Saturday, August 29
Saturday, August 15
Whitebait in decline
Whitebait stand prices remain high even as the numbers of the little fish seem to decline and the Department of Conservation wants catches limited.
The whitebait season opens today with a conservation request from the department. DOC staff monitoring streams and rivers with historical records of adult whitebait had found the tasty fish were no longer present in many of those waterways.
DOC freshwater fish expert Jane Goodman said water removal, pollution, wetland drainage, introduced pests and destruction of stream-side vegetation all threatened the long-term survival of whitebait species.
"Inanga are the most common species, but whitebaiters may also capture the young of giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, koaro and banded kokopu depending on which river they are fishing in. Giant kokopu and shortjaw kokopu are threatened species," she said.
Earlier this month whitebait stands on the Mokau and Awakino rivers were advertised for prices ranging between $4000-$10,000.
Stands cost, on average, about $500 to build and had been available for $1000 just a few years ago.
By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 15/08/2009
The whitebait season opens today with a conservation request from the department. DOC staff monitoring streams and rivers with historical records of adult whitebait had found the tasty fish were no longer present in many of those waterways.
DOC freshwater fish expert Jane Goodman said water removal, pollution, wetland drainage, introduced pests and destruction of stream-side vegetation all threatened the long-term survival of whitebait species.
"Inanga are the most common species, but whitebaiters may also capture the young of giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, koaro and banded kokopu depending on which river they are fishing in. Giant kokopu and shortjaw kokopu are threatened species," she said.
Earlier this month whitebait stands on the Mokau and Awakino rivers were advertised for prices ranging between $4000-$10,000.
Stands cost, on average, about $500 to build and had been available for $1000 just a few years ago.
By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 15/08/2009
Movie not so magic for cafe
One of the great ironies of Hawera's honeymoon with the Predicament movie makers is that the town's only business to have adopted the Ron Morrieson name is not benefiting from the association.
Owners Tina-Marie and Adrian Kahupukoro put the Morrieson's Cafe and Bar lease on the market only a few months before the movie company arrived. After two tough years they are disillusioned and want out.
News of the movie being filmed in South Taranaki was viewed with relief by the owners of the Victoria St premises, which has the only exhibition of Morrieson artefacts.
But Mrs Kahupukoro says she is "quite disappointed that there is no obvious spinoff coming in the door.
"When they first arrived in town a few movie people came in, but I think more out of curiosity to see what was inside. Maybe they'd heard something.
"They are very busy people and I think they tend to patronise the bars and cafes closer to the production centre.
"Morrieson's might as well have a different name for all it's doing for us; it might even be the wrong name."
The couple did not buy it because of the name, more for its location and British pub-style decor and atmosphere.
"Although we have our regulars and curious out-of-towners, we don't really get the support from the locals and maybe they won't appreciate it until it's gone. Because that could easily happen if it sells."
She says she was heartened "by a wise old man telling me: `People always come back to what they know'.
"I don't want to come out as a negative person but being realistic, I don't think the locals give a rat's arse about the Morrieson thing," she said.
"And this is the only place you can see what's left of him."
She has her own predicament: "I've thought about changing the name and theme, but then I think maybe it does help bring people in. You can't easily measure it."
What's in there is essentially everything that was salvaged from the 1993 demolition of the Morrieson house at 1 Regent St (apart from the attic that was taken off by crane and relocated to retired builder Robert Surgenor's paddock): Doors, the staircase, the fireplace, the matched lining on the bar front, the bookshelves and books, and a hand-painted montage by Tim Chadwick.
There's also a Morrieson's author board for signatures, with a lot of empty space.
Round the walls are snaps of Ron, bits of his dance band sheet music (Heart of My Heart; Abba Dabba Honeymoon, Brush Those Tears), and big original paintings by local sign-writer Rongo Kira of the covers of Predicament and The Scarecrow.
"I think locals take what we've got for granted," Mrs Kahupukoro said.
"That's how we lost Morrieson's house to a KFC." Tough times for Morrieson's owners
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki
Owners Tina-Marie and Adrian Kahupukoro put the Morrieson's Cafe and Bar lease on the market only a few months before the movie company arrived. After two tough years they are disillusioned and want out.
News of the movie being filmed in South Taranaki was viewed with relief by the owners of the Victoria St premises, which has the only exhibition of Morrieson artefacts.
But Mrs Kahupukoro says she is "quite disappointed that there is no obvious spinoff coming in the door.
"When they first arrived in town a few movie people came in, but I think more out of curiosity to see what was inside. Maybe they'd heard something.
"They are very busy people and I think they tend to patronise the bars and cafes closer to the production centre.
"Morrieson's might as well have a different name for all it's doing for us; it might even be the wrong name."
The couple did not buy it because of the name, more for its location and British pub-style decor and atmosphere.
"Although we have our regulars and curious out-of-towners, we don't really get the support from the locals and maybe they won't appreciate it until it's gone. Because that could easily happen if it sells."
She says she was heartened "by a wise old man telling me: `People always come back to what they know'.
"I don't want to come out as a negative person but being realistic, I don't think the locals give a rat's arse about the Morrieson thing," she said.
"And this is the only place you can see what's left of him."
She has her own predicament: "I've thought about changing the name and theme, but then I think maybe it does help bring people in. You can't easily measure it."
What's in there is essentially everything that was salvaged from the 1993 demolition of the Morrieson house at 1 Regent St (apart from the attic that was taken off by crane and relocated to retired builder Robert Surgenor's paddock): Doors, the staircase, the fireplace, the matched lining on the bar front, the bookshelves and books, and a hand-painted montage by Tim Chadwick.
There's also a Morrieson's author board for signatures, with a lot of empty space.
Round the walls are snaps of Ron, bits of his dance band sheet music (Heart of My Heart; Abba Dabba Honeymoon, Brush Those Tears), and big original paintings by local sign-writer Rongo Kira of the covers of Predicament and The Scarecrow.
"I think locals take what we've got for granted," Mrs Kahupukoro said.
"That's how we lost Morrieson's house to a KFC." Tough times for Morrieson's owners
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki
Tuesday, August 11
Kai with soul
In Spotswood College's food and nutrition classes, Katy Power teaches her students that the key to cooking great-tasting, nutritious meals day after day is to keep it simple. In Kai with Soul, Katy and her students let you in on how easy cooking for a family can be.
Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 12:17 04/08/2009
MARK DWYER
Sam Askew, 17, and Lauren Yule, 17, cook up Surfcaster Fish Pie.
KAI2
MARK DWYER
Surfcaster Fish Pie.
KAI3
MARK DWYER
Lunchbox Lemon Muffins
KAI4
MARK DWYER
Home-Made Lemon Juice
Relevant offers
Food & Drink
Learn to make sausage Southern star shines bright Inseason Fresh idea: Onions Kai with Soul How dare they dis our wine Inseason: Lemons Kai with Soul Balancing act A cool afternoon coffee
The talk in the food industry last week was about pies, after the annual national pie contest was fiercely contested. We decided to take on the challenge of making the perfect fish pie. This one has no pastry or red meat, but has survived the test of time to become an ever-popular family lunch or dinner dish.
A base of mashed potato and cheesy breadcrumb topping replaces the pastry, while the filling is a mixture of fish, boiled eggs and white sauce.
The fish can be fresh, smoked or canned and all are suitable. Since we used smoked cod, which has a strong flavour, only 300g was needed. The selection and availability of fish is varied and plentiful from local supermarkets and fish suppliers, so choose a variety that looks and smells fresh and suits your taste and budget. A 425-gram can of tuna from the pantry is also great to make into a pie when unexpected visitors turn up at mealtimes.
A pie with fresh fish will need to bake for 10 minutes longer than smoked or canned fish and some will need to have skin and bones removed first. Fresh fish needs to be cut into bite-size chunks while smoked fish needs to be flaked because of its strong flavour.
Fish pie is great for using leftover vegetables and mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge.
We mashed our potatoes with olive oil and some potato stock water (the water that the potatoes were cooked in). This adds extra vitamin C to the mash and the olive oil is an unsaturated fat and better for you than the saturated fat found in butter and other dairy products.
Layer the base of the oven dish with mashed potato, then the pre-cooked peas and chopped, hard-boiled eggs. Pour the white sauce and flaked fish over and lastly the cheese and breadcrumb topping.
Serve the fish pie for lunch or dinner and with salad or extra vegetables, such as pumpkin and broccoli. For hungry teenagers, you may wish to include a fresh bread bun or slice of wholemeal bread to soak up the tasty sauce.
Next on our list are Lunchbox Lemon Muffins and Homemade Lemon Juice. Both are great recipes to boost vitamin C in the diet the natural way - through food and drink. They are simple and quick to prepare and make excellent use of backyard lemon trees that are loaded at this time of the year. Make the muffins in paper cases so they can be easily packed in lunchboxes and look appealing to hungry students.
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The lemon drink can be served both hot or cold. Add more or less lemon juice and sugar to suit your family's tastebuds. No additives or preservatives have been added to this drink, so it needs to be refrigerated if not consumed on the day. Keep in a covered jug to prevent fridge odours from tainting the juice.
Enjoy these recipes and remember that fish is a valuable source of protein, vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fats. If the weather is fine and calm this weekend, teach your children and teenagers how to fish. Take a stroll along the port and observe the experts (some are very young). It is a peaceful and rewarding family activity.
Breathe in the fresh air, take in the vitamin D from the sun and maybe catch a fish. Life is great in the 'Naki!
* By Katy Power and the Year 13 Food and Nutrition class.
Surfcaster Fish Pie
Serves 4-6
3 cups mashed potato
40g butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
pinch of salt
shake of black pepper
1-2 Tbsp parsley - finely chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs - chopped
400-500g smoked fish, flaked into small pieces, or 400g fresh fish, cut into small chunks, or a 425g can of fish, drained and flaked
1 cup peas precooked in microwave or a saucepan
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cheese - grated
1/ Prepare approximately 3 cups of mashed potato (see separate recipe).
2/ Place the eggs into a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, peel and chop into pieces.
4/ Melt the butter on low heat in a medium-size saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes on low heat until the mixture becomes frothy.
5/ Remove from the heat and add the milk slowly while stirring. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
6/ Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the flaked fish and chopped parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and shake of black pepper.
7/ Line the bottom of a 20cm oven dish with the mashed potato.
8/ Place the chopped boiled eggs and pre-cooked peas over the potato layer.
9/ Pour the fish sauce evenly over the top.
10/ Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle over the fish sauce.
11/ Place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked and the topping is lightly golden.
12/ Remove from the oven and serve with vegetables or salad and a few wedges of tomato.
Healthy Mashed Potatoes
Makes 3 cups
1kg potatoes (4-5)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp - 1/4 cup milk
1/ Scrub or peel the potatoes. Cut into 2cm chunks and add to a large saucepan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes until the potatoes are soft. (Check with a paring knife.)
2/ Drain most of the liquid from the potatoes. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and shake of pepper.
3/ Mash until smooth and creamy. Add a little extra milk if the potato mash is too dry.
Lunchbox Lemon Muffins
Makes 12
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
lemon rind - grated - from 1 large or 2 medium-sized lemons
75g butter - melted
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/ Preheat the oven to 200[Degree] bake function.
2/ Place 12 medium-size paper cases into a muffin tray and lightly spray each one or spray the muffin tray if not using paper cases.
3/ Sift the flour, baking powder and first measure of sugar into a large bowl.
4/ Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat.
5/ Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl.
6/ Wash the lemon and grate the rind (outer skin) using the fine side on the grater. Stir into the flour mixture.
7/ Add the melted butter and egg/ milk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don't over mix.
8/ Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin cases.
9/ Bake at 200[Degree] for 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden and cooked. Test by pressing lightly down on a muffin and it should spring back up.
10/ While the muffins are baking, mix the lemon juice and second measure of sugar together in a cup.
11/ Remove muffins from the oven when done and immediately spoon the syrup over the hot muffins. Leave to cool.
Home- Made Lemon Juice
Makes about 1 1/2 litres
3-4 medium size lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 litres water
1/ Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of warm water in a large jug. Replace some of the sugar with honey if preferred.
2/ Cut the lemons in half and use a lemon juicer to squeeze the juice from the lemons.
3/ Pour juice into the jug, straining out any seeds, and add remainder of water (hot or cold).
4/ Stir for 1 minute to combine flavours.
5/ Drink warm or chill juice in the fridge before serving.
Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 12:17 04/08/2009
MARK DWYER
Sam Askew, 17, and Lauren Yule, 17, cook up Surfcaster Fish Pie.
KAI2
MARK DWYER
Surfcaster Fish Pie.
KAI3
MARK DWYER
Lunchbox Lemon Muffins
KAI4
MARK DWYER
Home-Made Lemon Juice
Relevant offers
Food & Drink
Learn to make sausage Southern star shines bright Inseason Fresh idea: Onions Kai with Soul How dare they dis our wine Inseason: Lemons Kai with Soul Balancing act A cool afternoon coffee
The talk in the food industry last week was about pies, after the annual national pie contest was fiercely contested. We decided to take on the challenge of making the perfect fish pie. This one has no pastry or red meat, but has survived the test of time to become an ever-popular family lunch or dinner dish.
A base of mashed potato and cheesy breadcrumb topping replaces the pastry, while the filling is a mixture of fish, boiled eggs and white sauce.
The fish can be fresh, smoked or canned and all are suitable. Since we used smoked cod, which has a strong flavour, only 300g was needed. The selection and availability of fish is varied and plentiful from local supermarkets and fish suppliers, so choose a variety that looks and smells fresh and suits your taste and budget. A 425-gram can of tuna from the pantry is also great to make into a pie when unexpected visitors turn up at mealtimes.
A pie with fresh fish will need to bake for 10 minutes longer than smoked or canned fish and some will need to have skin and bones removed first. Fresh fish needs to be cut into bite-size chunks while smoked fish needs to be flaked because of its strong flavour.
Fish pie is great for using leftover vegetables and mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge.
We mashed our potatoes with olive oil and some potato stock water (the water that the potatoes were cooked in). This adds extra vitamin C to the mash and the olive oil is an unsaturated fat and better for you than the saturated fat found in butter and other dairy products.
Layer the base of the oven dish with mashed potato, then the pre-cooked peas and chopped, hard-boiled eggs. Pour the white sauce and flaked fish over and lastly the cheese and breadcrumb topping.
Serve the fish pie for lunch or dinner and with salad or extra vegetables, such as pumpkin and broccoli. For hungry teenagers, you may wish to include a fresh bread bun or slice of wholemeal bread to soak up the tasty sauce.
Next on our list are Lunchbox Lemon Muffins and Homemade Lemon Juice. Both are great recipes to boost vitamin C in the diet the natural way - through food and drink. They are simple and quick to prepare and make excellent use of backyard lemon trees that are loaded at this time of the year. Make the muffins in paper cases so they can be easily packed in lunchboxes and look appealing to hungry students.
Ad Feedback
The lemon drink can be served both hot or cold. Add more or less lemon juice and sugar to suit your family's tastebuds. No additives or preservatives have been added to this drink, so it needs to be refrigerated if not consumed on the day. Keep in a covered jug to prevent fridge odours from tainting the juice.
Enjoy these recipes and remember that fish is a valuable source of protein, vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fats. If the weather is fine and calm this weekend, teach your children and teenagers how to fish. Take a stroll along the port and observe the experts (some are very young). It is a peaceful and rewarding family activity.
Breathe in the fresh air, take in the vitamin D from the sun and maybe catch a fish. Life is great in the 'Naki!
* By Katy Power and the Year 13 Food and Nutrition class.
Surfcaster Fish Pie
Serves 4-6
3 cups mashed potato
40g butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
pinch of salt
shake of black pepper
1-2 Tbsp parsley - finely chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs - chopped
400-500g smoked fish, flaked into small pieces, or 400g fresh fish, cut into small chunks, or a 425g can of fish, drained and flaked
1 cup peas precooked in microwave or a saucepan
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cheese - grated
1/ Prepare approximately 3 cups of mashed potato (see separate recipe).
2/ Place the eggs into a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, peel and chop into pieces.
4/ Melt the butter on low heat in a medium-size saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes on low heat until the mixture becomes frothy.
5/ Remove from the heat and add the milk slowly while stirring. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
6/ Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the flaked fish and chopped parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and shake of black pepper.
7/ Line the bottom of a 20cm oven dish with the mashed potato.
8/ Place the chopped boiled eggs and pre-cooked peas over the potato layer.
9/ Pour the fish sauce evenly over the top.
10/ Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle over the fish sauce.
11/ Place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked and the topping is lightly golden.
12/ Remove from the oven and serve with vegetables or salad and a few wedges of tomato.
Healthy Mashed Potatoes
Makes 3 cups
1kg potatoes (4-5)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp - 1/4 cup milk
1/ Scrub or peel the potatoes. Cut into 2cm chunks and add to a large saucepan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes until the potatoes are soft. (Check with a paring knife.)
2/ Drain most of the liquid from the potatoes. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and shake of pepper.
3/ Mash until smooth and creamy. Add a little extra milk if the potato mash is too dry.
Lunchbox Lemon Muffins
Makes 12
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
lemon rind - grated - from 1 large or 2 medium-sized lemons
75g butter - melted
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/ Preheat the oven to 200[Degree] bake function.
2/ Place 12 medium-size paper cases into a muffin tray and lightly spray each one or spray the muffin tray if not using paper cases.
3/ Sift the flour, baking powder and first measure of sugar into a large bowl.
4/ Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat.
5/ Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl.
6/ Wash the lemon and grate the rind (outer skin) using the fine side on the grater. Stir into the flour mixture.
7/ Add the melted butter and egg/ milk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don't over mix.
8/ Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin cases.
9/ Bake at 200[Degree] for 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden and cooked. Test by pressing lightly down on a muffin and it should spring back up.
10/ While the muffins are baking, mix the lemon juice and second measure of sugar together in a cup.
11/ Remove muffins from the oven when done and immediately spoon the syrup over the hot muffins. Leave to cool.
Home- Made Lemon Juice
Makes about 1 1/2 litres
3-4 medium size lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 litres water
1/ Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of warm water in a large jug. Replace some of the sugar with honey if preferred.
2/ Cut the lemons in half and use a lemon juicer to squeeze the juice from the lemons.
3/ Pour juice into the jug, straining out any seeds, and add remainder of water (hot or cold).
4/ Stir for 1 minute to combine flavours.
5/ Drink warm or chill juice in the fridge before serving.
Delivering the paper
Our Stories
By VICKI PRICE - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 11:18 08/08/2009
MARK DWYER
Days gone by: As a 10-year-old, Don Taylor earned six shillings a week delivering the Taranaki Herald.
"The Great Depression did not treat my father kindly," says Don Taylor of his Eltham upbringing.
"He earned a minimal wage, but scraped together enough pennies to buy me a bicycle in 1938. I was a 10-year-old boy and was thrilled to have wheels, in spite of the fact it was a really old boneshaker."
A bike was an essential piece of equipment if you were a 10-year-old boy wanting a paper run in 1938 and a paper run was the most desirable thing to achieve in life, says Mr Taylor, who now lives in New Plymouth. Mr Egarr, a family friend, had notified the Taylor household that a run was becoming available and Mr Taylor's father, at the time earning five pounds a week, could see the sense in a little bit of extra earning within the family, albeit just six shillings a week.
The job was arranged and now everything hinged on the acquisition of a bike. His father soon found one.
"He bought an old, painted-up, less-than-attractive, uncomfortable, second-hand machine for next to nothing," recalls Mr Taylor, "It had a fixed gear ratio suited more to an adult than a boy and featured the mandatory bell and 12-inch strip of white paint plus red reflector on the rear mudguard. The seat was as hard as a rock and the light fitting had to be continuously pulled around to face forward when being used at night. But it was a bike!"
The lad delivering the Taranaki Herald on Mr Taylor's new run had been called up to the navy, but showed Don what to do before he left. It was a 10-mile (16-kilometre) run delivering 32 newspapers six days a week and included visiting the homes on Saturday mornings to collect payment for the newspaper office. Mr Taylor collected the money and signed a card held by each customer.
"Clearly the six shillings I received was for six delivery runs and didn't include any payment for the seventh trip. That was the way it was done in those days. The newspaper company had its payments gathered at no cost to itself!"
Don's mother sewed up a sugar sack to hold the newspapers and attached a rope so it could hang over his shoulder or the handlebars of his bike. The bike's rear carrier was filled with an oilskin coat and a sou'wester (an oilskin hat) for rainy days. Don was ready for action.
After playing some after- school rugby or a quick round of marbles, Don would hurry home to enjoy the afternoon tea his mother always laid out on the bench for him before starting his paper run. The bus delivering the newspapers arrived in Eltham at 4.10pm. After the newsagent had cut the string, counted the papers and kept his share to sell over the counter, Don loaded his bike and was off, usually by 4.30.
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Traffic wasn't too great a hazard to Don, partly because he had a light on his bike, but also because there wasn't much of it in Eltham in the 1930s.
"In those days, people walked to and from work or rode their bicycles. Most, of course, couldn't afford to own a motor vehicle."
There were four customers who lived just out of town. One of these deliveries added 10 minutes to the run. But if Mr Taylor was lucky, he would catch two young ladies on their way home from work who cycled past this house to their own homes farther on, and they would deliver the paper for him.
"The customer was a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party and I could never understand why there were never any expressions of thanks from him for a worker. He must have known that his delivery alone added quite a bit to my time and effort." Mr Taylor says.
Norm Tinney, a butcher at the local freezing works, could usually be found each afternoon on the same barstool at the Coronation Hotel. If not, Mr Taylor had to travel to his house, which was right out on the southern boundary to the town.
"In winter, an added benefit for me not having to travel to his residence came at the moment I handed him his paper. Unfailingly, he reached for the plate of hot counter lunch set out for the bar customers and offered me a piece. This was a very welcome and warming snack on the really cold days."
Each week, the six shillings was divided up into three portions: one for Scout payments, one for the Saturday matinee and the other for savings. By the end of the first year, Mr Taylor had saved enough for a deposit on the new model Phillips bicycle.
"It had a crossbar which curved under the stylishly shaped saddle and the mudguards were shaped into four ridges rather than being in a plain curve. It was painted a modern, dark shade of red and, joy of joys, the gear wheel had been designed to cope easily with cycling about town. It was easier to pedal, was more comfortable to ride and had a dynamo fitted to drive a stylishly designed front light."
A lasting impression for Mr Taylor was the pink, red, orange, gold and blue colours of the sky over Eltham as the sun sank behind Mt Taranaki. During still evenings he admired the smoke rising in tall, thin columns over the town as residents lit their coal and wood burners to cook the evening meal. Unfortunately, the smoke soon thickened and settled into a layer that blanketed the town, obliterating the beautiful sunset. But nights when the moon and stars rose clear and bright, as Don switched on his bike's headlamp to deliver his next paper, were a heavenly scene forever fixed in his memory.
By VICKI PRICE - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 11:18 08/08/2009
MARK DWYER
Days gone by: As a 10-year-old, Don Taylor earned six shillings a week delivering the Taranaki Herald.
"The Great Depression did not treat my father kindly," says Don Taylor of his Eltham upbringing.
"He earned a minimal wage, but scraped together enough pennies to buy me a bicycle in 1938. I was a 10-year-old boy and was thrilled to have wheels, in spite of the fact it was a really old boneshaker."
A bike was an essential piece of equipment if you were a 10-year-old boy wanting a paper run in 1938 and a paper run was the most desirable thing to achieve in life, says Mr Taylor, who now lives in New Plymouth. Mr Egarr, a family friend, had notified the Taylor household that a run was becoming available and Mr Taylor's father, at the time earning five pounds a week, could see the sense in a little bit of extra earning within the family, albeit just six shillings a week.
The job was arranged and now everything hinged on the acquisition of a bike. His father soon found one.
"He bought an old, painted-up, less-than-attractive, uncomfortable, second-hand machine for next to nothing," recalls Mr Taylor, "It had a fixed gear ratio suited more to an adult than a boy and featured the mandatory bell and 12-inch strip of white paint plus red reflector on the rear mudguard. The seat was as hard as a rock and the light fitting had to be continuously pulled around to face forward when being used at night. But it was a bike!"
The lad delivering the Taranaki Herald on Mr Taylor's new run had been called up to the navy, but showed Don what to do before he left. It was a 10-mile (16-kilometre) run delivering 32 newspapers six days a week and included visiting the homes on Saturday mornings to collect payment for the newspaper office. Mr Taylor collected the money and signed a card held by each customer.
"Clearly the six shillings I received was for six delivery runs and didn't include any payment for the seventh trip. That was the way it was done in those days. The newspaper company had its payments gathered at no cost to itself!"
Don's mother sewed up a sugar sack to hold the newspapers and attached a rope so it could hang over his shoulder or the handlebars of his bike. The bike's rear carrier was filled with an oilskin coat and a sou'wester (an oilskin hat) for rainy days. Don was ready for action.
After playing some after- school rugby or a quick round of marbles, Don would hurry home to enjoy the afternoon tea his mother always laid out on the bench for him before starting his paper run. The bus delivering the newspapers arrived in Eltham at 4.10pm. After the newsagent had cut the string, counted the papers and kept his share to sell over the counter, Don loaded his bike and was off, usually by 4.30.
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Traffic wasn't too great a hazard to Don, partly because he had a light on his bike, but also because there wasn't much of it in Eltham in the 1930s.
"In those days, people walked to and from work or rode their bicycles. Most, of course, couldn't afford to own a motor vehicle."
There were four customers who lived just out of town. One of these deliveries added 10 minutes to the run. But if Mr Taylor was lucky, he would catch two young ladies on their way home from work who cycled past this house to their own homes farther on, and they would deliver the paper for him.
"The customer was a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party and I could never understand why there were never any expressions of thanks from him for a worker. He must have known that his delivery alone added quite a bit to my time and effort." Mr Taylor says.
Norm Tinney, a butcher at the local freezing works, could usually be found each afternoon on the same barstool at the Coronation Hotel. If not, Mr Taylor had to travel to his house, which was right out on the southern boundary to the town.
"In winter, an added benefit for me not having to travel to his residence came at the moment I handed him his paper. Unfailingly, he reached for the plate of hot counter lunch set out for the bar customers and offered me a piece. This was a very welcome and warming snack on the really cold days."
Each week, the six shillings was divided up into three portions: one for Scout payments, one for the Saturday matinee and the other for savings. By the end of the first year, Mr Taylor had saved enough for a deposit on the new model Phillips bicycle.
"It had a crossbar which curved under the stylishly shaped saddle and the mudguards were shaped into four ridges rather than being in a plain curve. It was painted a modern, dark shade of red and, joy of joys, the gear wheel had been designed to cope easily with cycling about town. It was easier to pedal, was more comfortable to ride and had a dynamo fitted to drive a stylishly designed front light."
A lasting impression for Mr Taylor was the pink, red, orange, gold and blue colours of the sky over Eltham as the sun sank behind Mt Taranaki. During still evenings he admired the smoke rising in tall, thin columns over the town as residents lit their coal and wood burners to cook the evening meal. Unfortunately, the smoke soon thickened and settled into a layer that blanketed the town, obliterating the beautiful sunset. But nights when the moon and stars rose clear and bright, as Don switched on his bike's headlamp to deliver his next paper, were a heavenly scene forever fixed in his memory.
That most public of art
The prettiest buildings in Taranaki are the churches
Whiteley Memorial Church
St George's Anglican Church, Patea
The Mayfair, Devon Street
Hunter Shaw Building, Patea
Collier building, Devon Street
St Andrew's Church
St Mary's Church
TSB Showplace, Devon Street
Ryder Hall, New Plymouth Boys' High
Pukekura Park kiosk
St Joseph's Church
Launching a feature on Taranaki's nicest and nastiest buildings was always going to be problematic.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder was one weary cliche trotted out. And when unaesthetic buildings begging to be on the ugly list were suggested, some replied they performed a function or were architecturally designed and thus a goodie, not a baddie.
Still, the Taranaki Daily News pushed on. Compiling a list of the region's stunners and shockers was something we reckoned we - and the public - could have fun with.
And it was a chance for reflection. Visitors judge us on appearances and while the sea, the mountain and the bush beautify our region, our buildings add to and detract from our look.
Furthermore, buildings constructed in the past 30 years are open to more debate. The vast majority of beautiful buildings our experts nominated were elderly specimens, constructed more than 50 years ago. Today's constructions might be considered less permanent, less elegant and far less likely to engender pride. Or perhaps it is just a matter of time. Will Puke Ariki grow in our affection? Will Huatoki Plaza inspire enthusiasm in years to come?
When it came to the crunch, churches frequently topped everyone's beautiful list.
Taranaki's most beautiful buildings
St Mary's Church, Whiteley Memorial Church, St Andrew's Church, St Joseph's Church, St George's Anglican Church, (Patea), St John's Church, Kaimata, Hunter Shaw Building (Patea), Wishing Well florists (Hawera), Ballentynes store, (Hawera), Pukekura Park kiosk, TSB Showplace, Devon Street, Collier building, Devon Street, Ryder Hall, New Plymouth Boys' High, The Mayfair, Devon Street
Honourable mention:
White Hart building, Post office building (Hawera), The Mill (New Plymouth), The ASB Bank, New Plymouth, St Aubyn office building
Retired architect and former Witt tutor Brian Chong says St Mary's, the country's oldest stone church, has the whole package.
"The buildings that I think are beautiful are built from the heart and with passion. St Mary's Church is the number one. It's built from natural materials with a lot of feeling and hard work."
South Taranaki's charmers include Victorian and colonial structures such as the town's courthouse, its library and some of its banks. A small stand-out specimen typifying old-world charm is 77 Princes Street, currently occupied by Wishing Well Flowers.
One of the loveliest examples of colonial architecture, reckons Mr Cullen, is St George's Anglican Church in Patea. A deep A-frame roof marks the building out, as do its stained-glass windows and bell tower.
Patea's second prime pick is the Hunter Shaw building, the 80-year-old red brick edifice on the main street.Designed by renowned architect William Gummer, it began life as a library and reading room. It was built in the much admired Georgian style, with shutters and a clock tower, and modelled on the award-winning Remuera library.
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In Hawera, the High Street building once called Patterson's building is also a stunner, but because of Art Deco features, not Victorian. Curved exterior walls and coloured geometric windows create a streamlined look.
"Inside, it has a wonderful quality of light and space," says Mr Cullen, referring to the store's mezzaine floor, central staircase and Art Deco detailing. Ballentynes now occupies it.
Significant mention also goes to the Hawera post office building. Advertising across its top detracts from its intended look, but when built, it encapsulated the International style of architecture, prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s, though it was built later than that. A solid upper wall contrasts with a recessed glass frontage and with a green faux marble wall.
"It's a rare modern building in Hawera, although the style sits uncomfortably with 19th-century buildings around it," Mr Cullen says.
New Plymouth architect Ian Pritchard, who wrote a book on pioneering architect Frank Messenger, struggles to reel off more than a handful of memorable buildings. His favourites include modern buildings: St Joseph's Church in Powderham Street, Ryder Hall at New Plymouth Boys' High School and the Whiteley Methodist church. The New Plymouth fire station would once have rated highly - sadly, he says, a coat of paint ruined its original appearance. Designed in concrete block, its grey exterior took cognisance of St Andrew's church opposite, also a stone building.
"The acknowledgement of that has gone. Whoever did it should be taken outside and shot. It was a beautiful building that has been destroyed."
Likewise, the Pukekura park kiosk. One of the hundreds of Taranaki buildings designed by Messenger, the upgrade transformed interior beauty into blandness. "It had wonderful dark panelling inside . . . its soul has been ripped out."
But St John's Church at Kaimata, a roughcast structure, remains a much admired pick for Mr Pritchard.
"It's a honey. It was built as a memorial by Albert Burwell to his wife and to give thanks to the end of World War II. It's gorgeous," he says.
And the Colliers building, opposite Mr Pritchard's Devon Street office, is also lovely because of its lean, well- proportioned look.
He's not so complimentary about the city's newest buildings.
"There's nothing built in the last decade you would say is a beautiful building because the test is: does it evoke an emotional response, does it stir the soul? I can't think of any built recently that do that."
One of the best buildings - largely for its well-arranged, workable inside - is the TSB Showplace, says Paul Goldsmith, well-known local architect and one of those responsible for designing Puke Ariki. Its original features, such as a grand opera house ceiling, were retained. It's atmospheric and "proud", Mr Goldsmith says.
"I think you need to look inside a building as well as out. The inside of the civic chambers [the New Plymouth District Council] is better than the outside."
Mr Goldsmith puts groups of buildings and areas of town on his list of lovelies. Devon Street has got "leaner, meaner, tighter and groovier". Council work begun in the last decade to link the mountain, the sea and the town is proving successful.
"In 10 years' time, these corridors from mountain to sea will be fantastic," he says, pointing out that it's only in the past 20 years that town planners have begun to consider links between outdoor spaces and buildings.
New Plymouth businessman and spirited CBD campaigner Richie Shearer says beauty, as well as being subjective, also relates to a building's design, how it sits in the environment and its longevity. Clusters of buildings tend to earn his respect.
"In a city context, it's how a whole group of buildings make you feel." King Street is one such example, as is nearby Queen Street with its old-timers: The White Hart, the clock tower, the former Public Trust building, Govett-Brewster art gallery, the former New Plymouth club and St Aubyn Chambers (now apartments).
"It's because Queen Street is one of our most original streets. It's a shame we have not been as proactive as other cities in retaining our old buildings or put design protocols in place," says Mr Shearer, a founding member of the since abandoned New Plymouth District Council urban design group whose work lead to the development of the Huatoki Plaza.
As to individual structures, Mr Shearer favours pink-toned Mayfair in Devon Street, the Collier building, the Mill (looking better since its grey paint job) and the ASB bank. Outside the CBD, Mr Shearer names a small building on St Aubyn Street opposite the Devonport Flats.
"The scale is great and it has a glass front that relates well to the street."
And while public toilets may only briefly attract our thoughts and presence, Mr Shearer thinks recent additions deserve admiration.
"They seem to blend in. When you think about the toilets on the foreshore, you don't notice them. They could have looked like a skyline garage, but they're attractive."
Its grounds also add to its aesthetic appeal, he says. Historic trees loom up above significant gravestones: Marsland Hill and its environs add to the serenity. Second equal on Mr Chong's list are New Plymouth central city churches St Andrew's and Whiteley Memorial Church. St Andrew's rates for its exterior stonework and well-proportioned spire, Whiteley Memorial for its soaring roof. But Mr Chong admits bias: he worked on the Methodist church, designed by architects Harvey and Bowering, in conjunction with Auckland Abbot Hole and Annabell. Opened in 1963, the church in 2007 earnt a New Zealand Institute of Architects award for enduring architecture, and last year it was among several Taranaki landmarks profiled in a weighty book on New Zealand's modern architecture.
"The minister at the time, Reverend Greenslade, wanted a church which went up very high and gave that lofty feeling. It was very controversial, but the thing about churches is they serve many purposes, from birth and death to baptisms and marriages. You feel emotional whether you are strongly religious or not."
Pukekura Park's tea house earnt a fourth placing on Mr Chong's list, despite the fact the new paint job is a glaring white. Shape as well as location were the reasons.
"You go past the cricket ground, you see the trees, the band rotunda and the Victoria water fountain before you come across the tea house and the red bridge. Immediately you feel you're in another world."
The word "beautiful" tends to encompass old or pretty places, points out Hawera architect Clive Cullen, when asked for his eyesore and eye-candy collection..
"It has a connotation that does not necessarily sit with what modern buildings are."
Whiteley Memorial Church
St George's Anglican Church, Patea
The Mayfair, Devon Street
Hunter Shaw Building, Patea
Collier building, Devon Street
St Andrew's Church
St Mary's Church
TSB Showplace, Devon Street
Ryder Hall, New Plymouth Boys' High
Pukekura Park kiosk
St Joseph's Church
Launching a feature on Taranaki's nicest and nastiest buildings was always going to be problematic.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder was one weary cliche trotted out. And when unaesthetic buildings begging to be on the ugly list were suggested, some replied they performed a function or were architecturally designed and thus a goodie, not a baddie.
Still, the Taranaki Daily News pushed on. Compiling a list of the region's stunners and shockers was something we reckoned we - and the public - could have fun with.
And it was a chance for reflection. Visitors judge us on appearances and while the sea, the mountain and the bush beautify our region, our buildings add to and detract from our look.
Furthermore, buildings constructed in the past 30 years are open to more debate. The vast majority of beautiful buildings our experts nominated were elderly specimens, constructed more than 50 years ago. Today's constructions might be considered less permanent, less elegant and far less likely to engender pride. Or perhaps it is just a matter of time. Will Puke Ariki grow in our affection? Will Huatoki Plaza inspire enthusiasm in years to come?
When it came to the crunch, churches frequently topped everyone's beautiful list.
Taranaki's most beautiful buildings
St Mary's Church, Whiteley Memorial Church, St Andrew's Church, St Joseph's Church, St George's Anglican Church, (Patea), St John's Church, Kaimata, Hunter Shaw Building (Patea), Wishing Well florists (Hawera), Ballentynes store, (Hawera), Pukekura Park kiosk, TSB Showplace, Devon Street, Collier building, Devon Street, Ryder Hall, New Plymouth Boys' High, The Mayfair, Devon Street
Honourable mention:
White Hart building, Post office building (Hawera), The Mill (New Plymouth), The ASB Bank, New Plymouth, St Aubyn office building
Retired architect and former Witt tutor Brian Chong says St Mary's, the country's oldest stone church, has the whole package.
"The buildings that I think are beautiful are built from the heart and with passion. St Mary's Church is the number one. It's built from natural materials with a lot of feeling and hard work."
South Taranaki's charmers include Victorian and colonial structures such as the town's courthouse, its library and some of its banks. A small stand-out specimen typifying old-world charm is 77 Princes Street, currently occupied by Wishing Well Flowers.
One of the loveliest examples of colonial architecture, reckons Mr Cullen, is St George's Anglican Church in Patea. A deep A-frame roof marks the building out, as do its stained-glass windows and bell tower.
Patea's second prime pick is the Hunter Shaw building, the 80-year-old red brick edifice on the main street.Designed by renowned architect William Gummer, it began life as a library and reading room. It was built in the much admired Georgian style, with shutters and a clock tower, and modelled on the award-winning Remuera library.
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In Hawera, the High Street building once called Patterson's building is also a stunner, but because of Art Deco features, not Victorian. Curved exterior walls and coloured geometric windows create a streamlined look.
"Inside, it has a wonderful quality of light and space," says Mr Cullen, referring to the store's mezzaine floor, central staircase and Art Deco detailing. Ballentynes now occupies it.
Significant mention also goes to the Hawera post office building. Advertising across its top detracts from its intended look, but when built, it encapsulated the International style of architecture, prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s, though it was built later than that. A solid upper wall contrasts with a recessed glass frontage and with a green faux marble wall.
"It's a rare modern building in Hawera, although the style sits uncomfortably with 19th-century buildings around it," Mr Cullen says.
New Plymouth architect Ian Pritchard, who wrote a book on pioneering architect Frank Messenger, struggles to reel off more than a handful of memorable buildings. His favourites include modern buildings: St Joseph's Church in Powderham Street, Ryder Hall at New Plymouth Boys' High School and the Whiteley Methodist church. The New Plymouth fire station would once have rated highly - sadly, he says, a coat of paint ruined its original appearance. Designed in concrete block, its grey exterior took cognisance of St Andrew's church opposite, also a stone building.
"The acknowledgement of that has gone. Whoever did it should be taken outside and shot. It was a beautiful building that has been destroyed."
Likewise, the Pukekura park kiosk. One of the hundreds of Taranaki buildings designed by Messenger, the upgrade transformed interior beauty into blandness. "It had wonderful dark panelling inside . . . its soul has been ripped out."
But St John's Church at Kaimata, a roughcast structure, remains a much admired pick for Mr Pritchard.
"It's a honey. It was built as a memorial by Albert Burwell to his wife and to give thanks to the end of World War II. It's gorgeous," he says.
And the Colliers building, opposite Mr Pritchard's Devon Street office, is also lovely because of its lean, well- proportioned look.
He's not so complimentary about the city's newest buildings.
"There's nothing built in the last decade you would say is a beautiful building because the test is: does it evoke an emotional response, does it stir the soul? I can't think of any built recently that do that."
One of the best buildings - largely for its well-arranged, workable inside - is the TSB Showplace, says Paul Goldsmith, well-known local architect and one of those responsible for designing Puke Ariki. Its original features, such as a grand opera house ceiling, were retained. It's atmospheric and "proud", Mr Goldsmith says.
"I think you need to look inside a building as well as out. The inside of the civic chambers [the New Plymouth District Council] is better than the outside."
Mr Goldsmith puts groups of buildings and areas of town on his list of lovelies. Devon Street has got "leaner, meaner, tighter and groovier". Council work begun in the last decade to link the mountain, the sea and the town is proving successful.
"In 10 years' time, these corridors from mountain to sea will be fantastic," he says, pointing out that it's only in the past 20 years that town planners have begun to consider links between outdoor spaces and buildings.
New Plymouth businessman and spirited CBD campaigner Richie Shearer says beauty, as well as being subjective, also relates to a building's design, how it sits in the environment and its longevity. Clusters of buildings tend to earn his respect.
"In a city context, it's how a whole group of buildings make you feel." King Street is one such example, as is nearby Queen Street with its old-timers: The White Hart, the clock tower, the former Public Trust building, Govett-Brewster art gallery, the former New Plymouth club and St Aubyn Chambers (now apartments).
"It's because Queen Street is one of our most original streets. It's a shame we have not been as proactive as other cities in retaining our old buildings or put design protocols in place," says Mr Shearer, a founding member of the since abandoned New Plymouth District Council urban design group whose work lead to the development of the Huatoki Plaza.
As to individual structures, Mr Shearer favours pink-toned Mayfair in Devon Street, the Collier building, the Mill (looking better since its grey paint job) and the ASB bank. Outside the CBD, Mr Shearer names a small building on St Aubyn Street opposite the Devonport Flats.
"The scale is great and it has a glass front that relates well to the street."
And while public toilets may only briefly attract our thoughts and presence, Mr Shearer thinks recent additions deserve admiration.
"They seem to blend in. When you think about the toilets on the foreshore, you don't notice them. They could have looked like a skyline garage, but they're attractive."
Its grounds also add to its aesthetic appeal, he says. Historic trees loom up above significant gravestones: Marsland Hill and its environs add to the serenity. Second equal on Mr Chong's list are New Plymouth central city churches St Andrew's and Whiteley Memorial Church. St Andrew's rates for its exterior stonework and well-proportioned spire, Whiteley Memorial for its soaring roof. But Mr Chong admits bias: he worked on the Methodist church, designed by architects Harvey and Bowering, in conjunction with Auckland Abbot Hole and Annabell. Opened in 1963, the church in 2007 earnt a New Zealand Institute of Architects award for enduring architecture, and last year it was among several Taranaki landmarks profiled in a weighty book on New Zealand's modern architecture.
"The minister at the time, Reverend Greenslade, wanted a church which went up very high and gave that lofty feeling. It was very controversial, but the thing about churches is they serve many purposes, from birth and death to baptisms and marriages. You feel emotional whether you are strongly religious or not."
Pukekura Park's tea house earnt a fourth placing on Mr Chong's list, despite the fact the new paint job is a glaring white. Shape as well as location were the reasons.
"You go past the cricket ground, you see the trees, the band rotunda and the Victoria water fountain before you come across the tea house and the red bridge. Immediately you feel you're in another world."
The word "beautiful" tends to encompass old or pretty places, points out Hawera architect Clive Cullen, when asked for his eyesore and eye-candy collection..
"It has a connotation that does not necessarily sit with what modern buildings are."
Shop owner in 70km mission to thwart thieves
Shop owner in 70km mission to thwart thieves
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News
BIG HAUL OF MOWERS: Detective Paul Davison with the haul of 26 lawnmowers, recovered by Hawera police yesterday.
RICHARD WOODD/ Taranaki Daily
BIG HAUL OF MOWERS: Detective Paul Davison with the haul of 26 lawnmowers, recovered by Hawera police yesterday.
A Hawera shop owner chased fleeing burglars for 70km yesterday morning trying to recover the 26 lawn mowers they had stolen from him.
But Mike Seaver was ordered by police by cellphone to back off after the burglars reversed into his car.
The police later executed search warrants and found the $26,000 worth of mowers stashed in a Hawera house.
Detective Paul Davison said he was hoping those responsible would be charged in the district court today.
He praised Mr Seaver for his sharp eyes and for quickly alerting the police after discovering crooks had broken into his shop (Seaver Cycles and Motors) in Regent St and stolen 26 boxed mowers from the showroom.
Mr Seaver discovered his shop had been burgled at 10.30pm on Sunday and called the police.
"But I couldn't sleep. I suspected the burglars lived in a house close to the shop and I was lying there listening for vehicles," he said. "Eventually I got up about 6am and drove around and I came up behind a Subaru hatchback with what looked like collapsed mower boxes in the back. There were two young people in the car and I think they must have been moving the boxes to somewhere they could be burned."
He phoned the registration number to the police and chased the vehicle to Manaia and then along back roads to Normanby, where the driver stopped and reversed into his Falcon wagon.
"It wasn't a high-speed chase, but it was a bit nerve-racking. The police had a fair idea who they might be," he said.
His wife Mary slept on oblivious to Mike's dramatic adventures. "But I'm glad I wasn't awake."
The police said Mr Seaver should get his mowers back by the weekend.
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News
BIG HAUL OF MOWERS: Detective Paul Davison with the haul of 26 lawnmowers, recovered by Hawera police yesterday.
RICHARD WOODD/ Taranaki Daily
BIG HAUL OF MOWERS: Detective Paul Davison with the haul of 26 lawnmowers, recovered by Hawera police yesterday.
A Hawera shop owner chased fleeing burglars for 70km yesterday morning trying to recover the 26 lawn mowers they had stolen from him.
But Mike Seaver was ordered by police by cellphone to back off after the burglars reversed into his car.
The police later executed search warrants and found the $26,000 worth of mowers stashed in a Hawera house.
Detective Paul Davison said he was hoping those responsible would be charged in the district court today.
He praised Mr Seaver for his sharp eyes and for quickly alerting the police after discovering crooks had broken into his shop (Seaver Cycles and Motors) in Regent St and stolen 26 boxed mowers from the showroom.
Mr Seaver discovered his shop had been burgled at 10.30pm on Sunday and called the police.
"But I couldn't sleep. I suspected the burglars lived in a house close to the shop and I was lying there listening for vehicles," he said. "Eventually I got up about 6am and drove around and I came up behind a Subaru hatchback with what looked like collapsed mower boxes in the back. There were two young people in the car and I think they must have been moving the boxes to somewhere they could be burned."
He phoned the registration number to the police and chased the vehicle to Manaia and then along back roads to Normanby, where the driver stopped and reversed into his Falcon wagon.
"It wasn't a high-speed chase, but it was a bit nerve-racking. The police had a fair idea who they might be," he said.
His wife Mary slept on oblivious to Mike's dramatic adventures. "But I'm glad I wasn't awake."
The police said Mr Seaver should get his mowers back by the weekend.
Book launch brings former scouts together
By KIRSTY JOHNSTON - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 10/08/2009
ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News
BADGES GALORE: Some of the archive material on display at Saturday's scouting book launch was former members' badge-covered blankets and possibly the oldest Scout uniform in New Zealand, dated 1920. From left, Moira Butler, book editor Bruce Bellini and Kevin Whittaker.
One hundred years worth of fond memories of scouting in Taranaki were celebrated in New Plymouth on Saturday.
Former scouts, cubs and keas either dropped in for afternoon tea or stayed for dinner at the Plymouth Hotel to mark the launch of Scouting New Plymouth and North Taranaki: 100 years of Scouting Memories, edited by local man Bruce Bellini.
The book was five years in the making and meant to be finished last year in time for the scoutings' 100th anniversary but there was so much information it took six months extra to write it all up.
Organiser Moira Butler, a former scout leader, said 150 books had been pre-ordered and more had been sold during the afternoon.
The event was a chance for old scouts to get together with friends they met through the organisation and reminisce, as well as inspect material brought out from the archives, Mrs Butler said.
Bruce Bellini said he had been "quite nervous" before the book's release.
"But the feedback had been all positive so far and the turn out higher than expected so I'm very pleased," he said.
Last updated 05:00 10/08/2009
ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News
BADGES GALORE: Some of the archive material on display at Saturday's scouting book launch was former members' badge-covered blankets and possibly the oldest Scout uniform in New Zealand, dated 1920. From left, Moira Butler, book editor Bruce Bellini and Kevin Whittaker.
One hundred years worth of fond memories of scouting in Taranaki were celebrated in New Plymouth on Saturday.
Former scouts, cubs and keas either dropped in for afternoon tea or stayed for dinner at the Plymouth Hotel to mark the launch of Scouting New Plymouth and North Taranaki: 100 years of Scouting Memories, edited by local man Bruce Bellini.
The book was five years in the making and meant to be finished last year in time for the scoutings' 100th anniversary but there was so much information it took six months extra to write it all up.
Organiser Moira Butler, a former scout leader, said 150 books had been pre-ordered and more had been sold during the afternoon.
The event was a chance for old scouts to get together with friends they met through the organisation and reminisce, as well as inspect material brought out from the archives, Mrs Butler said.
Bruce Bellini said he had been "quite nervous" before the book's release.
"But the feedback had been all positive so far and the turn out higher than expected so I'm very pleased," he said.
Film company to share veterans' tales
By KIRSTY JOHNSTON - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 10/08/2009
World War II veterans in Taranaki are being sought to tell their wartime tales before they're lost forever.
Local film company Anvil Productions has been given $28,000 by the Taranaki Electricity Trust to film interviews with 50 veterans in conjunction with the Rata Education and Historic Productions Trust.
Taranaki TV founder and journalist, Ray Cleaver, of Anvil Productions, said he wanted to get on to the project as soon as possible as the number of WWII veterans was dwindling rapidly.
"I got the idea when my father, who was a WWII veteran, began writing down memories of the war before he died," Mr Cleaver said.
"Like many soldiers he never talked about the war for many years and I thought, if we don't do something the stories will be lost soon."
Recent research by Inglewood man, Jack Elliot, shows the number of Inglewood veterans remaining is only 12 per cent of those who went to war.
Each veteran's story will be filmed by Mr Cleaver with Peter MacDonald of Stratford interviewing.
They will cover from the time when the soldiers joined up until they returned home.
The interviews will then be edited and DVD copies given to the veterans, Puke Ariki and the National Army Museum at Waiouru.
"That way anyone who wants to look up WWII or a certain battle can find this information on it," Mr Cleaver said. "But the best thing about it is that it will be their personal stories."
Taranaki's eight RSA clubs will be the main source of contacting the veterans.
Last updated 05:00 10/08/2009
World War II veterans in Taranaki are being sought to tell their wartime tales before they're lost forever.
Local film company Anvil Productions has been given $28,000 by the Taranaki Electricity Trust to film interviews with 50 veterans in conjunction with the Rata Education and Historic Productions Trust.
Taranaki TV founder and journalist, Ray Cleaver, of Anvil Productions, said he wanted to get on to the project as soon as possible as the number of WWII veterans was dwindling rapidly.
"I got the idea when my father, who was a WWII veteran, began writing down memories of the war before he died," Mr Cleaver said.
"Like many soldiers he never talked about the war for many years and I thought, if we don't do something the stories will be lost soon."
Recent research by Inglewood man, Jack Elliot, shows the number of Inglewood veterans remaining is only 12 per cent of those who went to war.
Each veteran's story will be filmed by Mr Cleaver with Peter MacDonald of Stratford interviewing.
They will cover from the time when the soldiers joined up until they returned home.
The interviews will then be edited and DVD copies given to the veterans, Puke Ariki and the National Army Museum at Waiouru.
"That way anyone who wants to look up WWII or a certain battle can find this information on it," Mr Cleaver said. "But the best thing about it is that it will be their personal stories."
Taranaki's eight RSA clubs will be the main source of contacting the veterans.
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