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 The Law Family of Opatu
Charles and Agnes Law were both born in Derby , England in 1885, Charles being the second of three children born to Charles and Selina Law, and Agnes the second child of Henry and Agnes Robinson.
Charles senior and Charles junior were both maltsters' labourers according to the 1901 Census of England and Wales, but by 1905 Charles junior had become an Engine Driver – presumably one of the steam traction engines used on the roads, at that age he could not possibly have been on the railways. They were married in St Peter's Parish Church in Derby early in 1905 and a son Charles Henry, always known as Harry, was born late in 1905. A daughter Susan, always known as Susie, was born in 1908 also in Derby .
Agnes' father Henry was a widower when he married Agnes Grace in November 1881 in St Werbergh's Church, Derby ; he was a Carriage Driver and some twelve years older than his bride. He was born in the village of Fulbeck in Lincolnshire in 1838, his father Richard being, according to the Census, originally from Yorkshire, his mother Charlotte was a Fulbeck girl, and they were married in Fulbeck. Agnes was a country girl having been born in 1856 in the beautiful stone-built village of Holbrook about 8 miles north of Derby, the eldest daughter of Samuel Grace, a Stonecutter, and his wife Rebecca, nee Eley, born in Horsley and Morley respectively.
Agnes' husband Charles (I'll call him Charlie to avoid confusion!) was born in Derby , but his father, also Charles, had been born in Little Houghton, a small village on the south-eastern outskirts of Northampton , England . This Charles had a brother GEORGE, born in 1858 also in Little Houghton and he went to New Zealand in 1875 as a lad of 17. Their mother was RACHEL and her maiden name ECKFORD.
George's Death Certificate states that he died on 12 th January, 1939 aged 81, and that he had lived in New Zealand for 64 years. It also gives his profession as a Retired Soldier. It is therefore possible, maybe even likely, that he enlisted into the British Army and was sent to New Zealand to serve, and that having completed his service he remained in New Zealand having married ELLEN WILLIAMS. The work of Mr. Ian McGregor suggests that they had three children, Euphema Ethel born in 1887, then George Eckford in 1888, and Jessie Rachel born in 1891.
George Eckford Law served as a Sergeant in ‘B' Coy 3 rd Bn. Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. He embarked on 16 th October 1916 and arrived in France at the end of May 1917 after training in England . On 20 th December 1917 he was wounded in action near Ypres , suffering gunshot wounds to his chest and shoulder. He was transferred to NZ Military Hospital, Brockenhurst, Hampshire arriving on 3 rd January, but he died the following day, and is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery attached to Brockenhurst St. Nicholas Churchyard. Plot A, Row 2, Grave 13. Reference: Clare Church “New Zealand Graves at Brockenhurst” 2002. pp 164 & 165.
The four members of the Law family, Charlie, Agnes, Harry and Susan emigrated to New Zealand in about 1910 – 1911, almost certainly to join Charlie's uncle George who had been there since 1875, and for their story from then on I am indebted to Rosemary Corbett and Ian McGregor whose memories and knowledge of Opatu and Tokirima are encyclopaedic! The following is almost entirely their account for which Agnes' family in England is deeply appreciative.
The Law family appeared on the Opatu map in 1911, the block having been opened for ballot in 1910. It had a term of tenure of 66 years, unlike the Tokirima block's tenure of 999 years. There were two Law families involved, one George Eckford and the other Charles and Agnes; George E. was successful in the ballot and Charlie and Agnes may have come to work George E's section. This is the same George Eckford Law who served and died in WW1 as described above.
The following is a quotation from a letter from Mr. Ian McGregor to Mrs Rosemary Corbett.
“Found some notes I made when talking to Mrs Moylan several years ago and they definitely disembarked from the Wanganui River boat at Koiro landing, then up the valley to the surveyed Opura Road which wound up the surveyed road and had been cleared to a horse track. At the end of the valley it wound around the hill and came out at Scotty's (Alexander Anderson Adams) down from the Taumatamaire Trig. They stayed the night there and next day went down into the Opatu valley to the Wakiroto stream, then up that valley to where Charlie and Ek were felling bush.
 In Susan's words she told me that the early settlers at the top end of the valley relied on the river boat for supplies which were packed over the previously mentioned track. Scotty's house wasn't very big and mainly had a dirt floor with hens wandering about indoors. It was made mainly of iron with a door of corrugated iron reinforced with timber”
Agnes Law worked as a cook at Maraekowhai Development Company from 1914, and perhaps her husband Charlie worked there also. There would possibly be a problem with her getting to and from work each day from her own home with two and then three children to care for, so they maybe ‘lived in' at Maraekowhai. Their third child, Niel Eckford was born on 29 th August 1915. 
The land they later owned had been two blocks, Coles and Farrs, from the information available John Coles sold to them after he returned from WW1.
Schooling in Opatu was always a problem due to insufficient numbers to keep a school open. The Law children were schooled at both Opatu and Tokirima at various times.
HARRY enrolled at Tokirima on 21.2.1916 having had no schooling since he left Derby . There is an account that he travelled on horseback from Opatu. He left school on 17.12.1919 at age 14.
SUSAN enrolled at Tokirima on 17.2.1919, (having previously been to school at a place called  Mauriceville) and left on 7.2.21. She also probably  went to Opatu school after this.
NIEL (who was nicknamed Pook or Sonny at school) began school Opatu in about 1921 and continued there until 1924 when he spent a few months at Tokirima; went back to Opatu and finally re-enrolled at Tokirima on 16.9.1929 finishing there on 20.12.1929.
LENNIE Law, Susie's son was born on 10 th August 1927, and lived with Susie and his grandparents. Started school in Opatu in 1934, transferred to Tokirima in 1937 and left school in 1943.
Susie married Fred Moylan in 1936 at the Anglican Church in Ohura and Fred worked on the Nielsons' farm, which had originally belonged to George Eckford Law. After a few years they left to live in Tauranga.
Charlie Law died of heart trouble in 1942 and is buried in Ohura cemetery. Niel then took over the farm since Harry was away overseas serving with the New Zealand forces in WW2.
 In about 1950 Agnes Harry and Niel decided to build a new house on Opatu Road since their house on Coles was off the end of the road with just a farm track for access. When Niel met the builder's sister Dorothy a romance blossomed and they were married in 1952 in Auckland . Another cottage was then built for Agnes and Harry.
Niel and Dorothy apparently led a full life, playing golf, involvement with the local Drama Club. Dorothy joined the Women's Division of the Federated Farmers and the Garden Circle and had a lovely rose garden. Niel was a member of the Ohura Masonic Lodge 214 from July 1953 until 1973 and the Rotorua Lodge 153 from then until he  died.
They sold their farm in 1972 to a neighbour Hope Gower and moved to Rotorua where Niel died in 1992 and Dorothy died in 2002. They had no family.
Agnes died in Tauranga in 1983 and was buried in Ohura beside her husband Charlie. The headstone records that she was 99 years and five months old. Susie also died in Tauranga in 2001 aged 93 having been widowed since Fred died in 1956, and Harry also died in Tauranga in 1986 aged 73.
Written by Agnes' nephew Alan Robinson August 2007 who recognizes the enormous help given by Roger Moore, Rosemary Corbett, Ian McGregor of Tokirima and Mrs Mary Cobeldick of The National Library of New Zealand and thanks them all very sincerely.
Recorded by Alan Robinson - August 2007
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