Anna Franziska McLennan

Anna and Dick lived at Tahakopa.

Anna did not have an easy married life as on the death of her father-in-law Dick took over the family farm, his mother Sarah (nee Robertson) remained in the house and lived there until her death in 1945.

Her grandchildren remember her as strict and with strong principles.

Anna was easier going but she had a busy life knitting for all the family and helping out with outdoor activities. She trapped and caught opposums and rabbits and stretched the skins of all the rabbits caught by male members of the family.

Anna loved sport and took part in womens' events associated with bushcraft, she was pretty useful with both axe and saw and acquitted herself well in chopping events for women competitors.

To give birth to her babies she always went to Nurse Dunlop's nursing home in Owaka.

The story is told (by a fellow female patient) how during one such waiting time a tree had grown to cast a shadow that kept sun and light out of the nursery, Nurse Dunlop remarked that it would have to come down and in a very shrot time Anna appeared with a cross-cut saw and the tree was brought down smartly.

Anna's last visit to Owaka Hospital was to give birth to a small son on 17 September 1950 who lived only a few hours and was not given a name.

Anna had a great disposition and extarcted much pleasure from life, she loved music and enjoyed the occassional dance even when over eighty years of age.

On retiring to Kaka Point where she lived in a cottage alongside the Presbyterian Church and became a regular attendee at services.

She also enjoyed cards; in her final few years when living at Kaka Point she had a regular crib contest several times a day with an elderly man who visited her.

Fairly late in life Anna mastered the skills of car driving which gave her some independence for a few years.