Last member of early settler family dies | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

IT is the end of an era with the passing of Roy Morris late last month.

He was the only surviving member of a family who were among the first settlers in the Masterton area.

The Morris family had a long and colourful history in Wairarapa, as farmers, soldiers, sportspeople and dedicated members of community groups.

Morris Road, off Watson's Road in Te Ore Ore, bears the family name as a lasting reminder of the family whose hard work made a great contribution to the Wairarapa region.

Roy was the last of nine brothers and sisters and died aged 85.

He fought in North Africa, where he was taken prisoner by the Italian forces during World War II.

He was sent to Italy where he escaped from a prisoner of war camp, and hid out in the countryside with the help of Italian peasants.

He was awarded the Gold Star by the RSA for service over and above the call of duty.

Roy played with the Wairarapa junior rugby representatives in 1938-39.

In his later years he moved to Masterton from the farm on Morris Road. He is described by his nephew Joe Percy, who also lives on a farm in the Te Ore Ore area, as a generous man who was always trekking out to visit people at hospital with RSA or friends in the region.

He and his wife Aisne, whom he married at the age of 53, did not have children, though they had many relatives who remained close.

After the war, Roy worked at Fagan Motors for 40 years as a service manager.

His grandfather, Joseph Morris, was a also a representative rugby player, playing for Wairarapa in the 1893 team, which featured three members of New Zealand's first-ever NZFRU touring team to Australia.

He is described in the book, Early Wairarapa by Charles Bannister, as a "champion wheat sower", able to sow 25 acres a day and make a good job of it too.

Bannister described Joseph Morris as the father of stacking (grain), teaching the other farmers the art of building a stack to stand in the wind and rain.

"No doubt the farming community had a lot for which to thank Mr Morris," he wrote.