Tisdall family to gather

Middlemarch farmer Davie Tisdall with his grandchildren Zara Tisdall (5, left) and Ellie...
Middlemarch farmer Davie Tisdall with his grandchildren Zara Tisdall (5, left) and Ellie Templeton (7) who will be attending the Tisdall family reunion in Middlemarch in February. Photo supplied.
There was a time in Middlemarch when locals reckoned you could kick a tussock and either a rabbit or a member of the Tisdall family would jump out.

Such was the prolific number of the family in the area.

About 200 direct descendants of Henry and Minnie Tisdall will celebrate the 120th anniversary of their family's arrival in the township, by holding a reunion on February 6-7.

Henry was the youngest of the nine children of James and Sarah Tisdall, who sailed to Port Chalmers on Vicksburg in 1868, from County Wicklow, Ireland.

In 1885, they moved to Middlemarch and established Avoca Terrace Farm, which was named after the Vale of Avoca in Ireland, where the family originated.

The farm was taken over by Henry and Minnie Tisdall, and they went on to have 13 children and 52 grandchildren.

Later, the property was divided in two, and was farmed by Henry and Minnie's sons Davie Tisdall (76) and the late Bob Tisdall.

Davie and Bob's sons Jason, and James and Patrick, now run the farms.

Davie's daughter Lynnore Templeton said only two of the original 13 Tisdall children, Davie Tisdall and Shirley Guy, were still alive and both were looking forward to catching up with the extended family at the reunion.

Mrs Templeton said about 200 people, spanning four generations, were expected to attend.

Some family members were coming from as far away as Australia.

She said celebrations included a barbecue, a trip over the Rock and Pillar Range, games and photos at the Strath Taieri Showground, and a dinner and entertainment at the community hall.

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