Emily Catherine Wareing was born in Temuka, on 29 March 1874, to Joseph and Margaret Wareing.

She married James Whelan on 27 April 1897 at St Joseph’s Church in Temuka and they had two children – James (1898-1964) and Eileen in (1899-1983).  Unfortunately after only six years of marriage James Whelan passed away on 9 March 1903 at the age of 28.

Thomas (Tom) John Brosnan was born in Gum Flat, Cooma in New South Wales, Australia on 9 January 1869, to Patrick and Mary Anne Brosnan.

Tom emigrated to New Zealand in 1903 and married Emily Whelan on 11 October 1904 at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Dunedin.

In approximately 1905 Tom and Emily moved to Marlborough and lived in Andrew St in Blenheim.

Tom was working as a hairdresser in Market St and it is in Blenheim that they extended their family (in addition to Emily’s two children from her first marriage).  They have two children – Monica Kathleen (1906-1983) and Thomas Herbert (1907-1988).

In September 1908 Tom takes over the Grovetown Hotel in Blenheim, however, he is only involved with its operation for three months because business was poor and “the expenses of the hotel heavy”.

The family left Blenheim, moved to Naseby and by the end of 1908 took over the Ancient Briton Hotel.  It was while they were in Naseby that my grandmother Emily Margaret Brosnan (1909-1984) was born.

Business was again very slow, and by the end of 1909 they had lost too much money, the debts of running the hotel forcing Tom into bankruptcy.

The family moved to Dunedin and Tom bought an existing hairdressing and tobacco shop in Caversham. This allowed him to pay off some of his debt and helped rebuild his fortunes.  The family is completed with the arrival of Eric Maurice (1912-1965), John (1914-1988) and Raymond Francis (1917-1977).

Monica is at the back, Grandma Emily on the left, Thomas on the right, and in the front is Eric and John.

In Dunedin they lived first at 134 King Edward St (by Cargills Corner), and then spent approximately nine years at 52 Fitzroy St.  From the late 1920’s they shifted across the road to 63 Fitzroy St and from there the family slowly diminish over the next two decades.

Thomas passed away on 17 June 1935 at the age of 67 and is buried at the Andersons Bay Cemetery (Block 129. Plot 2).  Emily stayed at Fitzroy St for the next 15 years until she too passed away on 6 September 1950.  She had suffered for years with arteriosclerosis and more recently with hemiplegia but it was bronchopneumonia that finally caused her death at the age of 76.