Arthur Alexander Reid was my Grandfather from my mothers’ side. He was from a staunch Scottish family where ideals meant everything, even if it meant ostracizing and wiping a family member (my mum) from the family. He was a man (from what I am told, as I have never met my Grandfather) who felt the woman’s role was in the home looking after the children while the man went out to work. He was a well-respected doctor residing in Dunedin, New Zealand. He dabbled in racehorses and had a small stable outside of Dunedin. I do believe he bred some fine horses that won some pretty prestigious races. My mum had a few pictures of some of the best horses he bred. My Grandfather wiped my mother from his will (and from his family) after she fell pregnant with my eldest sister Judith. She was at the time seeing a dashing handsome young man by the name of Clifford William Hodgson, a qualified electrician. My mum and dad wanted to marry (not just because mum was pregnant, but because they loved each other) so they went to see Granddad Reid to get his blessing. He never gave it, in fact he said if my mother married my dad he would wipe her from his will and never speak to her again. He was true to his word. You see he could not abide sex before marriage let alone getting pregnant before marriage!! In this regard he was a little two faced as it was all right for him to have a long-standing affair with another woman while he was married, and to a patient at that!!I do forgive you for what you did to my mother as I realise that you were a product of your own upbringing. Sometimes ideals have a destructive side in that they take away the thought of compromise and forgiveness. My mum (your daughter) anguished until the day she died about what you did, but she would not say a bad word against you. She was a fine woman, as I am sure you now know. Forgiveness is part of God’s way and I trust you and mum are sitting side by side hand in hand.This memorial is for you Granddad and I trust we will meet some day.Derrick
Arthur Alexander Reid was my Grandfather from my mothers’ side. He was from a staunch Scottish family where ideals meant everything, even if it meant ostracizing and wiping a family member (my mum) from the family. He was a man (from what I am told, as I have never met my Grandfather) who felt the woman’s role was in the home looking after the children while the man went out to work. He was a well-respected doctor residing in Dunedin, New Zealand. He dabbled in racehorses and had a small stable outside of Dunedin. I do believe he bred some fine horses that won some pretty prestigious races. My mum had a few pictures of some of the best horses he bred. My Grandfather wiped my mother from his will (and from his family) after she fell pregnant with my eldest sister Judith. She was at the time seeing a dashing handsome young man by the name of Clifford William Hodgson, a qualified electrician. My mum and dad wanted to marry (not just because mum was pregnant, but because they loved each other) so they went to see Granddad Reid to get his blessing. He never gave it, in fact he said if my mother married my dad he would wipe her from his will and never speak to her again. He was true to his word. You see he could not abide sex before marriage let alone getting pregnant before marriage!! In this regard he was a little two faced as it was all right for him to have a long-standing affair with another woman while he was married, and to a patient at that!!I do forgive you for what you did to my mother as I realise that you were a product of your own upbringing. Sometimes ideals have a destructive side in that they take away the thought of compromise and forgiveness. My mum (your daughter) anguished until the day she died about what you did, but she would not say a bad word against you. She was a fine woman, as I am sure you now know. Forgiveness is part of God’s way and I trust you and mum are sitting side by side hand in hand.This memorial is for you Granddad and I trust we will meet some day.Derrick
