THE history of Eltham

Caretakers of a district’s past Ray Cleaver | Thursday, September 30, 2010 12:28 THE history of Eltham and surrounding districts is in good hands but there’s a search on to find volunteers interested in preserving the past. In the iconic old Bank of New South Wales building on Bridge St, there is a massive repository of historical records, newspapers and photographs that chart the history of the area since early pioneering days. For 38 years a small group of dedicated people have assembled and stored a number of comprehensive and important collections of local people, buildings and events. Many people use the services of the society to search family history or learn more of the past. Even authors use the facilities to research for books. So lets look back at the history of the historical society. In 1972 the founding members decided to set up an organization, planning ahead to the 1982 centennial of the town. The founding members included Hazel Jenkins, Audrey de Jong, Jack Worthington, Joan Cherry, Dave Birchler, Jim Best and Russell Standish. They met at various venues around Eltham until 1974, when the Eltham Borough Council gave the society a home – rooms above the council chambers on Stanners St. They were housed there until 1999, when due to a generous grant from Taranaki Electricity Trust, they moved into the old Bank of New South Wales, where they reside today. The old bank was built in classic style in 1911 and is a fitting historic home for the society. The society’s collection of newspapers is impressive. In the 1970s the society became caretakers of the bound collection of Eltham Argus newspaper, dating from 1904 to 1967. These are an invaluable resource of information on the history of Eltham and are frequently referred to. They belong to Ian and Pauline Turpie. They have copies of the Taranaki News from 1875 to1882 and The Budget and Taranaki Weekly Herald of 1899 and from 1926 to 1932. They have a huge collection of Photo News magazines, from 1957 to 1974. About eight years ago they were given a collection of bound copies of Daily News newspapers, dating back from 1911. They are also caretakers of the Connell photographic collection. This contains about 300 glass plates, many of World War I soldiers plus hundreds of thousands of film negatives, Founder Nigel Connell began the collection in 1904 and Sheila and the late Paul Connell donated the collection in 2004 to be kept for posterity. The society has also amassed thousand of local photographs of local people and buildings, given by people and donated from estates. The fireproof vault in the bank contains school records of the district and many other precious documents. Over the years volunteers have spent countless hours putting together files, with photos, of thousands of World War I soldiers, of those who died, went missing in action or were wounded, soldiers from all over New Zealand. History is preserved on card files, microfiche, computer files, with obituaries and lists of early settlers, and almanacs from the 1800s. The most common enquiries come from people seeking family history. The society charges a modest $20 research fee and has a number of genealogists with wide experience of local and even worldwide research on family history. Some members belong to the Stratford Branch of the NZ Society of Genealogists. There are 30 current members in the society and 10 of these work actively at the rooms. They are seeking more members to spread the work and make sure is it maintained, so if you are interested in history and expanding your world, phone Maureen, 7647172. The rooms are open every Thursday and Friday from 1pm to 3,30pm.

Sports ground lands grant

An uneven concrete wasteland is being turned into a multi-use sportsground at Hawera High School with the help of a $100,000 grant. A recent application to the Pelorus Trust has been approved, causing the allocation of one of the largest amounts the group has ever awarded. It is hoped that the work will start on the Bayley Park tennis and netball courts next month. HHS deputy principal Wendy Armstrong said it was hoped that the four netball courts, five tennis courts, two half-sized hockey pitches, which were perfect for training juniors, and the 200-metre practice running track will be open by the 2013 school year. "It will be good to use the facility again, it will be quite a good community asset," she said. The idea came from a conversation between the HHS sport head Pauline Hurley and sport and arts co-ordinator Jan Roberts about ways to better use the grounds. "There's no junior hockey in Hawera at all, so hopefully this will help the local hockey club," Mrs Hurley said. "We're delighted to have received this money." Pelorus Trust chief executive Scott Simmiss said it was important to the funding provider to ensure that funds raised in a local community are returned to that area. "This project was a perfect opportunity for us to make sure the money could go back to the local area," he said. The Pelorus Trust is a charitable trust based in Wellington that raises funds for charitable, philanthropic and sporting purposes with the operation of gaming machines. PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR Last updated 09:54 18/10/2012

END OF AN ERA 106-year-old school closes after falling enrolment

Halls that once echoed with children's laughter fell silent as Ohangai School finally closed its doors for the last time on Saturday afternoon. The poignant moment was not lost on principal Liz Stewart who said writing the final chapter in the 106-year-old school's history book last weekend proved a difficult experience. Local iwi welcomed about 50 ex-students, families and residents to farewell what has always been far more than just a school to them. Ms Stewart said that it had always been a meeting place for the Ohangai community and would be sadly missed. The final student left the school on May 18 this year. Now moving to Ramanui School, Ms Stewart is excited to be teaching again. "It will be quite nice to get back into teaching to be honest, it's been too long without kids." She said the hardest part of the closing ceremony wasn't listening to old students, handing out certificates to the youngest and last students at the school or returning the old memorabilia to families who have donated things over the years. It was locking the gates. She said that was really tough. Ohangai School board of trustees chairperson Peter Carver said that while it was an emotional experience, the board's duties at the school were now finished. "I think the common theme from the day was that it's a bit of a sign of the times. "Really the future for the school is, if we can find someone else to occupy the building or try and make sure it's not going to become an eyesore and a constant reminder of what could have been," he said. He credited Ms Stewart for her work wrapping up the school over the past months. His greatest hope for the building is that it will now be used by another facility instead of being left to waste like so many other abandoned school buildings in Taranaki. "Hopefully ours doesn't follow the same path". Margaret Springett, a teacher aide at Ohangai School since 2000, said the experience has been "rough". "It's just sadness really, sadness that it's had to happen. "But, you do what you've got to do," she said. "You can't produce kids out of thin air." The process of cleaning up and preparing the school for closure has taught both Mrs Springett and Ms Stewart more about the school than they ever expected. Mrs Springett has found the experience humbling. "When you look through the photographs, you know that it's been a big and deep part of the community and you are grateful for that but the world is changing," she said. Ad Feedback She said while the community was upset, without enough children, there is no school. It is a problem many country school's are facing in modern times, Mrs Springett believes. "It's a real dilemma for parents, about whether to go with the modern trend or to bring your kids up individual." - © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR Last updated 10:01 18/10/2012