May Doreen Spiers (nee Ayson) 1904 - 2000
Daughter of Charles Ayson, Granddaughter of Lake Falconer and Great Granddaughter of Peter.
May's early years were spent at Hakataramea where her father was in charge of the Salmon Hatchery under the direction of Lake Ayson.
In May's words "I lived with the sound of the river - and its changing moods." As a privileged only child hers was a truly splendid isolation. May said "The fish were her playmates - I used to swim with them - bathing suits never got as far as the Haka, not when I was there anyway. I used to lie on my back and the fish came onto my hands, they went through my hair and they tried to get into my mouth, and they got that way I only had to walk to the pond and they came splashing. Eventually they knew my shadow. They would not rise for anyone else, not even my mother." In modern language May was a fish whisperer.
Lake and Charles worked tirelessly to establish a major hatchery bringing fish from all over the world to the Haka. Such was the family commitment to their fish that the entire three generations of Aysons were involved simultaneously in the hatchery business.
If Lake was not overseas sometimes accompanied by Charlie, arranging for new brood stock to be shipped back to New Zealand, then both were up in the high country releasing fish for their cycle to the sea and back.
During their absence May's mother Bea and May insured that the operation at Haka continued to run.
In 1925 May married Stanley George Spiers and lived in Port Chalmers. Her two sons are Chris and Stan.
It was an honour for May that in April 1983 she was invited to the open days of the Glenariffe Salmon Research Station in Mid Canterbury.
At May's funeral her nephew Jim Spiers said in his eulogy that May was magnificent at pouring oil on troubled waters and through all the years she stuck to her animals, her friends, her religion and her God.
Acknowledgement.
The Ayson Story - Glenshee to Otago - 1853 - 2000