dunedin, Warepa and Balclutha in 2003. Could we have a wave from you guys?

Who was at the 2013 reunion in Dunedin? Give us a wave.

That was the reunion where the decision was made to set up an Ayson website and Hugh Francis was elected as our 9th Chief. He’s been our chief for 10 years. Thanks Hugh. Let’s show our appreciation!

My generation was taught little about New Zealand history. That has been changing. In 2023 we have a new History Curriculum. All New Zealanders are urged to learn as much as they can about who they are and where they came from. For us that includes our clan history.

Psychologists tell us that meaning in human life is grounded in stories. The stories families pass down from one generation to the next shape our sense of who we are and how we belong. They help us to reflect on where we are going. Our stories develop and sustain our sense of self.

We can be proud of being descended from families with a great work ethic. If you are a member of the Ayson family, we do not expect you to be a slacker. The Aysons did not run away from challenges. They worked hard to earn a living to support their families and to make a significant contribution to the communities in which they lived, particularly in Otago and Southland in agriculture, education and the Presbyterian Church.

When Peter and his eldest son Peter arrived at Warepa, they were the first settlers there. Father and son built the two-room hut that was the first home for the family.

Remember that the first two room home meant Mum and Dad and ten kids! So, it wasn’t long before an outside Maori whare was built as a dormitory where the sons could sleep. Everybody in the family worked on the farm growing crops and breeding merinos so that over original 50 acres grew to 800 acres.

Some years later, Peter and his sons built a much larger two-storied family home using pit sawn timber from the nearby bush. In 1867 Governor Sir George Grey visited Corydon and after experiencing their Highland hospitality continued on his way to Clutha Ferry.

Imagine the challenges of building a two storied home. They couldn’t just rock on up to Bunnings or Mitre 10 to order the timber. First the trees needed to be cut down. Then the branches had to be cut away.

Then people had to dig a deep pit in the ground. Planks or logs were placed over the pit that were strong enough to bear the weight of the tree to be sawn. A line would be drawn longitudinally by a string dipped in dye or whitewash. stretched tightly between two nails. One man would jump down to the bottom of the pit and the other man would be at top standing on the log and they would have to cut through the timber using a long two-handed saw.

The man on the top had to make sure the saw ran along the line. No easy task. But what a workout! No need for going to the gym back then! Their pecs, abs and biceps must have been terrific after sawing for hours day after day.

The Aysons valued education. They built schools and served on school committees. In the early days from Monday to Friday the church was used as a school, and for divine service in the weekends. Then Peter Ayson and his son James built the first school at Warepa and the school master’s residence.

The Ayson family were people of faith. As Bible believing Presbyterians, they believed that God revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ and He is the anchor of our existence. They lived in a time when church and community were closely intertwined. The Aysons built churches, and they led the singing. Peter Ayson cut the timber and built the first Presbyterian church at Warepa. And not only that. The Ayson family understood the benefits of creative recycling. Some years later their first house was recycled as the first manse for the first Presbyterian minister at Warepa.

When the first Presbyterian Communion Service was held at the Shaw home in Finegand, the Aysons were there. They had to walk 9 miles from Warepa to get to Finegand and the people from South Clutha had to walk 12 miles to get there. Few people owned horses and walking was quicker than bullock sledge.

Everybody bought their own Bible. After the service they shared girdle scones, Bannock bread and oat cake as they enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of dissecting and discussing the sermon which they expected would be an hour long. Today we can be connected to the latest world class scholarship about Christianity at the flick of a podcast switch on our computers.

Douglas Ayson didn’t have access to a supermarket. We know that on many occasions she had to grind wheat into flour before she could entertain visitors. At other times visitors and family helped her with the grinding. People understood the importance of helping each other out.

Douglas had a reputation for excellent home-made cheese. Scones and cheese were a Sunday tea special. Cheesemaking was an honoured family tradition in Alexander’s family as well. Joan Ayson was a great cheese maker as were her descendants.

David and Margaret Doull with 100 cows were the largest suppliers to the Wyndham Dairy Factory. Their four daughters milked 25 cows each twice a day. In 1889 the Doulls established a Private Dairy Factory at “The Crescent.” They won many prizes for their cheeses and butter at A&P Summer and Winter Shows. We have two Doull descendants here today?

Pioneer women helped each other out. Whenever they visited each other, they would take a thimble with them and while they enjoyed each other’s company they would help each other with the mending, Many hands make light work.

Peter’s brother, Alexander Ayson arrived in Tokomairiro in 1856. When you visit Tokomairiro High School in Milton 55 kilometres south of Dunedin, his photograph with a special plaque is in the foyer to honour him and to remember that he got the school started way back in 1856. When he arrived was no school. He started with ten pupils in a disused dairy. Another case of creative recycling! And he not only taught Monday to Friday but on Saturday mornings as well. For those who were too old to attend day classes or had missed out on their education, night classes were offered. He also taught his kids and his wife Joan helped him at the school. Teaching back then was a real roller coaster experience. One year later 140 students were enrolled but the average attendance was 34. That makes lesson planning a nightmare! It’s not rocket science. Truancy affects learning. So did the gold rushes.

Tokomairiro is not far from Gabriel’s Gully where gold was discovered in 1861, Alexander suddenly found his classroom almost empty because the kids had left for the goldfields with their parents. He even went there for a short time, until he was persuaded, he would be better off back teaching.

The following year in 1862 the school roll was back up to almost 100 and Alexander was the only teacher. Imagine what it was like to rock on up to work in the morning and be expected to teach almost 100 students?

As time moved on and the descendants of those first Ayson pioneers married and had families, they moved all over New Zealand and overseas. If you want to find out what they got up to, a great place to start is the Clan Ayson website. That’s another thing we have to thank the Clan for so a don’t forget to pay your subs!

My hope for the younger members of our clan is that you will experience Clan Ayson as a special extended family. If we had our DNA test done, we would find that our genes show that we are descended from those early Aysons who came out to New Zealand way back in 1853 and 1856.

But just a word of advice about DNA tests. My first DNA experience was ‘personally traumatic!’ A few years ago, My Heritage was offering a special offer on DNA tests. Two for the price of one. That’s a good deal for Scottish lads and lasses! My sister decided to get one for herself and give me the other one for Christmas. I was a bit of a slacker. She had hers done first. When she rang me to tell me the results, I thought she was just about to climb down the phone in frustration.

Here she was the National Secretary of Clan Ayson and according to My Heritage, despite all our family evidence, she had very little Scottish ancestry, like we’re talking about 5% and as a bonus she had acquired an unexpected brother, which was me! I thought I better hurry up and get my test done. When the results came back, I was even more frustrated than her because I had even less Scottish ancestry.

Now, I am a family researcher. I can wear three tartans. I had evidence that Scottish blood was flowing through my veins not just from the Aysons but from Clan Mackay on my grandmother’s side and Clan Caradus from Clan Caruthers on my mother’s side. I knew some family members had jumped the fence and married English people, but I could not accept I only had about 5% Scottish ancestry, so I decided to get a second opinion. I am so glad I did. I did an Ancestry.com DNA test, and not only did it confirm my strong Scottish ancestry, but I gained another Scottish family I did not know about. So, I just thought I should reassure you that I am the real deal! And Lindy is allowed to wear the tartan!

So for the younger members of the clan here’s something you can use for the new Social Studies and History curriculum at school.

A Scottish clan can trace its history, culture and traditions back to particular areas of Scotland. In our case to the Highlands of Scotland near Glenshee. Just like a Maori iwi, a Maori tribe, can trace its culture and traditions back to particular areas in Aotearoa New Zealand. Each clan has its our own tartan, motto, clan plant, badges and broaches which are all sources of Clan pride.

Scotland has smaller clans who are part of bigger clans. The Ayson Clan is part of the big MacIntosh Clan. A bit like Maori have iwi and hapu.

Scottish clans have a chief just like Maori iwi have a chief. Hugh Francis is Clan Chief Number 9. Hugh used to be in the Air Force so when we had our clan reunion in Gore in 2018 it was great to have him out at the Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre at the old Mandeville Airfield to tell us all about the planes.

In the old days the clan chief had a loyal armed force on which he could rely should the need arise. Today we are not armed but we still need to stick together, to be loyal and to back up our chief. That includes paying our subs and even making an outrageous gesture and making a donation!

In the old days in Scotland it was the chief who led the clan into battle when there was a fight with another clan who was trying to invade their territory. The members of the clan would become warriors in an army to defend their territory against an invading clan. It was a bit like that in the musket wars in New Zealand in the 1830s where tribes would go to war against each other for territorial reasons.

Clans would sometimes overcome their differences and join together to fight England at different times when it was trying to take over Scotland. The most famous occasion was at the Battle of Culloden when warrior woman Lady MacIntosh, who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie, led the McIntosh forces into the Battle of Culloden against the English in another war for Scottish independence.

I often wear my clan badge. And you know the great thing about it ladies? You can wear it with anything. It has led to all sorts of conversations. Time and time again my clan badge has been a bridge that turns strangers into friends.

“What’s that broach you’re wearing?”
“It’s my McIntosh clan badge. I’m an Ayson.”
“Oh so your family is from Scotland? So’s mine. I’m a McLeod. I’m a McDonald. I’m a McKay. I’m a Carruthers and so on. Then the conversation starts to flow.

As Witi Ihimaera once said,

I am the people who came before me
I am the people who will come after me
although I die
the pattern will not be broken.

A shared Scottish DNA binds us together.
A shared Scottish spirit binds us together

Get to know as many people as you can. Enjoy yourselves. We want to see you at the next Ayson Clan in five years’ time.