My poppa - Mum's dad
He was born in Mt Albert, Auckland, New Zealand. As a child, his house had 5 bedrooms and there were five people living in the house which meant that he got his own bedroom and didn’t have to share with anyone. He did not have any siblings but his grandparents lived with them in their household when he was a child. My poppa had many hobbies when he was younger, some of these included playing outside, building boats by the river, and playing sports such as rugby and softball.
His ancestors and family came to New Zealand by boat from Scotland and England. It was his father that came from Scotland and his great grandparents on his mother’s side that came from England. The Sandison name is Scottish and means the Sun of Sandy. They form part of the Gunn Clan. Click here to learn more about the Gunn Clan. This is their crest:
My poppa doesn't have a religion and religion has no impact on his life.
His earliest memory that he had was of his childhood in Auckland and the pets/animals they had. These pets/animals were chickens, a goat and a dog. Their dog was a collie named Mac.
In 1969, my poppa married my nana, Raewynne. Throughout the following years, together they had 3 children, my two uncles, Kane and Bevan, and my mum, Kara.
From top to bottom, left to right: Bill (poppa), Bevan (uncle), Kara (mum), Raewynne (nana), Kane (uncle).
When asked about his mum he had a lot of great things to say about her. One of these being that she received a Queens Service Medal. He was very proud of her for receiving that honour. His mother got it because she did a lot of unpaid work in the community which included many things. One of the things she did was helping people who were sick by cleaning their houses and doing other things they were not able to do. Another thing he remembers about her was the fact that during Christmas she would bake a cake for not only her own family but also a second one for a Maori family that she was helping to look after. My poppa thought that this was a lovely thing she did and he would help her out every time. His father was a Scotsman who loved to play the accordion
His grandparents who lived with them were farmers and his other grandmother was a school teacher. He said that all the girls wanted to talk to his grandmother when she was a teacher because she was relatable, very understanding and would help them out with anything they needed. My poppa loved this trait that she had possessed.
