Reed, 1952. Dustwrapper has repaired tears.

this is the story of such a family as told by the son of pioneer settlers, Bob and Bella Lyon. In the 1850s Bob, dissatisfied with conditions in Lancashire, emigrated to NZ, leaving his wife Bella and their two young boys, to join them after three years seperation. Separation was not an uncommon practice and the story includes the problems each faced in that time. A reasonably settled life in Wellington was established and the family followed the normal pattern for new settlers.Their hopes, aspirations, disappointments, difficulties and their devotion to their children, while dealing with their own problems, before achievieng the better life they sought by leaving thier homeland, are recalled, with much of interest about early Wellington, the surrounding districts and the daily life and times of a pioneer family unit. Giving the book a second dimension is an interestinmg section on gold mining, based on the personal experiences of the author who also. worked in the bush, contracting and clearing native forest to develop land for farming. Thus the book is presented in three parts --- Faring South, Gold Mining and The Kokopu. While the main section is a reconstruction of the pioneering lives to Bob and Bella, the experiences of the author cover a later stage of pioneering in the young.colony.