Alistair Fraser

Ancestors

Son of John Maxwell Fraser and Sheila Drummond (Robertson) Fraser

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alistair Fraser [send private message]

Biography

Alistair Fraser lived in Wadestown, Wellington, New Zealand.

Alistair Fraser is a member of Clan Fraser.

Alistair Fraser has Irish ancestors.

Alistair is the 22nd great grandson of Robert FitzWalter, Surety Baron.

Alistair Fraser is related to US President George Washington. Here is the trail.

Alistair Fraser is related to US President Thomas Jefferson. Here is the trail.

Alistair is related to Elvis Aaron Presley (1935 - 1977).

Alistair is related to Edward III.

Descendant of Henry (Plantagenet) of England (1207 - 1272).

Alistair is the 12th cousin, four times removed of Marie-Antoinette.

Alistair Lovat Fraser. Born 25 MAR 1949.

Residence Whanganui, New Zealand

Alistair grew up at 33 Pitt Street, Wadestown, Wellington, in New Zealand (Aotearoa), in a house that his grandfather, John Fraser, had built in 1922.

Alistair at Paraparaumu Beach

He also spent weekends and holidays in a property at Marine Parade, Paraparaumu Beach, which John and Alistair's father had built in the 1930s. Alistair’s parents and grandparents were passionate gardeners and established a large garden at Paraparaumu Beach, including many fruit trees and beehives for honey production. They were all avid fishing enthusiasts and spent many joyful hours fishing in a small boat, built by Alistair’s father, and netting flounders at Marine Parade, next to Paraparaumu Beach.

Alistair with his father John Fraser at Paraparaumu Beach

Alistair received his education at Wadestown School and Wellington College, where his father had also attended in the 1920s. He married in 1969 and proudly became a father of two daughters born in the early 1970s. From his late teens, during his final year at college in 1966, Alistair played rhythm and then bass guitar in a couple of popular rock bands. Despite his enthusiasm, he did not pursue a music career, unlike some of his contemporaries who became highly successful musicians.

After leaving college, Alistair briefly worked as a management cadet for Cable Price Corporation in Wellington and Auckland. However, due to his growing family, he embarked on a successful career in the hospitality sector in New Zealand. This was a time when New Zealand's licensing laws had been liberalized, allowing pubs to have later closing times and lower drinking ages. Pubs became popular entertainment venues, hosting top bands from New Zealand and overseas. Alistair worked his way up in the industry, managing high-profile units for Lion Breweries Limited and an independent pub operator/developer in Wellington. He also had a short stint as a hospitality tutor for a tertiary institute in the Hutt Valley, Wellington.

In the early 1980s, Alistair was offered a job with Dominion Breweries Limited (DB) as the Retail Manager for their northern region, covering properties owned by DB from Turangi to Kaitaia, including metropolitan areas such as Hamilton, Tauranga, and Auckland. He relocated to Auckland and was based at DB’s brewery premises on the Great South Road in Otahuhu.

As the Northern Region retail manager for DB, Alistair was incredibly busy overseeing the profitability of the pubs and handling various issues. The 1980s were a time of considerable change, with many pubs being bought, sold, and refurbished. One of the notable pubs he was responsible for was the Ponsonby Club Hotel, also known as the Gluepot, which was New Zealand's most successful high-profile entertainment venue at the time. Alistair felt privileged to be associated with it and spent many enjoyable hours there.

In 1989, perhaps feeling weary of the relentless competitiveness and negative aspects of the pub business, Alistair decided to move on. He returned to Wellington and secured the position of Human Resources and Administration Manager for the newly formed Hillary Commission for Recreation and Sport. The Commission distributed funds generated from Lotto, the new national Lottery and aimed to support sports and recreational activities in New Zealand. Alistair worked in this role for nine and a half fulfilling years from 1989 to 1998, contributing to the development of NZ's sport and recreation sector and collaborating with remarkable individuals, including top sportspeople.

During the 1990s, Alistair developed a strong interest in information systems and the internet and undertook extramural business and management studies at Massey University. He also obtained a postgraduate-level qualification in information system management from Victoria University of Wellington. Recognizing the internet's potential, Alistair became passionate about working in this field.

From the early 2000s onward, Alistair dedicated himself to promoting digital inclusion and enabling computer literacy and internet access for all. In 2001 and 2002, he served as the Executive Director for the 2020 Communications Trust, a leading organisation addressing the digital divide in New Zealand. In 2003, at the age of 54, Alistair moved to Whanganui to study full-time for a year at the UCOL Computer Graphic Design Campus to obtain a postgraduate-level Diploma in Computer Graphic Design (accredited by Waikato University) in 2004.

While skilled in computer graphic design, Alistair couldn't resist the call to further contribute to digital inclusion. In 2005, he collaborated with the 2020 Communications Trust and the Whanganui District Council to secure government funding for the Computers in Homes program. This program assisted families with children attending low-decile schools and lacking computers or internet access at home. The program's success led to continuous funding until 2017, benefiting tens of thousands of underserved families across New Zealand.

Alistair managed the delivery of Computers in Homes in Whanganui until 2012, after which he continued supporting the 2020 Communications Trust in maintaining strong administration systems. In 2017, a new trust called the Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa (DIAA) was formed, and Alistair became a contractor, serving as their Whanganui Ambassador and providing program and administration support for their national office. The DIAA collaborates with over 400 organisations, including numerous libraries in New Zealand, and offers programs such as Skinny Jump, a subsidized pre-paid internet connection, and Stepping UP, providing free digital literacy classes.

In 2020, the DIAA received funding from NZ’s Ministry for Seniors to develop the Better Digital Futures program, providing training for seniors. Alistair contributed to the program's development and administrative management and championed it in Whanganui and other areas. At the age of 71, in 2020, Alistair obtained a heavy vehicle driver's license to drive DORA (Digital On-Road Access), the DIAA's mobile training bus equipped with satellite internet connection and facilities to train up to 10 people simultaneously using laptops. Alistair travels across New Zealand, including remote areas, to help people become digitally literate and proficient in essential online activities.

2023 is turning out to be a milestone year for DIAA and Alistair is proud to continue his work with them. DORA continues to travel throughout NZ’s-heartlands helping Kiwis use their digital devices, the hugely successful Better Digital Futures programme has been awarded more funding to continue. A new programme “Digital Skills-Getting Ready for Work” has just been piloted by DIAA and we expect demand will be huge as take-up with our partners grows.

Since the beginning of 2023, Alistair has become increasingly enthusiastic about the accessibility and usefulness of generative artificial Intelligence, image generators and LLMs such as ChatGPT. He is sure AI will quickly become essential tools for doing everything better. He is sure 2023 will be looked back upon as the beginning of a new age which will transform our lives.

As Alistair enters his senior years, he has developed a passion for genealogy and aims to construct his family tree accurately and discover more about his ancestors. While acknowledging that many people of European descent can likely claim connections to royalty, Alistair takes pride in confidently identifying his direct connections through both his mother and father’s lines.

Alistair appreciates the support of WikiTree, a platform hosting his family tree and providing connection and family-finder software programs. He enjoys discovering new close connections. Alistair is enthusiastic about combining genetic DNA testing with traditional genealogy to further expand knowledge about our origins and ancestors' journeys across the world.

Alistair has undergone various DNA tests, including at-DNA, mt-DNA, and the Big-Y DNA test. He particularly hopes to identify his ancestors as members of the Frasers of Lovat clan from Inverness-shire and explore close Y-DNA matches with other families such as the Watsons and Beavers, as well as other individuals with the names Frazer or Frazier. He eagerly seeks to understand the divergences among these Y-kin.

Alistair expects the deployment of generative artificial intelligence will rapidly transform genealogy and quickly enable identifying family trees accurately on an exponentially greater scale than at present (mid-May 2023).

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Alistair Fraser on 17 May 2023

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Alistair Fraser and JC his second cousin twice removed. Alistair has contacted JC via Ancestry messaging and they have agreed their connection line is accurate. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great grandparents, Alexander Fraser. and Janet Campbell. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd Cousins 2x removed, based on sharing 127cM across 5 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Alistair Fraser and Linda Sharp (LS) his third cousin once removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 2nd great grandparents, Benjamin Bousfield Creagh and Margaret Morris. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 3rd cousin 1x removed, based on sharing 58cM across 5 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.

• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match with Judy (McLaren) Davidson . Their most-recent common ancestors are their grandparents, Jessie (Ferguson) Robertson. and George Logan Robertson. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 1st Cousins, based on sharing 1,097 cM across 44 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.