The Family life of Rodney Cameron

While working at Matapihi, Rodney got engaged to Alison Binns, but it wasn’t until about 3 months after they he was working in Tokoroa, that they got married.  They were married 26th July 1958, and share the same wedding anniversary as Rodney’s Grandparents.  Alison and Rodney stayed in Tokoroa for about 2 and a half years before moving back to Rangitumau where Rodney worked for Trevor Wilton.

During this time his father Ronald sold his farm and bought another one on Farm Road in Waipukurau.  Rodney and his father farmed in partnership fo the next 5 years.  After 5 years, Ronald wanted to retire and as a result of that and other reasons, the farm was sold, after which Rondey worked for 15 months in Maxwell, just outside Wanganui.

Rodney and his family then settled in Ohingaiti where they stayed for nearly 30 years.  They first leased a 62 acre block across the river in May 1967.

The family moved to Ohingaiti Village in 1972 as their daughter Marianne started High School.  They first shifted into Shirley McNight’s cottage, then Alison and Rodney re-opened the Ohingaiti Tearooms, where they lived until they sold again on Queens Birthday weekend in 1974. After they sold the tearooms they returned to the cottage, and leased it for six years or so.

As they were 5 miles from the nearest school bus, they were able to get a driving allowance for their car.  Also Marianne got her license at 15 and first took, her brothers, Allan and Bruce, along with 2 other children to the High School bus.  When Marianne went to Teachers College in Palmerston North, Allan got his license the drove the car.

There son Allan went off to the Airforce when he was 17, and Rodney started to build the family home in August 1979 on a section where the Presbyterian Church used to be.  There son Bruce also left school in 1979, and did some casual work in the district going on to some shearing right up into the mid 1980s.