A reflection on why we have reunions

About a fortnight before the Port Macquarie Reunion in April, I had a phone call from Margaret Blencowe expressing her interest in attending. Margaret was phoning from Tumbarumba in the Riverina area of NSW. This was exciting, as having grown up in Leeton, another Riverina town, I was always intrigued by the Blencowes who lived 263 kilometers away in Tumbarumba. As it turned out, Margaret’s late husband, Robert Blencowe was actually my 4th cousin twice removed. He was the 2nd cousin once removed of the Armidale Blencowes, many of which were attending the reunion.

When Joshua Blencowe emigrated from Brackley to NSW in the 1850’s, the family settled in the Armidale area where many of them still live. One son moved to Sydney in 1883 and from there moved to Tumbarumba where over the ensuing years contact with the extended family waned.

Nancy Bruyn and Margaret Blencowe

Margaret informed me she was 78 years old and would be undertaking quite a gruelling journey of 852 kilometres involving two stages by bus and two by train. This brave, independent lady was coming to Port Macquarie for a week for a reunion where she’d know no one. Several older family members attended under similar circumstances. They are to be commended and I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as Margaret did.

Margaret’s extended family was delighted to get to know her and they had much to share. Contact was re-established between the families. I feel the above photo captures the spirit of the reunion as Nancy and Margaret bid farewell to one another with a promise to stay in touch and get together again.

Anne