Francis Alexander (Sandy) Dunbar

Sandy was the eldest of three children born to Francis (Frank) and Lily Dunbar. He was born on 6 November 1916. He had 2 sisters, Eileen born 21 April 1918 married Bert Feist in 1940 and lived in Brunswick, and Mary born 20 September 1921, married Wilfrid Mills in 1947 and lived in Hamilton.

The family lived in a small cottage on Mission Road, Westmere until 1925 when they then moved onto the farm at 107 Mission Road.
A house on the corner of Mitchell and Mission Road was moved by a team of draft horses to the centre of the farm. Some additions and alterations to the house were made, along with the usual out-buildings of the time.
Around this time a dairy shed was built which still stands today. Power for driving the milking machinery was a petrol motor which remained on standby after electricity was reticulated in 1928.

Sandy, Eileen and Mary were educated at Westmere primary school. Their mode of transport was mostly by horse – all 3 on the one horse.
Eileen and Mary continued on to secondary school in Wanganui, travelling by train each day. But Sandy remained at home to help his father on the farm and gradually over the years took over the management role.

The family were regular church attenders at the Westmere Presbyterian Church and Frank served on the Westmere school committee, Westmere Hall committee, and the committee for the first Mobile Dental Clinic to schools. Lily had involvement with the PWMU women who did the catering for the Kai Iwi dog trials, was a member of the Westmere Woman’s Institute when it came into being in 1930.
Tennis was a family past time with a grass court built at home. The family also played at the tennis courts where the present church hall is situated.

Up until around 1940 the farm did well, but after that Frank struggled in the modern ways of farming. This also brushed off onto Sandy who followed in his father’s footsteps.
Sandy continued taking the milk to the factory in cans on the back of the the old 40’s Chev truck until the mid-1960’s when milk was then collected by tankers from the farm. In 1979 Sandy conceded he could not keep up with the changes in farming and ceased dairy farming. He moved into farming dry stock and when he physically could not manage, he leased out parts for grazing and cropping.
Sandy had a long-standing interest in bee keeping and growing begonias and he produced many amazing blooms. When they were all out in flower it was a sight to behold. He also had a keen interest with Forest and Bird and was a member for a number of years. He also spent many hours at Bushy Park assisting with the gardens.

Shortly before his death in 1999 a charitable Trust was set up to manage the farm and other assets. One of his desires was to have the farm gully planted in native forest to provide a legacy for future generations. Kumete Forest has been planted and is in the early stages of a long-term project.