1955 Aug Robert Bell Cole

1955 Aug Robert Bell Cole's letter written in Te Kuiti to Kathleen Corkey Merockbrun House

Mrs Kathleen Corkey
Merockbrun
Knockbreda Rd
Belfast
Ireland

Box 88
Te Kuiti
New Zealand
21st August 1955

Dear Kathleen,

The Diamond Wedding of Robert (Bob) Bell Cole and Blanche Burley 1895 - 1955

You mentioned paving stones I am afraid I'm a worse sinner for our 60th diamond wedding day was 24th July and oh what a day it was. I must say I dreaded it before it came off. We have had the wettest and coldest winter for years but that day July 24th was perfect sunny and bright and one of the happiest of my life. 5 Ritchies and 2 Bassetts all mother's relatives. She was born in Portaferry on Strangford Lough, her mother a McMurray was sister to Mr Thomas Ritchie's wife and he was father to the Thomas came out to.

2 of her brothers were Dr's and her only son John was a Dr with the East India Co and then in the regular army for 21 years the army took over the East India Co at the time of the mutiny. There was an unholy row between the families of which I don't know much as I was very young. I don't think your father was even born at the time. The row was about the farm at Clontivrin which was bought for Granddad and Grandma Coates and a good deal of Dad's money was involved but he had to buy from Uncle Coates.

Norman Whyte my brother David's brother in law could not find any more than I knew of the old mill and I am making further enquiries. None of Mrs Whyte's artist friends ever heard of J Carabain, he may have been Australian or an English tourist. I will let you know if I hear anything.

Now I will post ordinary mail a paper our local ????er with an account of our anniversary etc and some photos of the crowd. Mac has a goldfish pond in front of his house and one of our great-grands fell in right in the midst of our rejoicing and some of the crowd laughed and he scowled and screamed at them all. Oh and we got 50 ft of film taken it is going to Thelma in Canada and she will post it to Noeline's sister in England and then you are to have it and post back here for us to keep.

I never knew much of the Herringtons they were brother David's friends but the grandfather of the lady you met was a 1st cousin of Dads. I (through David) sent that whalebone stick home to Ireland by him and sis brought it out when she came and I have it yet
Love
Uncle Bob

Notes
It is quite likely but unconfirmed that Robert Bell Cole is talking of the artist below He also painted in Australia and Auckland Art Gallery has a painting called "Queen Street"

Jacques Francois Carabain 1834 - 1907

Jacques Francois Carabain was a Dutch artist recognised for his paintings of street scenes. He was born in Amsterdam in 1834 and died a naturalised Belgian in Brussels 1907. Carabain was a student of Doyer and V. Bing at the Amsterdam School of Fine Art and continued his studies in Brussels. He also spent periods abroad in France, Italy, Germany and Austria before moving permanently to Belgium. His paintings were highly detailed studies of the places he visited often containing active street scenes busy with colourful people amongst accurately recorded buildings.