John "Jack" Gibbins ²

   Cause of his death was Paralysis Agitans and Carcinoma of Colon Asthenia.

  General Notes:

John always attributed his erect bearing to the fact that as a child, he used to march with the army band to carry the music (his father was the army bandmaster).
It is thought that he moved from Auckland to the Northern Wairoa to start a new life after three of his brothers died.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: bushman, Between 1890 and 1896, Northern Wairoa, Northland, NZL. ⁶

• Occupation: sawyer, Between 1896 and 1909, Northern Wairoa, Northland, NZL. John worked in the Kauri Timber Company's sawmills at Tatarariki, Aratapu and Te Kopuru and continued to do so for 13 years after marrying Catherine.

• Occupation: Farmer, Between 1909 and 1918, Tatarariki, Northern Wairoa. ⁷ In 1909 the family shifted from Te Kopuru to Tatararaki and leased the farm belonging to Mary Catherine's eldest brother, Robert, who had recently died and whose family subsequently shifted to Auckland. Mary, John and family continued to run the farm while John was still at the timber mills, their aim being to save enough money to buy their own farm.
There was a well at the Tatarariki homestead that proved useful in dry weather, and kerosene lanterns and candles lighted the house. A pony and trap were used when the family needed to collect mail or groceries from Te Kopuru. A small school was situated across the road from the farm and the schoolmaster usually boarded with the Gibbins family. The cows were milked by milking machines run from a large generator, the milk separated, skim being fed to pigs and the cream churned in a large hand-powered butter churn for sale to the local storekeeper.

• Occupation: Dairy farmer, 1919, Tikinui, Northern Wairoa, Northland, , , NZL. In 1919, Mary and John Gibbins decided to buy a farm at Tikinui. The elder son, Stan, and the youngest daughter, Alice, helped work on the farm while the three other daughters went out to work, (Bob still being a schoolboy.) Mary trained as a teacher and taught at Rapu, while Ruby and Rhoda worked for a time at the boarding house owned by the Montgomery family at Arapohue.
While farming at Tikinui, the Gibbins family sold the gum-digging rights on the farm to a Dalmatian family named Erceg, who dug out the gum and then restored the paddocks for farm use.

• Living, 1926, Tikinui, Northern Wairoa, Northland, , , NZL. ⁸

Jack married Mary Catherine Vincent, daughter of Robert Vincent and Fanny Millis, on 17 Mar 1896 in Arapohue, Northern Wairoa, Northland, NZ.¹ (Mary Catherine Vincent was born on 31 Jan 1872 in Thames, Coromandel, NZ,⁹ died on 27 Jun 1923 in Auckland, New Zealand ¹⁰ and was buried on 29 Jun 1923 in Arapohue, Northern Wairoa, Northland, NZ ¹¹.). The cause of her death was Carcinoma Asthenia of Bowel (over 6 months).

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage was at Mary Catherine's eldest brother's farm.
The Northern Wairoa River dominated the lives of the Gibbins family in many ways. They had a launch named 'The Swallow' that was used for fishing, to take cans of cream over to the dairy factory, and also to ferry the family across the river.
When there was a dance on in the area the young family members put on their best clothes, being careful to carry the dancing shoes and to hitch clothing up clear of any river in mud. Then gumboots were donned, and they clambered in to the launch for the river crossing. Stan often acted as M.C. at these functions. After the dance it was back into gumboots again for the return river crossing. Dodging mud being part of the fun.
Music was also important, with the home having a gramophone and piano. Alice taught Bob a few simple tunes on the piano when he was very young, which must have kindled his interest in music, for it was a lifetime interest for him in later life. Rhoda also plays the piano well.