THE BOMBAY – THE REBUILD

With the recent 160th celebration of the settlers arriving to Auckland on board the Bombay, it is time for a much needed rebuild and revamp of this website paying homage to our treasured ancestors.

Through their actions and fortitude, we have a heritage we should forever be proud of, never forget and most importantly have an obligation to share for few generations.

It is of course not the first time Bombay has needed a refit. After the voyage to Auckland, she suffered terrible damage and was given a complete overhaul before she could put to sea again later that year. Her return journey via Calcutta was with a cargo of wounded British Soldiers from the Māori wars and their families.

What can you expect?

As you may know the intention was always to make a book of the collected information, a reimagining and updating of “They came by ship”. The reasoning behind this is simple: –

Paper and books have been around for hundreds of years, they last and are treasured. A website remains up as long as it is hosted, who knows how long I will live (I hope not forever) and with the rate of technological progress and innovations will we even have Web pages in fifty years’ time… Or even ten, twenty?

So, it is obvious… For our personal history to have a decent chance of being remembered, then a physical format of some kind or other is the only guarantee that this will happen.

With that in mind and being the ultimate goal this website will need to be reworked and rewritten with the layout, subject and content of what is envisioned to be in the book, as well as saving it in hardcopy written form for its eventual distribution.

At the very least in written form it can be sent free as a word or PDF document for anyone interested to print and keep… At best, we will have a beautiful hardcopy book to add to our family heirlooms.

In Conclusion: How can you help?

When pages and family information is updated, please check and advise of any editorial mistakes.

If you have information, please share, no matter how trivial (It could be a piece of information that helps me verify something else or provide a helpful clue)

If you have input or ideas to content, layout or anything else related please feel free to share. Your opinion matters!

And finally… These are YOUR ancestors, any contribution in time, advice or comment is always welcome.

THE FUTURE?

Do we want to restart and reenergize… Even reformat the annual picnic the settlers celebrated each year? For over a hundred years they thought it worthwhile cause, yet now it’s a forgotten, sad shadow of an event.

Do we want to start a social group (online or gasp!!! in person) to share and unite our collective past, but more importantly celebrate our future? I think our ancestors would be proud.

Do we occasionally want to organize a working bee, locating a grave and cleaning it, laying a flower, or simply touching it and remembering them for just a minute, or even visiting sites they once walked or lived?

or….? Anything else you care to think about or suggest

I hope everyone is having a blessed day and I hope you all have a great year.