Maker: Catherine Trewby

Panel number: 453

Petition sheet number: Did not sign 1893 petition

People honouring: Catherine Harris Ramage, Catherine B Ramage Dahm, and Nancy Catherine Dahm Trewby

Relationship to maker: Great-grandmother, grandmother, mother 

Catherine Harris Ramage was born in Northern Ireland in 1844. She lived with her husband (Erwin) Ross Ramage on a Ramage family townland (small acreage) called Shanreagh from her marriage in 1870 until she left for New Zealand in 1884. She was well educated.   

In the short time she lived in Auckland before her death in 1886 she did much of the reading and writing for other Irish immigrants who had settled in Freeman’s Bay area in Auckland. Catherine left a young family, including my grandmother, who were put into an orphanage as their father was not able to look after them day-to-day. My great-grandfather was an avid plantsman and there is still evidence of plantings they made on the land in Ireland.

I chose an old rose called Zephirine Drouhin as the rose for Catherine Harris Ramage to acknowledge this love of gardening that has come down through the generations.

Born in 1874, in the late 1890s, Catherine B Ramage Dahm was living in Hicks Bay. She went here after being offered work by a family who had been on the same ship coming to New Zealand. There she met and married my grandfather Thomas Dam (later Dahm) who was a saddler. They lived at Tuparoa, Te Arai, before moving to the Ruakituri Valley out of Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay.

They purchased land and later won a ballot for land. Catherine had nine children including my mother, the youngest. My grandmother and mother lived through the 1930s Depression and this affected them both. Catherine had an extensive garden at all the properties she lived. She loved the rose Etoile de Holland and also Ville de Paris. She later moved to Wairoa so my mother could attend the secondary school where she had won a place.   

Born in 1916, Nancy Catherine Dahm Trewby made the most of her education. She worked as a bookkeeper, a shorthand typist, and eventually ran an accountant’s office while the partner was overseas during World War 2. Later she was offered the opportunity to qualify as an accountant. She provided accounting help to my father who had an accountancy practice. 

Nancy had a large garden spanning 1/3rd of an acre, with many unusual plants. A great believer in the concept and practice of peace, Mum loved the peace roses including Chicago Peace. She had two daughters and numerous nieces and nephews who also love gardening – several have gone on to be plant specialists hybridising irises.  

Panel materials:  Made in line with the ethos of my ancestors, only used fabrics and on-hand embroidery threads were used. Raw edge applique, french knots, lazy daisy stitch, seed stitch.