It turned out Irene, a dedicated local historian and genealogist who contributed "an enormous amount to the retention and promotion of the history of Taradale", had already transcribed much of the diaries.
"In fact, wherever we went on our journey we would find Mrs Lister had been there before us. We even learned that ATL only had the film because she had insisted they purchase a copy from the Mitchell Library in Sydney which holds all of Philip's material. So, in many ways Mrs Lister is the quiet hero of the whole project."
The result is a substantial body of work with insights into the history of Taradale and wider Hawke's Bay during the 1870s, she says. The project has revealed a vivid day-to-day account of life in Waipawa, Napier and Taradale in the 1870s.
"It mentions the names of many of the early European settlers of the area. It also records local events and proceedings, ships and immigrants."
Alison says the project took as long as it did due to the impact of Covid-19 both here and in Australia, where some of the information they were interested in is housed.
"The Anderson family descendants in Australia were also interested in our research and provided further insight into Philip's later life in Sydney. The most difficult aspect of the whole project was deciphering his handwriting."
FOTL members Ann Lanigan, Barbara Billington, Kathleen Cocking, Alison Morrison and Susan Siddles transcribed the diaries. Sue did most of the research, with Alison helping when time allowed.
"Sue and I had many conversations trying to get to the bottom of Philip's family situation. We were also greatly helped by Gail Pope and Cathy Dunn from the MTG, Jill King from the Waiapu Cathedral Archives, Robyn Delany from All Saints Church Archives, Jana Uhlirova from Central Hawke's Bay Settlers Museum and Fiona Gray from National Library, who also undertook considerable research on our behalf."
The group, which welcomes new members at any time, met up for the project on an "as needed" basis, at first meeting quite regularly, but later on more infrequently, Alison says.
"Once the transcriptions were done it was more Sue and I trying to find out who Philip was, and that was a very time-consuming rabbit hole."
The project also dovetailed into the purchase of a new cabinet, bought by the FOTL with a donation from the Tamatea Community Church, to rehouse the Irene Lister Taradale Historic Collection in a secure but accessible place.
"This also serves as a memorial to the contributions of Bob Twaddle and Julie Beech, founder members of FOTL and without whose efforts the Taradale Library might not have survived."
Sue says the project grew to include further research into Philip's early life in England, his later church appointments in Akaroa and Christchurch, and included his own reminiscences written in later life.
"We all became increasingly curious about this man. We all just wanted to figure his family situation out, and, sadly, we didn't manage to. Sue also made contact with the Australian descendants of Philip's second marriage who, while they were no closer to solving the mystery than we were, did shed considerable light on some of his history and character."
Philip was 25 when he took up his post at All Saints Church in 1873. He had been living in the Waipawa area and started keeping a diary in 1871.
"They were not 'diaries' as we would understand the word, but blank books where Philip would just write as much or as little as he wanted, and he also wrote the days and dates in too."
Philip was born in 1848 and baptised in Bethnal Green, London. His father was variously listed on documents as an officer serving in the East India Company and a Clerk in Holy Orders with EIC.
"It appears his father died there in 1858. We never found a marriage between his parents, nor could we locate his mother reliably on any record. His only known sibling, Madge, was born three years after Philip and they were both baptised on the same day. Philip never mentioned either of his parents, except when two rings from his father arrived after his first marriage to Kate."
Philip left England in 1865, when he was 16, and travelled alone to New Zealand on the Ulcoats. He had been a sickly boy and was advised by a doctor to take a long sea voyage "for his health". His "uncle", Octavius Bousfield, was a surveyor in Hawke's Bay and the letter informing Octavius that Philip was coming arrived on the same ship.
"He wrote in the diaries of various aunts and uncles that he corresponded with, but these appeared mainly to be the Bousfield family."
He maintained a close relationship with Madge, even though he never saw her again after emigrating to New Zealand, and they often wrote to each other.
"Madge later married and emigrated to America and Philip was godfather to her son. She died in 1882, at 31, and he was devastated."
Alison believes the parish Philip presided over numbered in the hundreds, with Taradale, Puketapu and Meeanee at its hub. Its boundaries were from the southern end of St John's Parish in Napier to Waitangi Bridge, along the Ngaruroro River to Kuripapango, up to the Mohaka River and back down to the northern boundary of St John's Parish.
"There would have been many more farmers and homesteaders, and every month Philip would do the 'rounds' by horse. On one occasion, he was summoned to attend a dying child at a remote station, a round trip of 60 miles by horse."
Philip would hold a service each Sunday in Taradale, Meeanee and Puketapu and would either walk or ride between each of the services. In the later years Rymer's coaches made life easier, especially between Taradale, Meeanee and Napier.
"Once the Taradale Road and bridge were built in 1873, it made travel times a lot quicker. It wasn't perfect, though, with frequent floods proving a problem. On one occasion the bridge was taken out by flooding, which meant travel to Napier had to be by Meeanee again."
Alison says one of the biggest differences between life for Philip and that of the present day was how a minister was paid.
"In Philip's day the vicar was paid by parishioners through a stipend, so if they didn't like him, they could basically starve him out. This in the end is what they did for Philip, following a dispute with another cleric. Even though Philip was later shown to be in the right, the townspeople had sided against him."
Alison says the group experienced "the sheer complexity" of the task ahead of them, with all the minute details of life back then — "and the way something we thought would be straightforward became just so different and interesting".
"We have gained such an understanding of life in those times, and developed enormous compassion and respect for all they went through, trying to build a new and better life. Human emotions have never changed, and nor has human behaviour, so there are no saints here, but that is probably what has been so compelling. Though unknown to us, they are not strangers. And also the lengths we went to trying to work his family situation out. That has been the one lingering frustration, but maybe someone will turn over the right stone at some stage."
■ The Taradale Library houses a substantial collection of local history material including books, newspapers and photographs. Anyone interested in early Napier and Taradale history will find references to many people and events.
