Stella Winifred WILLS
Personal Details
Maiden nameLockington
Life dates1925-2018BiographyStella was the descendent of several of the pioneering families of Katikati, most notably the Lockington family, and retained that sense of pride in the community into adulthood before she moved to Australia to be closer to family. She married Douglas Wills in 1945 on the veranda of John Gray's cottage in Katikati, one of the first homes to be built in the new settlement in the 1870s. She was active in the community, establishing a business, The Ulster Garden Centre in 1975 on the grounds of her grandfather James' own garden. The garden centre became the headquarters of the local paper, Korero, which Stella purchased from Owen Williams who started it in around 1957. She was a journalist, working for the New Zealand Herald at the time. Stella moved to Australia after her husband Doug passed away in 1995 to be nearer her children there. When Stella died in 2018 her body was returned home and she is buried beside her beloved husband at Katikati cemetery.Place of birthKatikatiOccupationNewspaper editor, business ownerPlace of ResidenceKatikati
Life dates1925-2018BiographyStella was the descendent of several of the pioneering families of Katikati, most notably the Lockington family, and retained that sense of pride in the community into adulthood before she moved to Australia to be closer to family. She married Douglas Wills in 1945 on the veranda of John Gray's cottage in Katikati, one of the first homes to be built in the new settlement in the 1870s. She was active in the community, establishing a business, The Ulster Garden Centre in 1975 on the grounds of her grandfather James' own garden. The garden centre became the headquarters of the local paper, Korero, which Stella purchased from Owen Williams who started it in around 1957. She was a journalist, working for the New Zealand Herald at the time. Stella moved to Australia after her husband Doug passed away in 1995 to be nearer her children there. When Stella died in 2018 her body was returned home and she is buried beside her beloved husband at Katikati cemetery.Place of birthKatikatiOccupationNewspaper editor, business ownerPlace of ResidenceKatikatiDocuments
Photographs
People
Family
Father's nameJames Henry LOCKINGTONMother's nameElsie Grace Wills (nee STONE)SpouseDouglas Henry WILLSChildKathleen WILLSNancy Bates (nee WILLS)Russell WILLSKevin WILLS
Mother's nameElsie Grace Wills (nee STONE)SpouseDouglas Henry WILLSChildKathleen WILLSNancy Bates (nee WILLS)Russell WILLSKevin WILLSRelated Information
PeopleLOCKINGTON JamesSourceStella's Wedding
SourceStella's Weddingloading google map....
Stella Winifred WILLS. Western Bay of Plenty Community Archives, accessed 19/03/2026, https://westernbay.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/971
