Jack Stark - 2001

An Eltham ‘hero’ was honoured at Wednesday’s official opening of Stark Park. The pocket park in the heart of Eltham is named after long-time Eltham shopkeeper Jack Stark.Councillor Alex Ballantyne told the 70-strong crowd the park was a fitting tribute to a wonderful man and family who had given so much to the district. Mr Stark’s acts of generosity to people in need were legendary and he made the world a nicer place to everyone who walked through the door. “We don’t get many heroes these days and it’s even rarer to celebrate them when they are still alive,” Alex said.Mr Stark’s health prevented him being at the ceremony, but he was represented by his sister Gilca Pickford and her daughters, who cut the ribbon, Miriam Key, Helen Pickford and Jackie Cassels. Former long-time employees George English and Nigel Alexander also attended

18 August 2006 Passed away 2006

Grocery owner remembered for generosity, innovation
One of Eltham's most well-known personalities, Jack Stark, died on Wednesday, aged 89.
Mr Stark owned Eltham's dairy and grocery store on High St for 55 years, where he pioneered the concept of discount shopping in Taranaki.
Shoppers travelled to Eltham from all over Taranaki for the prices.
Mr Stark was also legendary in Eltham for his generosity, delivering boxes of fruit or vegetables to families facing tough times or helping customers get their groceries to their cars.
His generosity earned him a Queen's Service Medal for community service in 1998.
But this generosity was taken advantage of. The shop was burgled dozens of times and shoplifting was a problem.
The cost of this dishonesty eventually caused Mr Stark to close his business in 2001.
On the day of the store's closure, Eltham business people organised a morning tea – and more than 200 people turned up to pay tribute to Mr Stark.
A memorial service for Mr Stark will be held tomorrow at Stark's Park, in High St, from 2pm. The park was developed from a carpark and named after Mr Stark.

Waihi Cemetery, off Ketemarae Road, Normanby

The old factory on the Hill, Between Manaia and Hawera

The Blue Building

Coastal Breweries, Manaia

Inglewood

Taranaki rugby 1956-57

Members of the Taranaki rugby team from 1956 and 1957 (front, from left) Tom Murfitt, Joe McCullough, Roger Boon, Bill Cameron, Brendan O'Neill, Eric Keith, Kevin Briscoe, (middle row, from left) Ray Potier (selector), Ross Brown, Les Marshall, Ian Macdonald, John Mackie John Bayly, (back row, from left) Peter Burke, Walter Dudley and Bill Orr. NIC GIBSON/Taranaki Daily News

Longtime rugby heroes pack down again 12 August 2006
By GLENN MCLEANThe passing of half a century has failed to dampen the passion of players from two of Taranaki's greatest rugby sides.
The men from 1956, who held the Springboks to an impressive 3-3 draw, and the 1957 side which ended Otago's short reign with the Ranfurly Shield, are being honoured this weekend at a reunion in New Plymouth.
Most of the men, who performed in front of crowds that today cannot be matched at Yarrow Stadium, still vividly remember the 80 minutes the might of South African rugby stood in front of them.
Yesterday, as many of those men came together, captain Peter Burke recalled moments of the match with the precision of a quizmaster.
"While we lost a few tightheads, we matched them in every other department," he said. "It was a terrific performance, one I would compare with Taranaki beating Canterbury up here a couple of years ago."
Even so, it's a match that still holds a degree of frustration, anger and regret from those who wore amber and black, and for the crowd of 21,000.
A matter of inches was all that separated winger Tom Murfitt from scoring the match-winning try, as he slid over a saturated dead-ball line.
Springbok Jan Pickard's try also furrows the brow of Burke and his team, who maintain the lock was offside when he reached over to score.
But it was the action of Springbok manager Dannie Craven in awarding Poverty Bay referee, a man who went by the name of Wolstenholme, that brought the most anger.
"He (Craven) gave him a gold watch for being the best referee they had," fullback John Bayly said.
"It wasn't until later that we found out Wolstenholme was a South African."
The physical battle also took its toll on August 11, 1956.

"I lost two and a half teeth when I got king hit by (opposite) Chris Koch," prop Ian Macdonald said.
There were also memories of the terrible conditions, when players were forced to change in ankle-deep water in the back of the old wooden stand.
Just a year later, most of the side that lined up against the Springboks were heading south to end Otago's Ranfurly reign with a 11-9 win. "It was a lot easier than the score says," Macdonald said. "We had it all over them."
That triumph started a shield era lasting until late 1959.