"You can never have too many friends, but one enemy is one too many.
"I've met some wonderful people over the years.
"On the whole New Zealanders are pretty good people."
Ernest John Bray was born in Stratford to Albert and Minnie Bray who lived and farmed in Whangamomona. When Albert died in 1923, leaving Minnie with 10 children, she moved to Dannevirke.
John left school at 15 and went to work for George Augustine, helping to do the milk run on his bike.
In 1939 he went scrub-cutting at Whetukura with his brother Charlie. He also did stumping and drainage work.
In 1942 John joined the Army and served in Fiji for four months and New Caledonia for two years.
After returning to New Zealand John was manpowered out of the army to do essential farm work.
In 1944 he married Edna Selina Plowman who he had met at dances.
John worked on farms around the district and at Porangahau before returning to Dannevirke to work at the gasworks.
In 1948 John went share-milking at Maharahara.
John retired from farming and moved to Dannevirke in 1964, but he continued working at the Woodware, milling and delivering timber until it closed in 1970. He then worked for the Dannevirke Borough Council.
John retired at 60, in 1979. Gardening took up a lot of time as did fishing and rabbit shooting.
After Edna died in 2001 John stayed in Tennyson St and enjoyed trips to the Office (the Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club) at 4pm most days, for a game of pool and a handle.
John bought his first accordion in around 1934 and he still enjoys playing it as well as listening to talking books.
