Dannevirke: McNicol reunion brings 50 family members together

Four generations of McNicols and Motts totalling over 50 members held a family reunion in Dannevirke.

A recent reunion of Dannevirke’s McNicol family was triggered by the realisation, after the deaths of two cousins, that the family only got together at funerals.

It was a far cry from the days when Waiaruhe couple Jim and Lottie McNicol’s four children, and 18 subsequent grandchildren, used to regularly get together at Christmases and birthdays.

In memory of Jim and Lottie McNicol.

When two of the family, Lynn and Wendy, died in the past two years, grand-daughter Deidre and her siblings decided it was a shame to come together only as a family to funerals and they decided to organise a celebration so the family members could meet and get to know each other.

The celebration was held for the youngest McNicol generation.

Four of the now-adult grandchildren are resident in Australia – Peter, Ian, Kyle and Tim - but the other eight – Gary, Deidre, Glenn, David, Brent, Murray (Beatle), Suzie and Angie and the Mott cousins - met at the Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club recently for lunch.

The McNicol and Mott cousins present at the reunion.

The club was decorated with a memory board of pictures stretching the full width of the bar, as well as memorabilia like the lolly tin which Lottie always insisted the children should partake of before they could go out to play, along with Jim’s racing mementos which brought back many memories.

The history of the McNicol family has been traced back to the 1600s by Deidre, and she is happy for the latest generations to see it to establish their links to the past as well as the present.