BIOGRAPHY
Thomas (Tom) Alexander Redpath, the eldest son of George and Charlotte Redpath was born in Lawrence, Otago on Christmas Day in 1886. He was a twin, Isabella being his twin. Tom attended Tokomario School in 1892, his guardian being his grandfather, Alex Walker. In 1893 he moved to Matawhero, Gisborne with his family and attended Makaraka School until the family moved to their new home and farm at Rakauroa,
Tom and his brothers all worked on their father's farms, at Rakauroa ("Waimare") and in the Waioeka Gorge. When Tom's father died in 1914 he managed the Rakauroa farm until he enlisted in the NZ Expeditionary Force in December 1916. During Thomas's absence during the First World War, George's son-in-law Fred Korte managed the farm and lived at "Waimare". Thomas managed the "Waimare" farm after he returned from the war and lived there until he retired to Gisborne.
Tom enlisted for military service at Gisborne on the 9 December 1916, commenced duty on 8 January 1917 and was discharged on 8 August 1919. He served just under two years (1917-1918) overseas as a Private in the NZ Machine Gun Corps in France. His right knee was injured (gun shot wound) by a bomb on 5 October 1918, before receiving treatment at Etaples and England. Tom embarked for New Zealand on 12 March 1919 and arrived back on 22 April 1919. On his return to Rakauroa, Tom attended hospital in Gisborne as an out-patient until his leg recovered.
Tom married Marion (Min) Stewart Picken in May 1921, soon after his mother moved from the Rakauroa farm to Gisborne. Tom and Min had three children, a daughter and two sons. Alisair, their youngest son, took over the Rakauroa farm "Waimare" when Tom and Min retired to Gisborne. Stuart, their eldest son, took over the Redpath Wairata farms in the Waioeka Gorge when Tom's brother Jack retired to live in Opotiki.
Tom died in 1966 at Ohiwa near Opotiki and Min in 1985 at Gisborne. Both were buried in Gisborne.
OBITUARYMR T. REDPATH
The death occurred suddenly on Thursday at Ohiwa, Bay of Plenty, of Mr. Thomas Alexander Redpath, a member of the pioneer generation in the Rakauroa-Matawai area. In his late seventies, Mr Redpath had been in good health and was sharing a family holiday at Ohiwa.
Born in Otago, he was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Redpath. He had some schooling in the South Island before the family moved to Gisborne, and continued his education at Makaraka and at a privately conducted school at Rakauroa.
Mr and Mrs Redpath, sen., were among the first settlers in the original Rakauroa sub-division, several years before the railway construction reached the area. Mr Tom Redpath worked with his father until he went overseas with the first N.Z.E.F., in which he served with a machine-gun unit.
HILL-COUNTRY MAN
He suffered a slight wounding, but returned to New Zealand in good health, eventually taking over the family property. He married, at Patutahi, Miss Marion Stewart Picken, and until six years ago made their home at Rakauroa. Recently they resided Gisborne.
Mr. Redpath is survived by his wife and one daughter, Mrs Helen Davis, Motu, and two sons, Mr Stuart Redpath, Wairata, and Mr Alistair Redpath, Rakauroa.
The burial was taking place today at the Servicemen's Lawn Cemetery, Taruheru, following a service at Kowhai Street Presbyterian Church.
Source: Gisborne Herald, Sat 15 Jan 1966.
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1886 - 1966 (79 years)
Has 41 ancestors and 55 descendants in this family tree.
[1, 2, 3, 4] 
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