Robyn Spurdle married into William Akerman’s branch, and ever since discovering the family tree that had been created for the 1942 reunion has been immersed in researching the family’s history. Building a Future is a far cry from the sixth form accounting guides Robyn is known for, however, it is her third genealogy book — Spurdle Heritage and Milling the Family Tree being the other two. Julie Daymond-King is a great-great-granddaughter of William Akerman, and from birth was brought up with the 1942 family tree. Most of her career was spent in science administration and education governance, but her interest in family history led her to compile the database of New Zealanders mentioned in the NZ Woman’s Weekly, issues 1932 to 1959, for the New Zealand Index, The Knowledge Basket.