Leo Charles Spedderi Dougherty who is the Grandson of James Spedderi and Bridget Sullivan tells us some history of 'Garrawaye'.
James Spedderi who was born in Malta in 1832 arrived in the Naseby gold diggings in 1863. He prospected on Rough Ridge in a deep Gorge which he names Garibaldi after the Italian revolutionary leader Guiseppe Garibaldi. James Spedderi married Irish Colleen Bridget Sullivan in 1865. A split of large farming estates in the Maniototo allowed James to aquire 100 acres in an 1878 ballot. His daughters Helen Bridget, drew two blocks giving one to her recently married sister Rosina. James' son Lawrence (Larry) also drew a block in a later ballot. The blocks were joined together as one farm 'Garrawaye'. A small sod cottage was built on the farm and later superseded by a four bedroom dwelling in 1901. James Spedderi's wife Bridget died at 35. Daughter Helen Bridget, called Ellen by the family, cared for her father and brother. Charles and Sarah Dougherty (buried in the Ranfurly cemetry) and their son Patrick arrived in New Zealand. They bought land in Gimmerburn and the Garabaldi gorge becoming neighbours to the Spedderi Family. Bridget Helen married Patrick Dougherty (Poppa to his Grandchildren) in 1909 after her Father James died. (Bridget and James are buried in the Naseby cemetry). Andrew and Neil Kearney, brothers of Charles' wife Sarah Dougherty also immigrated from Ireland taking up land in the Maniototo. Leo and Eileen (nee Elliot) had a family of seven children. Lawrence the second eldest's son Stephen and wife Nicky now run the 3,300 acre sheep and cattle farm. An Apple tree (pictured top of this page with Steve Nicky and their three children Charles, Tia and Billy) planted by James Spedderi, provides a link to the early days.