Maker: Cyra Lewis

Panel number: 428

Petition sheet number: 520

Person honouring: Mary Guy

Relationship to makers: I found a kindred spirit in Mary Guy. Her journey to New Zealand was very similar to my own, and she was born in Newport, Wales, the next town to where my mother was born. I subsequently discovered that Mary Guy is the grandmother of a very good friend of mine.

Mary Turner Hambelton was born 1 January 1844 in Newport, Monmouth, Wales. She married John Guy on 15 Apr 1866 in Cardiff, Wales.

Mary and John Guy and their two young children, Sarah and John, were passengers on the La Hogue sailing ship that left Gravesend, in England in February 1874. After 94 days at sea, they arrived in Wellington in May.

They lived at 30 Napier St., Opunake. The original house was built by John, who was a carpenter/builder – the house was demolished in 2019 after only recently falling into ruin and being beyond repair.

Mary was a very keen gardener and entered the annual horticultural show for many years. She regularly won prizes for her best flowers, succulents, vegetables, jams, chutneys, and many baked goods (seed cake being a popular winner).

Mary and John Guy were staunch church people, being the founders of the Methodist Church in Opunake, where John was a lay preacher for many years. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on 15 Apr 1916.

Mary died on 18 June 1934 and is buried at Opunake Cemetery, next to her husband John.

Panel materials: Aida evenweave fabric, handpainted. I stitched the portrait of Mary Guy in black thread with stem stitch. I designed and cross-stitched Mt Egmont/Taranaki. From photos, I recreated in thread: the embroidered house (30 Napier Street, Opunake), the embroidered Methodist Church (the first church to be built in Opunake – by John Guy), and La Hogue sailing ship. The text information is hand written in permanent ink. All fabric and threads are from my own stash.