taranakiexpat

2012-01-26T23:14:00.000+13:00

A century-plus of garden experience

2012-01-26T23:12:00.000+13:00

Manaia's David and Michael Self have about 110 years of gardening experience between them – and no desire to head inside just yet.

David Self, Michael's father, started gardening in England in 1938, before he had even started school.

When his parents died it became a way for him and his siblings to survive.

"After my parents died, wherever we went my brother and I had a garden," he says. "When I was 14 I was allowed three-quarters of an acre of land (300 sqm) to keep bantams."

He also bred mice and small game for sale as well as growing and selling produce.

After emigrating to New Zealand he studied at Lincoln University before farming until he could raise enough money for a piece of dirt to call his own.

"I earned enough money to buy this five acres (2ha) and moved here in 1959," he says.

His three children all learnt to garden alongside him, helping to grow and sell plants on a regular basis.

Michael took to it like a duck to water.

"He started out in the garden as soon as he could move," David Self says.

"He would fill little pots for me and later on he always helped as the other two [children] did."

It's been a special saviour for David Self, even as his years of hard selling may have come to an end.

A health scare in England last year while visiting family spurred him to get back into the garden after a time of less activity.

"I sat down one day and ordered some seeds and it's been my saviour."

He stills sells at the Hawera Town Square markets on a Saturday and this year, Michael frequently joins him.

"I've been in and out of the nursery over the years but this year I decided to get back into it,"the younger Mr Self says.

Michael is the feature of several Lotto advertisements – notably one featuring him as tramp who is given a winning Lotto ticket by a grateful dog – and hosts a gardening show on Sky TV.

They recently celebrated their 110th combined year in gardening.

- © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR
Last updated 10:39 26/01/2012

PETRA FINER
Self-starters: David and Michael Self still love gardening.
South Taranaki Star

Variety show comeback for theatre

2012-01-25T22:42:00.000+13:00

The raising of an old tradition will see the Hawera Memorial Theatre receive a much-needed facelift.

Variety Shows are something that were once a regular in the theatre but haven't been held in at least a decade, says theatre manager Russ Standing but he is hoping to get them going again to raise funds for a theatre redecoration project.

"Every cent raised will go towards the refurbishment of the theatre," he says.

"We are hoping to get everybody involved."

Mr Standing says he hopes to see schools and community groups putting acts together for upcoming auditions.

"I don't know what's going to show up at the auditions."

There is no need to book a time to audition, Mr Standing says groups or individuals should just turn up when they are ready to audition.

He would like this to be the first of many annual variety shows the theatre will host going into the future.

"We want to make a difference and encourage the whole community to be involved in the performing arts in some way," he says.

"We are hoping to do this every year, it will help us to put the theatre on the map."

A lot of changes are coming for the memorial theatre and it's more than just a lick of paint.

Now guarded by the Hawera Memorial Theatre Friends Trust, Mr Standing says they intend to champion excellence in the performing arts, provide facilities that are second to none and ensure that South Taranaki's theatrical talent and audiences are not disadvantaged or diminished by relative isolation.

To do this, they have ramped up the amount of lighting in the theatre and will be updating the decor to include huge portraits of performers that have graced it's stage such as Dame Malvina Major, Eddie Low and the cast of performances such as Les Miserables.

There will be a new stage lighting facility, the grand curtain – currently the theatre's original from opening around 50 years ago – will be replaced as well as the stage blacks and smother cloth. A new PA sound system is on the cards as is sponsored community use of the theatre.Auditions take place this Sunday, December 4, from 2pm to 8pm at the Memorial Theatre, Albion Street, Hawera. The variety show will run from April 14 to 21 next year.

- © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER-SOUTH TARANAKI STAR
Last updated 10:44 01/12/2011

Russ
Kelly Loney
Hawera Memorial Theatre manager Russ Standing.

Pastor floored by theatre history

2012-01-25T22:40:00.001+13:00

A few years back Pastor Mark Trewavas, of the Hawera Assembly of God Church, mentioned to me that they were going to re-carpet their church, formerly the Regent Theatre.

"Why not cut up the old carpet and sell it off in carpet squares," I suggested. "This would give the locals a bit of memorabilia and be a good fundraising venture for the church to help fund the new carpet."

It was an idea Pastor Mark went for.

The carpet, a thick pile Axminster bearing the New Zealand fernleaf pattern, was laid 56 years ago when the Regent Theatre was first opened on Friday, April 22, 1955 by the mayor of Hawera, Mr FW Finer.

The first movie shown on the giant screen, which measured 37 feet by 20 feet and could show films in either cinemascope or vistavision, was White Christmas starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

During the next few weeks movie goers watched Bob Hope in Casanova's Big Night; Paul Douglas in The Maggie; Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina; Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront; Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings in Dial M For Murder.

These were the days before television and the number one entertainment was going to the pictures, and I bet everyone who has gone to the Regent can tell a story, most of which are unprintable. The most common tale was the rolling of Jaffas down the sloped wooden floor under the seats.

In those good old days you had to stand for the national anthem before the movies started and the strict ushers used to shine their torches in your face for putting your feet up or talking.

Remember Mrs Goodey, who used to look after the kiosk in the 60s and 70s? She could roll a hollow ice-cream that was as hard as ice and stuck to your tongue. But she would always say "thank you" in her sharp voice as she took your pennies.

And then there were the boys who brought around the ice cream trays at half time. I was always in the cheap seats downstairs and by the time the boys had done upstairs there were never any left.

Getting a ticket in the 697-seat theatre was also a mission, especially if it was a Clint Eastwood cowboy movie, with people lined up to Union St corner. Reserved seats for the big blockbusters were a must.

It was also a place for the first date: a night at the pictures and a rum-and-coke at the Bamboo or a cup of tea at Victoria Cafe.
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The Royal Hotel was just one door down from the theatre so film-goers could pop in to the Royal for a quick 7oz beer at half-time. The Royal was later pulled down to make way for the TSB Bank.

Then there was the night that Paul McCann, who had been collecting moths for a least a week, let them go. The moths flew towards the light, causing an uproar and putting the theatre staff in a panic.

And a word of warning: don't fall asleep in the theatre or your mates will leave you there. That's what happened to Wayne Collins in the early 70s, but luckily for Wayne the projectionist was working late and let him out.

There was one big bloke, who used to go on a regular basis, who was so big that they had to take out a seat partition to get him seated. It was his special seat that no one dared to take.

They were strict on age classifications. I remember getting my older sister Margaret to buy my ticket to Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster (R13), only to be thrown-out part-way through for being underage. No refund in those days.

The original doors, which were armour-plated glass with the name Regent Theatre sandblasted on, now have a new home, hanging on Councillor Mike Powell's bunker in his back garden. It would be a handy place to be if World War III broke out.

The theatre finally closed on February 31, 1987.

To have a piece of the 1950s, call in to the church office, the old Regent Theatre, and choose a carpet square, any shape or size, with the starting price of $30.

- © Fairfax NZ News BY CLIFF HUNT- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR
Last updated 10:54 08/12/2011

CLIFF HUNT
Mark Trewavas, of the Hawera Aseembly of God, with a part of the torn-up carpet.

Mailbox gets civic treatment

2012-01-25T22:33:00.000+13:00

One of Hawera's longest serving residents has had a facelift after retiring.

The 112-year-old Penfold hexagonal letterbox located on the corners of High and Victoria streets was decommissioned on June 30 this year and ownership passed to the South Taranaki District Council.

Its long-awaited repaint pleases local historian Arthur Fryer who has always had an interest in the postbox.

`That's an object close to my heart," he says.

Mr Fryer says he realised more than a year ago that it was in deep need of a paint job in appropriate colours. While he knew its time as an in-service mailbox was limited, he didn't want to see it moved and replaced with something of less character.

"My worry was the postbox would be taken away and replaced by a wooden one that doesn't have any character.

"I believe it gives character to High Street. It's an object that's worth preserving."

South Taranaki District Council property and facilities manager John Sargeant says the council was happy to take over responsibility for the Penfold and will be putting up a plaque noting its history early next year.

"We have got to work out some wording and then we will have a plaque to recognise the history and tell people that it's actually not working anymore."

He says it's been special for the council to see the postbox painted and taken care of.

"It's huge. What council stands for is the community," he says.

"That letterbox has seen the community grow for well over 100 years.

"It's seen Taranaki grow from a small pioneering few scattered villages, to what it is now and it's never been changed."

He says as a stamp collector he knows some stamps from the early 1900s are valuable, which is partly why the iconic letterbox needed to be revamped in a respectful manner.

"It symbolises New Zealand growing up."

- © Fairfax NZ News PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR
Last updated 14:42 21/12/2011

PETRA FINER
Hawera's 112-year-old Penfold letterbox has had an upgrade after being de-commissioned earlier this year.

Foodbank

2012-01-25T22:30:00.000+13:00

The spirit of giving is alive and well in South Taranaki.

Hawera Foodbank was in dire straits before its recent annual food drive, even having to split boxes of Weetbix to make them last for the many families in need.

Now Foodbank chairwoman Hazel Robinson says she can't believe her eyes, the outpouring of generosity from Hawera residents to feed those in need brings her to tears.

More than 100 banana boxes are stacked in the store room, filled with enough cereal, canned food, toilet paper and supplies to last the next six months.

While having enough food to meet the demands on Foodbank is a continuing issue and more donations are gratefully accepted, Mrs Robinson says this will relieve a bit of the pressure during the coming months.

"There were total strangers, newcomers to the district, and even a doctor came in and gave us $100," she says.

Cars have pulled up outside and unloaded bootloads of food, there have even been chocolates and treats which Mrs Robinson says will go a long way towards a little bit more special Christmas for those in need.

Loose change, mostly 10 or 20 cent pieces, fished out of pockets and dropped into a collection bucket totalled $193.70.

She says it will be just a little bit easier to buy the sausages, meat and items that are hard to donate to Foodbank, not quite so many grants will have to be sought.

It's not just food – soap, clothes powder and nappies have been donated. Even a Christmas tree.

"I just can't believe that people are so generous and have so much thought for others who are less fortunate," Mrs Robinson says. "We forever write for grants to make ends meet but, praise God, it's all coming together."

It's a personal battle for her, she can remember when her husband, Bill, was laid off, age 57, and there was money going out but no money coming in.

"Being without, it's like emptying a tank, you see the water going out and it doesn't come in.

"We need people to realise the door is always open. We can't knock on everyone's door. It was the most horrible feeling I've ever had but we got over it."

Her thanks to the community that has supported Hawera Foodbank are personal as well.

"I want it to come from my heart, it's totally overwhelming. The cupboard that once was bare is now well and truly stocked up again with a great variety of food items to help many who otherwise would have gone hungry this Christmas.
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"To Tevai Barr who organised our collection, the Scouts of South Taranaki, the drivers who provided vehicles and all those volunteers who helped in so many ways, may I, on behalf of the Hawera Foodbank extend our sincere thanks," Mrs Robinson says.

- © Fairfax NZ News Love pours in at bank
PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR
Last updated 15:13 21/12/2011

PETRA FINER
Hawera Foodbank chairwoman Hazel Robinson is delighted that the recent food drive was so successful. She can now give out boxes of Weetbix to hungry families instead of having to ration them.

Tribute to mountain man

2012-01-25T22:27:00.000+13:00

Taranaki's mountaineering community gathered with family and friends to mourn the loss of Walter Fowlie this week.

Mr Fowlie, farmer, climber, amateur photographer, father, husband and Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, died in Hawera on January 4, aged 86.

In a fitting tribute to their mate, the Mt Egmont Alpine Club, as well as other clubs, raised their pickaxes in a guard of honour as he was carried away.

More than 450 people attended and there was standing room only for many at the TSB Hub during the emotional service.

Obituaries were read by long-time farming friend Opunake's Ron Brewer, fellow hunter, amateur photographer, and long-time friend Neville Wallace, of Hawera, and old climbing mates Ross Beech, of Blenheim, and Paul O'Dowd, of New Plymouth.

Mr Fowlie, who influenced many Taranaki youngsters to take up mountaineering in the 1970s, became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2001 New Year's Honours for his services to mountaineering.

A keen hunter as a young man, he joined Hawera's Mt Egmont Alpine Club in 1962.

The first 10,000ft (3000 metres) peak he climbed was Mt Haidinger in the Southern Alps in 1967, and he went on to climb 13 of New Zealand's 18 mountains above that height.

In 1968, he joined the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC), chaired its Taranaki section for nine years, was national president from 1995 to 1997, and received life membership when he retired.

In 1973, Mr Fowlie was a member of the NZAC expedition to the Peruvian Andes.

He introduced many young members of the Mt Egmont Alpine Club to the Southern Alps, leading club trips to the Dart, Rees and Wilkin valleys and the Nelson Lakes and Mt Cook National Parks.

He climbed Mt Cook five times and in 1976 led a club climb that put a record 13 people together on the summit.

Two years later, he led the Mt Egmont Alpine Club's successful 50th jubilee expedition to Peru.

Mr Fowlie was a field leader on the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme in Antarctica three times between 1977 and 1986 and also climbed and trekked in Nepal and Kashmir.

He was involved in search and rescue on Mt Taranaki for a number of years.

A skilled amateur photographer, he was much sought after as a guest speaker to present slide shows of his adventures, and was renowned for the unique dashes of humour he added to his presentations. He was an associate of the Photographic Society of New Zealand.
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He was the patron and a life member of the Taranaki branch of the Deerstalkers' Association and was foundation leader of the Taranaki Alpine Cliff Rescue Team in 1980.

Mr Fowlie owned a dairy farm at Alton in South Taranaki and was a director of the Alton Co-op Dairy Company when it merged with Kiwi Dairies in the 1980s.

He celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary last June with wife Norma.

He is survived by his wife, Norma, daughter Heather Nelley, two sons, Graeme and Neil, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

- © Fairfax NZ News SUE O'DOWD AND LAIRD HARPER SUE.ODOWD@DAILYNEWS.CO.NZ
Last updated 11:06 12/01/2012
e
Walter Fowlie
SUE O'DOWD
For their mate: A guard of honour at Walter Fowlie's funeral at the TSB Hub in Hawera this week. It was the first funeral held at the Hub.

2011-08-31T19:06:00.000+12:00

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sooty/STARANAKI.html SOUTH TARANAKI, WEST COAST, NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES

2011-08-31T19:05:00.000+12:00

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sooty/stdlicencesA-K.html

SOUTH TARANAKI, NEW ZEALAND
DRIVERS LICENCE APPLICATIONS
1925 - 1931
A - K

Hawera High School Taranaki, New Zealand

2011-08-31T19:02:00.000+12:00

http://namesdatabase.com/schools/NZ/TA/-/Hawera%20High%20School/ Hawera High School
Taranaki, New Zealand

Click below to see which schoolmates are listed in the NamesDatabase:

"Pictures From The Past-Taranaki"

2011-08-31T18:59:00.000+12:00

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NEW-ZEALAND/2003-09/1064983329

From: "Carol Spragg"
Subject: [NZ] "Pictures From The Past-Taranaki"
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 16:43:07 +1200

ISBN 1-877327-042
Chris Lonsdale,available at Whitcoulls $24.95

ANDERSON Dorothy, Kiore School via Stratford page 61
ARTHUR Family Beach House Opunake page 48
Avona Tearooms, Stratford page 58
BAKER Clarice Inglewood page 53
BARRY Sylvia Inglewood page 53
BEARD's Furniture New Plymouth page 17
BELL Francis Dillon Bell Block page 32
BRONS L Tailor High St, Eltham page 66
BYRN, STEVENS & Co Motor Mechanic & Engineer New Plymouth page 20
CAMPBELL Family Ihaia Rd, Opunake
CARRINGTON Frederic & Octavius page 8
CHEQUERS Tea Rooms New Plymouth page 13
Clarendon Hotel, Waverley page 84
Club Hotel Waitara page 34
CLOUGH Bert Inglewood Page 53
CLOUGH's Menswear & Drapery Inglewood page 53
Commercial Hotel, Stratford page 58
County Hotel, Stratford page 59
DENBIGH Road School via Midhirst page 51
DIXON Mr Hawera page 80
Dominion Hotel, Kaponga page 72
DUDLEY Mr Butcher Opunake page 44
"Egmont Post" newspaper, Stratford page 60
EATON Hilda Hawera page 80
EUSTACE Miss Rahotu page 41
EWEN New Plymouth pages 15 & 16
FAWCETT & HENDERSON Grocers Inglewood page 52
FORD Misses Hawera page 69
FRANK Ernie, Eva, Huiakama, page 9
FREWIN J Boot Importer Inglewood page 52
GRANT & Co Hawera page 76
GRANT George & Jane Kakaramea page 85
GRANVILLE V Bell Block page 32
HARROP's Clothiers Hawera page 81
HENDERSON & Fawcett grocers Inglewood page 52
HOPKINS Land Agent New Plymouth page 13
HUGHSON Thomas Pole Rahotu page 41
HUGHSON Geofrey Rahotu page 41
Huiakama School swimming pool via Stratford page 62
Huiroa school swimming pool via Stratford page 61
JACKSON's tank cleaning company page 47
JUDSON J Blacksmith Opunake page 44
KAKARAMEA Hotel Sth Taranaki page 85
KING A E Kaponga page 70/71
KING H C Albion Douglas Saddle via Stratford page 64
Kiore School, via Stratford pages 61 & 62
LARMAR Mary Inglewood page 53
LEPPER Maxwell Lepperton page 33
LIDDINGTON T G Art China & Crystal, Hawera page 80
Manaia Hotel, Manaia page 75
Masonic Hotel Waitara page 35
MASTERS E L & Co Toko, via Stratford page 63
McCORMICK & Co Funeral Directors, Hawera page 76
MERRION T Lepperton page 33
MOSS Pearl,Henry,Owen,Elizabeth, Keith Tataraimaka page 40
NGAIRE/NGAERE Gardens Stratford/Eltham page 65
NOLAN L A & Co, Auctioneers New Plymouth page15
Okau school North Taranaki page 37
Presbyterian Manse (1st) Stratford page 58
REESBY Bros, Butcher Westown, New Plymouth page 21
ROBERTSON Mrs Rahotu page 41
ROCHE Newton Inglewood page 53
ROGAN John page 8
SALTER T B car for hire, New Plymouth page 20
SARGOOD & EWEN New Plymouth pages 15 & 16
SHEPHERD's Tea Rooms New Plymouth page 15
SPENCE W Kaponga page 72
STEVENS, BYRN & Co Motor Mechanic New Plymouth page 20
Trocadero Hotel, Stratford page 58
SUTHERLAND Nip,saddler Inglewood page 54
Tarata Dairy Co via Inglewood page 54
TARRY James Inglewood page 54
Toko via Stratford page 63
TRIMBLE Robert Inglewood page 51
VINNICOMBE Mr piano tuner, Hawera page 80
WESTFIELD House, Eltham page 69
WESTWOOD G H Chemist Hawera page 81
WILKINSON C A General merchant Eltham page 67
ZINSLI Thos, Saddler Inglewood page 64

Taranaki memorials Media Gallery

2011-08-30T21:49:00.001+12:00

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media_gallery/tid/637

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/map/taranaki-memorials#map

Locations:

57th Regiment NZ Wars memorial
Alton war memorial
Ararata First World War memorial
Auroa war memorial
Awatuna war memorial
Bell Block First World War memorial
Bird Road School war memorial
Cardiff war memorial
Clifton war memorial
Douglas war memorial
Dudley school war memorial
Eltham First World War memorial gates
Fitzroy School war memorial
Frankley Road memorial
Hawera memorial arch
Huirangi NZ Wars memorial cross
Inglewood memorial
Kaponga war memorial
Katikara memorial
Lepperton war memorial
Mahoetahi memorial cross
Mahoetahi memorial grave
Malone Memorial
Manaia First World War memorial obelisk

Manaia NZ Wars memorial
Manaia war memorial
Mangatoki school memorial
Mangorei war memorial
Manutahi memorial pool
Marsland Hill NZ Wars memorial
Matapu memorial
Meremere school war memorial
Midhurst war memorial
New Plymouth Boys High war memorial
New Plymouth cenotaph
New Plymouth memorial church
New Plymouth RSA
New Plymouth Sth African War memorial
Normanby NZ Wars memorial
Normanby war memorial
Ohawe NZ Wars memorial
Okaiawa First World War memorial
Okato Sth African War memorial
Okato war memorial
Omata memorial
Opunake war memorial
Otakeho war memorial
Patea war memorial
Pihama war memorial

Pukearuhe NZ Wars memorial
Puketakauere NZ Wars memorial, Waitara
Puketapu feud memorial cross
Pungarehu war memorial
Rahotu war memorial
St Andrews Church roll
Stratford memorial cross
Stratford memorial hall
Stratford war memorial gates
Strathmore war memorial
Taranaki Volunteers memorial
Tariki war memorial
Te Kiri war memorial
Te Ngutu o te manu NZ Wars memorial
Tikorangi school war memorial
Tikorangi war memorial
Turuturu Mokai NZ Wars memorial
Urenui war memorial
Uruti war memorial
Waihi Cemetery NZ Wars memorial cairn
Waitara First World War memorial
Waitara Sth African War memorial
Waitotara war memorial
Warea war memorial
Whangamomona war memorial

2011-08-26T20:17:00.000+12:00

Play the game, guard our name

Ruck and bowl again

Let victories gleam, shine on our team

Tribute to Ferdinand

by Trevor Rowe

He's our mascot, He's our boy

Taranaki's Pride and Joy

Chorus

Ferdinand, Ferdinand, with your fifteen men,

In this land - you are grand - Ferdinand

Verse

He held the mighty Springboks

He fought the British Isles

An Mooloo met her match on Rugby Park

He's after that Ranfurly Shield,

and out to show the world

That this old Bull is not out for a lark

Sadness at death of old lady

2011-06-05T17:05:00.001+12:00

New Plymouth's Barrett St Hospital was once a thriving health hub. People could drive through the grounds and enjoy the beautiful gardens. Now the gate is locked and the gardens are gone forever. Helen Harvey reports.

The million-dollar views are still there, but the once beautiful gardens have gone. The buildings haven't seen a paintbrush for decades and are in a state of disrepair. Only plaques and signwriting on faded walls give clues to the past - "Mortuary" on an old building hidden in bush, "Taranaki Hospital Board" in bold letters above old wooden garage doors that sit below broken windows.

The old Barrett St Hospital has seen better days. Since it was replaced by Taranaki Base Hospital in Westown, the buildings have been left to their fate, which one New Plymouth doctor thinks is a tragedy.

"It's like a grand old lady that is slowly dying. It's not just that it's an eyesore . . . it's a sad reflection on indecision and vandalism combined," Matthew Allen says.

The nurses' home, in particular, has been the victim of vandals and looters, who, before the arrival of the Taranaki Music Education Centre in 2003, stripped the old home of wooden doors, windows, the wooden hand rails on the stairs and marble benchtops.

Dr Allen wants to see a decision made on what to do with the site. But that is not likely to happen any time soon. The 7.6272 hectare site is owned by the Crown and held in the Office of Treaty Settlement's landbank to be used in the settlement of historic Treaty of Waitangi claims.

Te Atiawa is looking to sign an agreement in principle (a broad agreement as to what will make up the settlement) with the Crown in March next year, but the iwi hasn't decided whether it wants the Barrett St properties as part of its settlement or, if it did, what it would do with it.

A major problem with the old hospital is the asbestos in the buildings, which would be expensive to clear. That expense would have to be taken into consideration when making a decision, Te Atiawa Iwi Authority chairwoman Wikitoria Keenan says.

In 1996 Taranaki Healthcare put the estimated cost of removing asbestos at $500,000 and demolishing buildings at $700,000.

At the time Valuation New Zealand put the government valuation for the land at $1.1 million, based on a hypothetical residential subdivision.
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The site, along with the former Patea Hospital, was sold to the Government for $1m in September 1996. The Barrett St portion of the sale was worked out at $111,000 a hectare. As at September 1, 2010, Quotable Value put the capital value of the property at $3.9m and valued the land at $3.775m.

If the land is not needed for the settlement of Treaty claims it will be sold on the open market.

In the meantime the Office of Treaty Settlements maintains and tenants the buildings. "In total there are 13 leases in place on the property, managed by Darroch Ltd. The leases are with private individuals and a range of organisations, with varied usage as one might expect from a set of commercial leasing arrangements," says Office of Treaty Settlements director Peter Galvin.

He would not elaborate on how many people live on the site or what type of accommodation is available.

Ms Keenan says having people live there isn't the best.

"But I suppose with people living there at least it's being occupied, because otherwise there would be a vast area that's empty. And the Crown's not too keen to put much money in for maintenance. At least with people living there, they are up there and they keep an eye on the site."

Te Atiawa can purchase the property or some of it as part of its settlement, she says. "But we haven't made a decision on that yet. We'll be considering it. That's as far as we've got, yet. We need to work through a couple of things."

And the iwi hasn't decided what it would do with the land, if it did receive it as part of the settlement.

"Some people have said they'd like to see a marae there . . . just because some people want to see a marae there doesn't mean it's going to happen."

The whole hospital block is culturally significant because it's on an old pa site, she says.

"It used to go right across to what they now call Western Park. It was quite a big pa site. If you look at the landscape you'd understand why."

Back then it was called Otumaikuku and may have been part of 1400ha of land sold to the Plymouth Company.

"Carrington identified it quite early on as a good hospital site, because that is what they did way back in those days, put hospitals on a hill."

F rederick Alonzo Carrington picked out the hill in 1842, according to a book by A B Scanlan on the history of the hospital. But it wasn't until 1867 that a hospital occupied the site. The original plan was to move the colonial hospital from beside the Henui River, but instead buildings were removed from St Germain's Square (later the site of the Army Hall and the Agricultural Society's hall in Gill St).

Building of the second hospital started in 1887. It had soaring angles of the Gothic style popular in government buildings and schools at the time, Mr Scanlan wrote. Builders used 61,000 metres of timber, the floors were matai or kauri and there were 70 windows. The plumbing alone cost [PndStlg]200. The hospital officially moved in on January 23, 1888. One hundred years later Dr Matthew Allen helped pull down the remaining 1887 buildings after a fire and used the timber to build his house.

His family has had a long association with the hospital. Father Dennis was a pathologist and uncles Chalmers and Peter were radiologists. An aunt, Barbara Allen, was in accident and emergency.

"So, when I was a boy I used to go up and see my father at the laboratory there, which was right next to the ambulance entrance."

He used to pinch barley sugars from drawers and wander around the wards.

"Everything was immaculate and beautifully kept and clean."

In those days, the 1960s, TB testing still relied on using guinea pigs to test whether patients had TB or not, Dr Allen says. The patient's serum would be injected into the guinea pig and the patient's name attached. There was a little house in a gully full of guinea pigs with names on them.

"Unfortunately they were killed at the end. But there were hundreds of guinea pigs down there to play with."

Another thing to have changed since then is the reusing of needles. Needles used to be made of stainless steel and Dr Allen remembers an orderly having the job of sharpening and sterilising the needles.

"And, of course, in those days there was no emergency department. It was called out-patients and was in a little shed opposite the main hospital. Actually patients who presented with acute illnesses would go to their family doctor first."

Dr Allen was a house surgeon at the hospital in the early 1980s, when the mental health unit and long stage geriatrics were the only units still operating at the hospital.

"Even then we had a proper morning tea service, with white linen and silver cutlery. And a served lunch. It was all very proper."

The nurses' home was bright pink and the nurses wore pink and white outfits, he says.

"Single nurses had to live in. That was the rule. The nurses' home was just a beautiful facility with its sprung dance floor and beautifully carved balustrades."

The dance floor is still there, but the balustrades are long gone. Upstairs the different eras, representing the different additions to the home, are clearly seen in the joinery in what were the nurses' bedrooms.

In the 19th century the matron and nurses lived in the hospital. The first nurses' home was built in 1900, Mr Scanlan says in his book.

Later a cottage known as Tariki was built behind the hospital, later known as the isolation block. It was eventually moved lower down the hospital grounds. In 1905 a second story was added.

In July 1916 nurses petitioned the hospital board for better conditions and pay. The new nurses' home designed by architect Frank Messenger, opened on March 14, 1922, and was known as "The Palace".

Additions, also designed by Frank Messenger, were built in 1928, 1936 and 1945. Five years after Mr Messenger's death another was added and others followed regularly from 1867, when the first buildings were moved onto the hill.

In 1872 an addition was completed for a women's ward and for what was then called a "lunatic asylum".

In March 1916 the hospital was opened and within a month or two there were 83 occupied beds, a record. The medical supervisor's house opened in 1926, followed by the Taranaki Health Board office in 1927. A new children's ward opened in June 1923 and was named after George Tabor who died in 1914 aged 38. His mother, Rebecca Tabor, an owner of White Hart Hotel, donated [PndStlg]6000 to hospital board in 1928.

But things started to wind down at Barrett St Hospital from the 1960s when services began moving to Taranaki Base Hospital.

In 1972 Governor-General Sir Denis Blundell opened Taranaki Base Hospital, which then assumed the role of charge hospital for the province. In later years Barrett St was used for mental health patients, long-term geriatric patients, district nursing services headquarters and board offices. The Tabor Unit provided care to intellectually and physically disabled young people from 1976 to 1995.

References:

Hospital on the Hill: A B Scanlan.

Frank Messenger Architect: Ian Pritchard.

New Plymouth School of Nursing Old Girls' Association inc. Silver Jubilee 1957-82.

- Taranaki Daily News
HELEN HARVEY
Last updated 11:30 30/05/2011

Bakery woes threaten philanthropist's legacy

2011-06-05T16:52:00.001+12:00

The financial turmoil at Yarrows looks set to claim another victim: Noel Yarrow's legacy.

The philanthropist and his wife Melva donated millions of dollars to Taranaki students and organisations through the Noel and Melva Yarrow Charitable Trust. But the trust is under serious threat after its major source of income, Yarrows the Bakers, was placed in receivership earlier this week.

The Taranaki Daily News understands the trust is well down the pecking order for receivers, behind the IRD, employees and the Westpac bank, which is believed to be owed a significant amount.

Trustee Peter Tennent said the trust was inextricably linked to the bakery.

"The most significant asset of the trust is the investment in the bakery operation. It always has been – and my hope is it always will be – and that would be in the tune of eight figures.

"Having said that, the trust has other assets but most of its income comes from the bakery."

The charitable trust was formed in 2004 to celebrate Mr Yarrow's 80th birthday.

Since then it has given large contributions to the ITU World Cup triathlon, the Rhododendron Festival and the Taranaki Cycle Challenge. Dozens of students and the schools they represented also benefited.

Mr Tennent said the trustees were hopeful receivers could trade out of the difficult situation.

"The trustees, like anyone in Taranaki, are pretty upset about the situation. It's been no secret there's been potential problems for some time. The trustees have been working with a number of parties to avoid exactly what is happening now."

He said the trust would continue to support the region but at a significantly reduced level of funding. "It will continue to do exactly what it was set up by Noel and Melva to do, which is to make a positive difference in the Taranaki community."

Husband of Rosemary (nee Yarrow), Mr Tennent said he could not speak for the whole family but there were concerns for staff, suppliers and the community at large.

"The family have worked incredibly hard, they are community-minded people, to make a positive difference."

Also as part of the trust a scholarship scheme was set up for Taranaki secondary school leavers as well as for funding towards information and food technology facilities at all Taranaki schools.

Taranaki Secondary Schools Principals Association spokesman Mark Bowden said they were unsure how it would affect them in the future.

"The vision that Noel had for young people and Taranaki I guess is at risk. It's dreadfully sad.

"We are such a fortunate province to have had the Yarrows Trust."

- Taranaki Daily News
LAIRD HARPER
Last updated 05:00 03/06/2011

On Thursday the Taranaki Daily News went to Manaia to find out what the locals thought would happen to the bakery, community and town after Yarrows went into receivership on Tuesday.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5094505/Bakery-woes-threaten-philanthropists-legacy

2011-04-06T20:08:00.001+12:00

POLICE COURT.

Tuesday, September 3. — Before H. E. Kenny, Esq., R.M. Destitute Persons Belief Ordinance, 1846. — Mr. D. Bishop appeared in compliance with a summons issued upon an information laid by Mr. Snell, the chairman of the Taranaki Relief Board, whioh reoited that John and William Henry, two children of Mary, the wife of the late John Bishop were destitute and nnable to support themselves by their own labour, and that they have a grandfather named Daniel Bishop, of sufficient ability to support them. — Mr. Bishop said he was willing to take the children to his own house, and provide for them. — Mrs. Mary Bishop (being allowed some time for consideration) refused to accept the offer. — The Resident Magistrate reminded Mrs. Bishop that on a previous application for support, she had stated that she could maintain herself if it were not for the ohildreu, and that now how could she expect the Board to relieve her if she did not accept Mr. Bishop's offer ? There was no doubt the children would be well taken care of, and she could see them whenever she liked. It migbfc be unpleasant, bat people must submit to some inconvenience if by so doing they can prevent themselves from being a burden upon the public The resources of the Board were very small, and had to be applied to oases of great neoessity. — Mr. Snell said that Mr. Bishop having offered to provide for the children, nothing more could be expeoted from him, and that therefore he (Mr. Snoll) would ask the Court to allow him to with* draw the information.Taranaki Herald, Volume XX, Issue 2026, 7 September 1872, Page 2

2011-04-06T20:03:00.001+12:00

Charge under the Destitute Persons Belief Ordinance. —Daniel Bishop appeared in obedience to a summons issued upon an information laid by Mr. Snell, the Chairman of the Taranaki Relief Board. The defendant was asked what he had to say why an order (under the provisions of the above Ordinance) should not be made upon him to pay something towards the support of John and William Henry, who are grandsons of defendant and children of Mrs. Mary Bishop, the said children being destitute, and unable to support themselves. The defendant pleaded that he was ' not in a position to pay anything towards the support of the said children. After hearing the evidence given by Mr. Snell and the defendant, the Resident Magistrate ordered the latter to pay into Court, every Saturday, 2s. 6d. towards the support of the children in question —the first payment to be made on the 19th instant. Taranaki Herald, Volume XX, Issue 2035, 9 October 1872, Page 3

2011-04-06T19:53:00.000+12:00

D.H'.ieI Bi«liop applied m tlm Couri Loilnterinwio »» oi'dt-r which had been made upon him on theS'iiof October, last year. This was an order, made ccder the above Ordinance, that Mr. Bishop should pny 2s. 6d. weekly towards tbe support ol two of the children of Mary Bishop, the widow of his late son. Mr. Bishop said tlmt he was miable further to continue tliio because a widowed na-ighte*' and her family had lately become dependent neon him for snpporr.. In deference to bis son's <«; I s. r request, be would, however, bo glad to take charge of Mrs. Mary Bishop's eldepfc boy, nnd b r iug liim up as one of It is own family. Notice that the application would be made having been given to the oilier side, and no person appeari'iu to rnise any objection, the Court informed Mr. Bishop that the ordor would be determined, and thut he could therefore discontinue the weekly payment. Taranaki Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 2160, 20 December 1873, Page 3

2011-04-06T19:52:00.001+12:00

POLICE COURT.

Thursday, August 29. — Before H. E. Kenny, Esq., H.M.
Information under " The Destitute Peksons Relief Ordinance, 1846." — An information was laid under the above Ordinance by Mr. R. Snell, the Chairman of the Taranaki Relief Board, to the effect that Mary Bishop, widow of the late John Bishop, is destitute and unable to support herself by her own labour, and that she has a father, named William Billing, living at New Plymouth, of sufficient ability to support her. Mr. Billing was called upon to say why an order should not be made upon him for payment towards such support. Mr. Snell stated that Mrs. Bishop applied to the Board sometime since for relief, and, in consequence of that application, she received 2s. Gd. per week for about twelve months, or more. She was then struck off pay, but had made a second application in writing about ton days' since. The application was produced and read.

Mrs. Bishop said that she had two children, one under six and the other under four yours of age. She could maintain herself ii' it were not for the children, but she was not strong, and could not get sufficient needlework to do.

Mr. Billing admitted that his daughter was destitute, but that he could not maintain himself, and therefore could not promise to contribute any regular sum towards her support. He was seventyeight years of age. His sons managed the farm, and had to provide out of the proceeds for the maintenance of their father, mother, and sisters. His sons sometimes brought in firewood and other things to Mrs. Bishop.

Mr. Snell said that he thought if Mr. Billing could afford to spend so much a year as he did in the education of one of his daughters, he ought to be able to contribute towards the support of this one, instead of allowing her to be a burden upon the public.

The Resident Magistrate said he certainly could not interfere with the manner in which Mr. Billing chose to educate his daughter. It was the duty of every parent to provide for his children the best education that by in his power. Ib was clear an order could not be muJe upon Mr. Billing, as it was proved that he was not of sufficient ability to contribute towards Mrs. Bishop's support. Taranaki Herald, Volume XX, Issue 2024, 31 August 1872, Page 3

Big celebration planned for hall

2011-03-31T18:26:00.001+13:00

Big celebration planned for hall
Last updated 05:00 30/03/2011

LAIRD HARPER/Taranaki Daily News

COUNTING DOWN: Friends of the Eltham Town Hall secretary Pauline Turpie prepares for a monster year of celebrations as the hall brings up the big 100.
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The Eltham Town Hall will celebrate 100 years of theatrical excellence and silver screen quotation on May 8.

Built in 1911 and designed by Taranaki's most prolific architect, John Alfred Duffill, the hall was the first in Taranaki to show silent movies, hosted an array of national performers and was the pride of the town. More recently the hall was used as a sound stage during the filming of Predicament.

Friends of the Eltham Town Hall secretary Pauline Turpie said they wanted to do more than the usual cutting of the cake to celebrate the centenary and set about launching months of entertainment.

"It will start with a birthday celebration on May 8 but will continue on with concerts, comedy nights, a short film festival and a mid-winter celebration in the coming months."

Mrs Turpie said until the group began its $500,000 renovation project in early 2000 the hall was in a sad state.

"It was allowed to go to rack and ruin and it was just grotty. It was so awful."

She said once the rejuvenation project was completed, thanks to fundraising and grants from the TSB Trust and TET, they still had trouble enticing people back to the grand old building.

"People remembered it the way it was. The building is just beautiful now."

The hall, which has been used sporadically throughout its later years, will now come alive with eight events in three months already booked and a host of others in the pipeline.

"It's about marketing the building and bringing productions and events back to Eltham."

- Taranaki Daily News

Post office moved to clear corner

2011-03-31T18:23:00.000+13:00

Post office moved to clear corner
MICHELLE TAN-JACKSON
Last updated 05:00 31/03/2011

The historic Uruti post office has a new address – 50 metres from its old site.

The building, which opened in 1894 and shut in 1988, has been moved from its spot next to State Highway 3 to allow the New Zealand Transport Agency to realign the corner at the southern entrance to Uruti.

It now resides at its owners Bob and Carolyne Murray's property at 6 Uruti Rd.

"The post office was included in the package when we bought our house. Although the land that the post office was sitting on belonged to NZTA, we still owned the post office and had to move it eventually," Mrs Murray said.

Independent House Removals last month took about six hours to shift the 40-square metre native timber construction, at a cost of $4000.

Mrs Murray said feedback about plans to use the old post office as an arts and crafts studio had been positive. "We've had several offers of people wanting to buy it. I didn't consider any of them as I wanted the Uruti post office to stay in Uruti.

"It's a historic icon, where there are none around now other than the church. The community are very happy that it's staying in the area."

Mrs Murray said the relocation of the post office would mean it could be better preserved while changes to the road would "save a lot of lives".

"There have been accidents at that corner since we've first moved here," she said.

Property Group senior consultant Andrew Hopkirk, who helped buy the site for NZTA, said it was hard to see other cars at the Uruti corner.

"We have to realign SH3 so there's a better sight distance for people going around the corner into Uruti."

The $90,000 work on the road will begin at the end of April. Michelle Tan-Jackson is a Witt journalism student
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- Taranaki Daily News

Century of service to village

2011-03-31T18:22:00.000+13:00

Century of service to village
MATT RILKOFF
Last updated 05:00 31/03/2011

Egmont Village shop
ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News
SHOP SHOCK: The Egmont Village shop is closing tomorrow after more than 100 years. Loyal customers Doris Dixon, Andrew Bellringer, Marlene Busby and Blue the kelpy have been left wondering just where they will get their newspapers, milk and pies.
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After more than 100 years of continuous service the Egmont Village shop closes its doors tomorrow.

And although this means the community centre will get its pie warmer back after shop owner Lois Dixon borrowed it when hers went on the fritz, it also means the village loses what many see as the centre of their community.

"So many times when I come in here there are three or four people here and this is where we have our conversations," Egmont Village resident and regular customer Marlene Busby said.

"I come in here and get my paper, I come and get my pie.

" I won't be able to do that anymore. I will have to go without. We're going to miss the place so much."

Owner Lois Dixon will not miss the work she has spent the last 37 years doing but she will miss the people.

Not only is there Marlene, but also the pie-buying blokes from across the road, Andrew and Bill, and her mother-in-law Doris Dixon, 94, who stops by for a coffee just after 9am each day.

"A lot of them I have known all my life," Mrs Dixon said.

But throughout that life few things have stayed the same and with business takings down and two grandchildren to love, the time was right to shut up shop.

"When I first took it over things were very different.

"I used to stock everything and people would buy a lot more here before they went into town. There were different rules then too.

"On Sundays you weren't allowed to sell washing powder," Mrs Dixon said.

The Government has since dropped such laws and Mrs Dixon has been able to sell almost anything she wanted in recent years including the one product she still cannot believe she stocks.

"I just never thought I would sell bottled water. I mean, everyone can get it out of the tap for free."

Any stock that is not sold today and tomorrow will go into her own pantry while the lollies and icecreams will be doled out to Mrs Dixon's grandchildren at sensible intervals.

- Taranaki Daily News

SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS. MANAIA CONVENT SCHOOL.

2011-03-06T22:25:00.001+13:00

SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS. MANAIA CONVENT SCHOOL.

The following pupils were successful at the examinations held recently

Standard Vll.— Nellie Hodgson, Maud Milner.

Standard VI. — John Franklin, James Ryan, Elsie Hodgson*, Emily Hurley, Bridget Landers. Standard V. — Charles Hughes, William McCarty, Jofon Mourie, Thomas O'DoiMiell, Mary Connell, Mary Landers, Mary Leydon, Flossie Milnei), Eileen Shaimahaiii.

Standard IV.— John Connell, John Landers, John Wells, Agneta Hillis,

Mary Wallace.

Standard lll.— Edward Hurley, Kate Franklin, Beatrice Hodgson, Mary Mc- Carty, Kathleen Shannahun. Standard ll.— William Bourke, Thos. Hurley, Lawrence Landers, James Mc- Carty, Leo. Wallace, Kathleen ,o'Donnell/Agnes O'Reilly, Ivy Wallace, Olive Wallace.

Standard I. — Maurice Leydon, Francis Landers, John McCarty, Bertie Ryan^ Iddward Wells, Evelyn Bryant.

MANAIA STATE SCHOOL.

Standard VlL—Sytdney Washer, Edith Barleyman, Winnie Law, May Hair. Standard ,VI. — Arthur Xmxton, Leslie Luxton, Maggie Exley, Jessie Ferguson, Elsie Law, Vida Milroy, Gracie Reid, Lena Sufton, Mabel Sutton. Standard V. — Cecil Anderson, Oolin Campbell, Elva Gamlin, Amy Hall, Winnie Knight, Ada Phillips.

Standard IV.— John Campbell, A. Creig, Simon. Dick, Arthur Gilmcmr, .Nelson Gane, Godfrey Hunsen, Wilfred Meuli, Malcolm Stewart, Willie Winters, Margaret Campbell Maud Creig, Catherine Scott.

Standard 111. — David Creig, Tom Pairnian, TCwart Gamlin, Frank Knight, Harry llaine, Andrew McLeod, George IWcLeod, Filsie Atkins, Maud Bell, Vio- Jet Bell, Katie Bridge, Maggie Briggs, Edith Butler. Dora CampWl, Winnie Creig, Mabel Gilmour, Margery Hunt, Ada Muggeridge, Millie Muggeritige, [G! ladys Lee, Dorothy Patterson, Eroniel jßame, Gladys Reid, Jean Scott, Ray (Winters.

I Standard ll.—George 'Bryant, Charlie U&y^nt; Willie Butler, Fred Collins, 1 Ronald Ferguson, Willie Hasitie, Lionel Kerkby, Norman Luxton, Robin M!c- Leod, Hugh McCarthy, Emslie Reid, Dayid Stewart, Mary Campbell, Margory Cullens, Lizzie Creig, Lucy Dick;, Stelka Hansen,- Laura EHrd, Bessie Mitchell, Stency Patterson, Ethel Phillips. Standard I.— Willie Bridge, Sydney Highani, David Creig, Charles M'ugg-e-ridge, Percy llaine, Ronald Stewart, Neville Shute, Alice Butler, Daisy Fer-guson, Betty Hunger, Frank Muggeridge.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 7838, 13 November 1903, Page 2

Race relations commissioner says Taranaki protest 'deplorable'

2011-02-03T19:22:00.000+13:00

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 2:52p.m.

A councillor's protest against a Cambodian-owned takeaway joint in Taranaki is "deplorable", the Race Relations Commissioner says.

New Plymouth District councillor Sherril George yesterday handed out brochures outside Waitara's Town and Country Food, which urged people to boycott the one-month old business.

Ms George, who owns a pizzeria in Waitara, says she wants people to support their "local community" and argues Town and Country Food is a franchise driving other businesses out.

But Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres told NZPA: "You can't put a little fence around Waitara and say 'no migrants here'.

"I was quite shocked but I'm very heartened by the way people have both challenged her and disassociated themselves from her comments."

However, Ms George was not breaking the law.

"You have to get to a pretty extreme level to fall foul of the law but that doesn't mean (this situation) is not deplorable."

People who had New Zealand residence or a visa had the right to work anywhere in the country.

"I think Ms George's comments come dangerously close to xenophobia ... in terms of seeking to excite hostility against a person who is operating a legal business in the town."

He said Ms George's stance was anti-competitive: "You compete on product, not on ethnicity".

Ms George told NZPA she was not a racist.

"This is nothing to do with racism. The businesses that I have been representing are multi-cultural. There's Maori, there's Chinese and there's Indian as well as European so there's no way anyone can label me a racist."

Ms George said she was working with local businesses to help them "lift their game".

She said Town and Country was targeting lower socioeconomic businesses with the sole aim of closing them down.

"It's all about cheap and nasty before it is about actually looking at adding value to a community."

She said her protest had nothing to do with the council but was her own initiative.

Town and Country Food owner Hoyt Khuon, who runs the shop with his family and has lived in New Zealand since 1998, told NZPA he was shocked by Ms George's actions but he had received at least 100 calls of support today.

"I am not a foreigner, I am a Kiwi. I hold a New Zealand passport," he said.

Locals told him to ignore Ms George and many apologised: "It made me feel so relieved and so welcome. I keep holding the phone and I can't work," he said.

Ms George's protest did not intimidate him and he was able to keep his sense of humour.

"I'm not scared about what she's trying to do ... I've got a lot of people supporting me -- even the mayor."

He was upset by her claims his food was of poor quality and his shop was "bleeding the town dry" however.

"I believe in my customer, if it's low-quality people don't come back," he said.

And Mr Khuon said he did support the community as he used local suppliers, plumbers and builders.

Ms George might be motivated by professional jealousy, he said.

"If you want a customer to go to your place do your stuff better than I do."

http://www.3news.co.nz/Race-relations-commissioner-says-Taranaki-protest-deplorable/tabid/423/articleID/197002/Default.aspx

Interest in history flourished early on

2011-01-01T13:58:00.001+13:00

The Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year, Nigel Ogle, has been a fan of history since his school days when he often carried old things around with him.

South Taranaki Mayor Ross Dunlop says said he has known Ogle for a long time and remembers those days at Hawera High School well.

"He's always loved history and as a high school student he used to carry a suitcase full of interesting historical items around, like musket balls and that sort of thing."

When the news of Mr Ogle's achievement was broken to Mr Dunlop yesterday he was all praise for the man who created Tawhiti Museum.

"He's turned his passion for history into the nation's best private museum," he said.

"This is true recognition for a talented and creative person."

Mr Ogle's contribution to South Taranaki was also noted by Mr Dunlop. "Nigel's family have lived and worked for many generations in South Taranaki and it makes all of us very proud to see him receive this award."

BLANTON SMITH - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 01/01/2011

Keeper of the treasure

2011-01-01T13:33:00.000+13:00

An art teacher who quit the classroom to become a potter is the 2010 Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year.

Nigel Ogle was "preparing for another day at the office" at his Tawhiti Museum near Normanby yesterday morning when told he'd won the award.

"That's crazy," was his first reaction. "Wow, what a surprise. We opened Traders and Whalers in March and now this. It has been an amazing year really."

He acknowledged the deeds of the four other finalists, former New Plymouth mayor Peter Tennent, St John stalwart Jack Chivers, Taranaki rugby coach Colin Cooper and White Ferns captain Aimee Mason.

"I'm an admirer, particularly of Peter Tennent who has been an inspiration. So has [former South Taranaki mayor] Mary Bourke, and I have learnt a lot from both of them."

The support of his family was key to the success of the museum.

"If I make something I always get [wife] Teresa to have a look. Jeremy is the deputy of Highlands Intermediate so there is education input there, while the girls, Jenni and Paula, have had vital parts to play."

He reflects on the day he left teaching at Hawera High School in 1988 and headed to his farmlet a few kilometres away.

"I couldn't have picked a worse time to become a full-time potter," he said. "It was right when the Chinese imports started to hit the country. There were big garden planters everywhere all of a sudden.

"New Zealand had a very vibrant potting industry at the time. They were all over the place, up valleys, living in tree huts in the bush. There were some very skilful people but so few survived because of those imports. It was tragic."

But it only served to harden the Ogle resolve.

"I suppose we can thank the Chinese for Tawhiti," he said with a smile. "I turned to niche pottery, stuff they wouldn't do, and set about getting the museum started."

The pinnacle came this year with the opening of the Traders and Whalers exhibition in March.

It was his most elaborate project and was four years in the making after gaining backing from the South Taranaki District Council.

"The council was courageous in taking it on. It raised a few eyebrows as there was quite a bit of money involved and a private-public partnership hadn't been tested before. It just would not have happened without them."

You can sense the pride when he talks about any of his work. The intricacy is obvious in the 800 unique figurines that make up the 1820s Musket Wars display, which opened four years ago.

"I actually made 1000 but took 200 out because it was too cluttered with all the dogs and pigs and horses."

The exacting detail of the landscape and flora is a hallmark. The late New Zealand historian, Michael King, marvelled at it.

"A friend of mine, Buster (Maurice) Walden, brought Michael here a few years ago. It was a few weeks before he was killed in a car accident. He just stood in front of it and didn't say anything for about two or three minutes. I was a bit worried but he finally turned to me and said: `This is what I'd hoped we would see when Te Papa opened'."

Nigel Ogle was humbled by that.

"I couldn't have asked for a better compliment. I had great respect for Michael."

Mary Bourke champions the Tawhiti Museum.

"It's a sort of a hidden treasure but that's part of the reason that makes it so good," she says.

"If this was somewhere else in the world, like Britain or the US, you would have to line up for hours then fight for your space. It is great to see the museum utilised to the point where they have gone underground with this latest work."

PETER BINGHAM - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 01/01/2011

AWARD WINNER: Nigel Ogle with his trophy after being named the 2010 Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year.
CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News
AWARD WINNER: Nigel Ogle with his trophy after being named the 2010 Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year.

Well-read couple marks 60 years

2010-12-26T15:06:00.000+13:00

The Barr family will be celebrating more than Christmas Day tomorrow.

Roy, 87, and Judy Barr, 78, will be ticking off 60 years of marriage. Some might say Christmas Day was an unusual date to marry, but it made sense for the couple. "All the family was here for dinner anyway so we thought we would get married too," Mrs Barr said.

This year the family will be having Christmas dinner at Cobb and Co, before marking the anniversary with a party on Boxing Day at the Waimea Bowling Club.

Mr and Mrs Barr are keen bowlers, but they also share a wicked sense of humour.

When asked to put his arm around his wife for a photo, Mr Barr was quick to quip: "You'll start to expect this every day. You ain't getting it".

Roy is clear about his role in the marriage though: "Making sure she doesn't spend too much money."

He was a tail gunner in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and met his future wife when he moved to New Zealand.

Her sister was dating his brother. Both couples ended up marrying.

The couple dairy farmed in Normanby for years before retiring to New Plymouth after Mr Barr had a heart attack.

Mr Barr said they had always lived in Taranaki, and the region "got a bit of rain now and then, which is very handy".

They have two children, three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

When asked for their secret to a successful marriage, the Barrs said they were unsure whether they had one, but son Brian said they were both too stubborn to find anyone else. One reason for their happy union could be not changing their routine much – the couple still read the paper in bed every morning.

KATE SAUNDERS - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 24/12/2010

Barrs
ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News

HAPPY UNION: Judy, 78, and Roy, 87, Barr, celebrate 60 years of marriage on Christmas Day.

Hawera 'shuts down after 5pm'

2010-08-28T21:18:00.000+12:00

Hawera's central business district is an uninviting "disgrace" when the sun sets, say business owners and residents.

Sporadic veranda lighting throughout the town's CBD is contributing to dark spots, forcing many residents to avoid the area at night.

A Hawera resident, who would only be identified as Miss Paisley, said without adequate veranda lighting outside shops she felt vulnerable.

"I will not use an ATM in Hawera at night," she said.

"I come home (from work in Eltham) and they haven't left the lights on for me."

She said it shouldn't be that way as the town had a lot to offer but a lack of lighting was damaging to its image.

"It feels like the town shuts down after 5pm.

"They welcome Americarna home but don't leave a light on for me when I come home."

She said someone needed to take ownership of the issue as it would be an easy way to attract more people into the CBD after dark.

The Taranaki Daily News understands the issue first arose when the now defunct Progress Hawera handed control of the lights to the council.

Not all businesses were linked to the scheme run by the business association which connected them to the council's street light circuit.

That created an issue over who was responsible for the lighting and led to many lights being neglected.

Real Sports owner Ross Laurence said Progress Hawera should never had been given the responsibility for the lights and since it was handed over to the council, nothing had been done.

"It's a disgrace that there has been no maintenance to some of the lights. The town needs to have all of these lights going."

South Taranaki District Council roading manager Vincent Lim said the council was responsible for repairing broken lights and paid the power bills for those linked into the system.

"In the last three weeks we have received a number of customer requests about the lighting issue in the area and we are looking into it."

Mr Lim said the council would approach businesses to find out which veranda lights were connected to the council's street light circuit and which were being run privately.

Mr Lim accepted some shop owners may not want the lights out of their control but it was about time the council asked the question.

"Many shopkeepers may not know they are entitled to have council look after the lights as many businesses have changed hands over the years."

He said if they did want council's support there would be a cost for rewiring the lights into the town's main circuit.

Groom owner Quintien Calder said he had been forced to install a light because without one his shop security camera would be useless.

"It would be nice to think people could go for walks on a Friday or Saturday night in a well-lit area," he said.

By LAIRD HARPER - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 28/08/2010

Hawera becomes tinseltown for film

2010-08-22T10:52:00.000+12:00

The searchlight lit up Hawera skies, as the Predicament film cast and crew hit the red carpet in South Taranaki last night.

Months of waiting finally came to an end as the film's stars joined the locals to enjoy the film at the charity gala premiere.

Arriving in vintage cars fitting for the film's 1930s setting, the stars were then mixed and mingled at the pre-party in a marquee outside Cinema 2.

Inside both theatres were linked for those attending to hear speeches before the screenings.

Director Jason Stutter apologised for Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords) and Tim Finn who could not make it.

But Stutter decided to phone him anyway, despite it being the wee small hours in New York.

Although bleary from an interrupted sleep, Clement still made the audience laugh, just as he did almost every time he spoke throughout the film.

Stutter said he was rapt to have been able create the Predicament film to match the book and in the home town of its author, Ronald Hugh Morrieson.

"He sat in his home in Hawera, dreamed up this story that he struggled to get published and now it's going to Hollywood. It's a shame he can't be here to see everyone loving his work."

Co-producer Vincent Burke congratulated Taranaki for putting up money and hosting the film and he acknowledged Morrieson for being the only New Zealand author who has had every novel written made into a film.

"It was so important to have it filmed where he lived and wrote it," he said.

Producer Sue Rogers said loved being back in Taranaki.

"This is its launch and hopefully lots of people in New Zealand want to see it. The event, the team here is world class."

Predicament is due to be released into cinemas nationwide on Thursday.

By KELLY LONEY - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 21/08/2010

Memories aplenty as couple mark 60th

2010-05-24T20:18:00.001+12:00

A wall of mementos representing six decades of wedded bliss lined up behind a farming couple from Manaia on Saturday.

Now retired, New Plymouth resident, Gordon and Melba Gibson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with 70 guests at the New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club.

The couple were married at St John's Presbyterian Church in Hawera on May 24, 1950.

As well as Mrs Gibson's wedding dress, the couple still have the docket from where they stayed that evening – 2 1s which included breakfast.

All but one of the wedding party are still alive and were able to share the occasion in New Plymouth.

Now 85 and 79 respectively, Mr and Mrs Gibson look back to the early days of their romance in the rural 1940s South Taranaki.

Mr Gibson is from Kaponga and his bride from Manaia – they met when he played for the pipe band in Auroa while she attended school there.

"We use to go to the same dances, we'd probably known one another for years before we met," he said.

They dairy farmed in Manaia, raising two sons and a daughter, and now have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The couple were keen whitebaiters on the Awakino River.

Awarded the OBE, Mr Gibson was deputy chairman for Westgate Transport and served on its board for 26 years.

He also chaired the Taranaki Harbours Board, the Taranaki Port Company establishment unit, was vice-president of Harbour Association of New Zealand, and management committee member of the New Zealand Harbour Industrial Union Of Employers.

Mr Gibson knew what it took to make a good marriage last: "Being good at arguing.

"Actually, I'm waiting to see what you say," he said to his wife.

"We just always try to get along together – give and take both sides," Mrs Gibson said.

The couple received congratulatory cards from Prime Minister John Key, Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, and the Queen.

By JARED SMITH - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 24/05/2010

2010-04-25T20:18:00.003+12:00

you know jin, this notion of Poi E as an anthem has always been in the back of my mind ever since Dalvanius passed away. i mentioned this in the music column a few weeks back and it was pretty well received (apart from a few who reckon 'bliss' would be better haha)

could you lot imagine, 30,000 singing Poi E, chanting Poi E in unison as another AB goes for the touchdown? Priceless eh! ;-)

Poi E should be the unofficial anthem of the RWC.
and given the right treatment - Poi E could well be our unofficial National Anthem. Kia Ora!

Glad I am not the only NZer with it playing around my mind!
It brings tears to my eyes and makes the hair stand up on my neck whenever I hear it .. and I am not maori.

I remember in the late 90's, there was Heartland doco, Gary McCormack visited the folk in Patea who were putting on a theatre show about the township, and the impact the freezing works' closure had its people there. What was the Show called? Anyone out there knows of the performance, or had been to it, or had participated in it?

Number 8 in iTunes! TV channel should do a small doco on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLUygS0IAQ

Here's the lyrics - and a translation!

E rere ra e taku poi porotiti
Tītahataha ra, whakararuraru e
Porotakataka rā, poro hurihuri mai
Rite tonu ki te tiwaiwaka e

Ka parepare ra, pīoioi a
Whakahekeheke, e kia korikori e
Piki whakarunga ra, ma muinga mai a
Taku poi porotiti, taku poi e!

Poi E, whakatata mai
Poi E, kaua he rerekē
Poi E, kia piri mai ki au
Poi E, e awhi mai ra
Poi E, tāpekatia mai.

Poi E, ō tāua aroha -
- Poi E - paiheretia ra.
POI... TAKU POI, E!

Swing out rhythmically, my feelings
lean out beside me, so deceptively.
Swing round and down, spin towards me
just like a fantail.

Swing to the side: swing to and fro
zoom down, wriggle,
climb up above, swarm around me
my whirling emotions, my poi, Yeah!

Oh my feelings, draw near,
Oh my poi, don't go astray
Oh my affections, stick to me
Oh my instincts, take care of me
Oh my emotions, be entwined around me.

Oh poi, our love...
Oh poi ...binds.
Poi.... my poi, yeah!

Not sure whether these words are right - off a blog - some seem a bit odd but, anyway...

Oh and the karanga (from memory)
rere atu taku poi - fly my poi
titahataha ra - slanting to the side
whakarunga, whakararo - going up going down
taku poi e! - my poi!

*

Yip great clip! for me it was somewhat great to be a boy living in Hawera, Taranaki, seeing the Kiwi Factory in sight. Poi E No.1 on Ready to Roll.

on the flipside, I do recall in the background there was a bit of controversy between Dalvanius and some Iwi Maori about the contemporary treatment of this Waiata, with its electronic beat and synthesizers- Too modern, too flashy, who does he think he is? (D) mixing pop music with traditional. This is not how Maori cultural performance should be presented to the world.
No offence to our kaumatua, for they were of their time and had their reasoning... i wonder if the most of the old people were still around, what would they make of the the latest wave of Poly/Maori sounds. (If it was my Koro, his opinion will still be the same - "ah blardy $%$@!!" hahaha

Personally i am glad Dalvanius and the people associated with him had the foresight to realise this could be done successfully, all packaged neat in a 3 and a half minute pop song. and for that moment, aotearoa and the world is a sweeter place to live in.

How did The Formuyla's "Nature" get best NZ song ever? That was an industry jack-up. Poi-E was what most Kiwis thought should of got that award, and rightfully so.

Actually, most kiwis were divided..between Poi-E and Slice Of Heaven. Not Nature.

Well, maybe with BOY getting great reviews and the hunt for the right song, just maybe, the powers to be might go for Poi E. Then we will ALL be very proud.
3 cheers for Poi E.
As a previous poster said, the Aussies adore their Waltzing Matilda .. and rightly so.
I'm sure NZers would be equally proud of Poi E.

I remember when I lived in Aus, and Air NZ had Poi-E on their inbound flight audio music tracks, it used to make you want to make the jet go faster to get home, made you emotinal for NZ. This was on the Perth - Auck Run.

I love this song and I like Patea. My parents live there ;p
o
It's a strange feeling. Since listening to the link I have been for a walk to the library and back, singing it in my head. Now I can't get rid of it.
Maybe it's called Brain Washing! Lol!

I love this song and I like Patea. My parents live there ;p

Lucky them! They can be very proud. Now a very famous place.

I remember in the 80's (82) not wanting to go out for Sat Night on the town until "Ready To Roll" had been on at 6pm, with Poi-E at No.1

FYI. Poi E was written by linguist Ngoi Pewhairangi; the music was scored by Dalvanius Prime.

I remember, taking my shy 4 year old grand daughter, to see the Patea Maori Group in concert here in Hawera. When they came on stage her eyes were nearly popping out of her head.They started singing Poi-E and she was in another world!!She was up on her feet singing as loud as she could. She didn't stop talking about them for weeks!

Considering that Poi -E was competing with big acts like Duran Duran for the NZ Dollar back in 1982, it did well. Just about every home must have had a copy, or close to it.

yip Poi E went on to be the biggest NZ single in 1984.

Does anyone know the soundtrack songs to Boy? I've looked, but can't find. Great music

1984 saw Eurythmics, Frankie Goes To Hollywood & INXS storm the charts.

I love this song brings me back to my child hood and yep we had this song on record, would love to hear more of it on the radio

haha 1984 dude! Before KFC in Hawera there was the BIG MC! LOL

My apologies ..you are right....don't know why I thought of 1982, it was of course 1984. First hit the NZ charts in March 1984 (wikipedia.org). Niceone...sorry for that

This was in the 70s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLUygS0IAQ&feature=playe
r_embedded

Im not sure wot the question was but my sis is in love with on of the babies in this vid.... long story ... but if you are from Ngara you prob know what im babling about

It is a great song and it should be a part of NZ culture.....that guy break dancing (video back in the 80's) and easy to listen to.....i recently sold an original tape of the club playing this live......the buyer was very happy.

just watched the clip of the good morning. great interview. how would we get tVnz to do a programe about the group (again)
are there any clips on dalvanius ??
refer to my previous earlier posts.
this song should be DEFINATLEY included in our All Black world cup....as one other post said, imagine the crowd, we when score, that this is played, all hairs would be standing up.....

We sing our national anthem in both maori and english now.
Could we not have some english words wound into it and a 2010 version ready for the World Rugby Cup? Is that too much to ask?

Saw the movie.."Boy" on Friday and absolutely loved it. The sound track is fabulous and I would love to buy it if it is released. Make sure you see it!!!! Acting is amazing and so funny in a very natural way.

This thread has convinced me that there should be a public campaign to make "Poi E" the official RWC song. If the passion shown for it here is anything to go by it couldn't possibly fail as I think many other Kiwis would feel the same.

My ex's lilly white sister is in that video in the maori club..bahahahaha....

I'm lily white and I would have been very proud to have been in that video. Well done to all who were lucky enough to take part!
You are now an important part of NZ history.

I used to live in Patea and would go and watch the Patea maori club practcing, good times they were .

Patea and "Poi E" back in the Charts

2010-04-25T20:13:00.002+12:00

Jumped in at #39 this week from the popularity of the Film "Boy", Making it into the charts 3 times in 3 decades, I wonder if the Patea maori club gets any royalties from this song as their clubrooms are looking rather shabby.
Patea once a thriving town in South Taranaki, now not so, Who here has rellies living there and who had family living there in its heyday

This was in the 70s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLUygS0IAQ&feature=playe
r_embedded

Patea is a ghost town, or at least it was when we passed through about 5 days before xmas

my grandfather used to work there in the 70's. i remember he used to have a morris 1100 car, and i used to travel with him from hawera to patea to the garage and morris dealership there for a service and a warrant. in the mornings with the freezing works going, in the eyes of a 7 year old it was like mayhem! people everywhere, so busy!

the main road was narrower too :-)

used to stop of at the factory butchers, pick up a forequarter or a bag of pork bones real cheap.

Has anybody on here seen the film 'Pallet on the Floor'. story by local author th late Ronald Hugh Morrison. Check it out, its good! Shot on location in and around Patea with shots of the Factory in its heyday!

if anyone wants the video in mp4 format http://sites.google.com/site/clipone/home/poi-e-video

Here's a link for a clip and interview from the current group...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQdvZ0lTVU4

Awesome song, possibly the words to which are as well known to Kiwis as Pokarekare ana!
great childhood memory... esp. the bleached hair guy up on the waka busting his moves.

I used to work with some of those older ldies in the group. About 4 of them where sisters or sister in laws. Lovely people who couldn't do enough for you. Just watched the interview and recognised 3 of them. Wonderfula nd thank you for the link.

my nana lived there .Died 1980.up till then,i spent all my holidays there with her.Had cousins at whenakura?? from a farming community.I even worked in the local tearooms during Christmas break.Havent been back since nana died,but need to go back and check it out

This was the first time ever a Maori song had been released for the charts without any english verses. Well done Dalvanius and Patea.

Yes, patea maori club still performing all over the place. did a live performance at the local cinema in hawera on thursday for the opening of the movie. past members promote the new ones but are still very much the backbone of the club.

could be rambling here but i'll share it with yous anyway. grew up in Hawera and my fondest memories is of my grandfather up early at 4.00am getting prepared to go to work down in Patea. i'd be up too having breakfast of porridge and cream, big cuppa tea reading Commando comics. Nana would make him up a lunch of barracuda bread sammies with hogget and tomato, and a bottle of tea, and it all went into a battered old leather doctors bag. He rode a BSA superrocket, unbaffled silencers, and the roar it would make in the early morning was hell terrific; you could hear him from one end of South Road in town to the other.

somehow the neighbours never complained..

Words on Wheels

2010-02-14T22:06:00.000+13:00

Words on Wheels
They'll be coming around the mountain

Five of New Zealand's top writers hit the road in February for another literary road-trip, this time to Taranaki.

On the bus this year is David Hill (Teen Fiction), Duncan Sarkies (Fiction), Briar Grace-Smith (Scriptwriting), Alison Wong (Poetry) and Janet Hunt (Non-fiction). They'll be travelling to Waitara, New Plymouth, Inglewood, Stratford, Eltham, Hawera, Waverley, and Opunake from 12-17 February, appearing at schools, libraries, and other local venues across the region.

ELSIE LINLEY

2010-01-03T15:56:00.001+13:00

Elsie, at 104, has nothing to grumble about
By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 02/01/2010

ELSIE LINLEY
MARK DWYER/ Taranaki Daily News
ELSIE LINLEY: At 104, these days her only birthday wish is to have family around when she blows out the candles.

At 104 years old Elsie Linley is not ready to "peg out" just yet.

Her Boxing Day birthday makes her one of, if not the, oldest person in Taranaki

Since being born in Hawera, Mrs Linley has learnt a thing or two about life and love and espouses the benefits of patience and keeping grumbling to a minimum.

"Well they have enough on their shoulders without me complaining," she said with an elegantly cheeky smile.

"Besides there is nothing very much to complain about anyway."

This attitude comes from her mother who, despite a hard life, was always kind and loving to all, Mrs Linley said. And what did she look like?

"She was buxom. I hate saying it but she was a very large woman and I take after her."

Mrs Linley, nee Smith, married Englishman Jack Linley in 1926.

They had three children and lived on farms around the mountain at Oaonui, Okato and Tariki although they maintained an apartment in New Plymouth for weekend jaunts to the city.

She has nine grand-children, nine great-grandchildren and said they were all quite lovely.

Her interests over the decades have included a love of rugby, socialising, playing cards, photography, crochet – and hard work.

She now lives in New Plymouth's Radius Thornleigh Park rest home.

Ghosts of dinners past

2010-01-03T15:52:00.000+13:00

Ghosts of dinners past
By HELEN HARVEY - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 14:06 21/12/2009

ROBERT CHARLES
Taranaki Research Centre information services officer Andrea Wallace with some of the early New Zealand Christmas cards in the centre's collection.

PUKE ARIKI COLLECTION
A Christmas card from colonial New Zealand.
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On Saturday night, December 24, 1887, New Plymouth was buzzing. The main street was full of people and the shops were busy as people did their last- minute Christmas shopping.

The day had been hot, so the cool night air was refreshing to the shoppers, who listened to a band playing while checking out the colourful displays in the shop windows.

The weekly newspaper the Budget reported that shopkeepers appeared to be doing a "fair business considering the dull times and shortness of money".

The butcher shops used to compete with each other to have the best display. The Taranaki Herald reported in 1884 that one butcher's shop window showed bullocks, sheep, lamb, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, turkeys and other fowl.

Grocers had seasonal fruits, little titbits, sweetmeats and tasty treats to attract customers.

And the shops stayed open as late as possible to ensure a good trade. In 1887, the band stopped playing at 10pm and the streets cleared at midnight, when the bell at the Catholic church "resounded through the town", the Budget reported.

Though the hotels were full, there was no drunkenness or breach of order or decorum, the paper said, "which is a credit to the town".

Christmas day dawned bright and clear. It was a Sunday, so the churches were full. The paper recalled the band played Christians Awake on the Barrack Hill (now Marsland Hill) in the morning. Back at home, houses may have been decorated with nikau palms, which were very popular for Christmas decorations in mid-1880s Taranaki.

There may have been a Christmas tree. Christmas trees were a German tradition that became popular in England in the 1840s, when pictures were seen of Queen Victoria, her German husband, Albert, and their children gathered around one.

The Tarrant family, who lived in Taihore, out the back of Strathmore on what's now the Forgotten World Highway, in the 1880s and '90s, had a little rimu sapling for a Christmas tree one year. In the book No One Went to Town, author Phyllis Johnson says it was decorated with buttons and beads.

Taranaki Research Centre team leader Gary Bastin says people had to use local materials and make do. This was true with the Christmas dinner. One popular meat dish was called colonial goose. It wasn't a goose at all - rather a flap of mutton with stuffing inside.
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You could still buy a colonial goose 20 years ago, but then it was a rolled seasoned shoulder of hogget, according to Murray Sattler, better known as Buzz the Butcher in Westown. Then, when farmers got better money for lamb, it became a rolled seasoned shoulder of lamb. But the term has gone out of use, a victim of consumer laws, since it isn't, actually, goose.

Christmas was more marked in the 1800s, Mr Bastin says. "[People] lived a more spartan existence, so the notion of having a social time and making a fuss over the meal would have been differentiated over time."

In 1887, the Budget's Christmas stories included one about a feast held by a chief named Henare Punuruka and his wife, Louisa, who lived in Peropero, to which Europeans were invited. The dinner consisted of "roast turkeys, geese, ducks, fowls, lamb, beef, pork, fish, new potatoes, green peas and cabbage". And that was just the first course. There was a Christmas cake and dessert included plum puddings, tarts, pies and jellies of various kinds.

As Christmas is the season of goodwill, spare a thought for the settlers in Christchurch in 1850, whose first Christmas dinner in their new country didn't quite turn out as planned.

A bullock, whose every joint had been ordered, did a runner. It was never found, Alison Clarke says in her book, Holiday Seasons: Christmas, New Year and Easter in Nineteenth Century New Zealand.

An abundance at Christmas was a sign of how well people were doing in the new land.

Agricultural labourer George Douch emigrated in 1875. He had struggled to make a living in his native Sussex, but two years after he arrived in Taranaki, he was building his own house on his own land, Dr Clarke says in her book.

He wrote to his parents saying he would never forget the white plum pudding (lacking fruit because the family was so poor) he'd had in 1855. In New Zealand, his Christmas dinner included new spuds, green peas, roast beef and "nine gallons of ale".

The new potatoes and green peas were a reflection of mixing old traditions with the realities of having Christmas in summer. And despite the weather, the settlers, like a lot of New Zealanders today, still had a hot meal. However, they also had summer desserts, especially strawberries, which they ate along with the traditional Christmas pudding.

In 1857, Taranaki resident Maria Atkinson made a 16-pound (7kg) pudding to feed the 18 people present for Christmas dinner.

"The groaning table also featured beef, turkey, ham, fowl, almonds, raisins, Christmas mincemeat and gooseberry pie".

Making a plum pudding involved family members, who took turns stirring the pudding, during which time they had to make a wish.

Mrs Beaton, a famous cook during the second part of the 19th century, has a recipe for a plain Christmas pudding in one of her cookbooks. The ingredients were flour, breadcrumbs, raisins, currants, suet, eggs, milk, peel, allspice and salt. The pudding was boiled for five hours. It was, according to Mrs Beaton, sufficient for nine or 10 children.

Taranaki Research Centre information services officer Andrea Wallace says when people first came to New Zealand, they would have had wonderful cookbooks. When Christmas rolled around, they would have looked up some recipes and found something they liked.

"Then you'd have looked at the ingredients you had and your lack of kitchen and thought, What can I do in a Dutch oven? Ingenuity reigned supreme and people made their colonial goose."

A Dutch oven is like a camp oven, a big pot with a thick lid that was covered in hot coal and ashes.

The ovens were used until the 1870s, when Henry Shacklock made the first coal range.

"Before then, no one really had coal ranges, because they weren't compatible with local coal."

Despite the difficulties, people were determined to enjoy their Christmas. Nearly 300 new settlers enroute to New Plymouth spent Christmas 1879 on board the Halcione. According to the ship's newsletter The Maraval Jackdaw all were determined to have a good Christmas. "May the smoking joint, the steaming glass and the ringing peal of laughter reign supreme," the newsletter said.

The first Kiwi Christmas was held just offshore in 1642. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman crossed the entrance of Cook Strait and anchored east of Stephens and D'Urville islands. There was what has since become a bit of a Christmas tradition in some parts of the country: bad weather.

NZHistory.net.nz says while sheltering from a storm, the Dutch enjoyed freshly killed pork from the ship's menagerie, washed down with extra rations of wine.

The next Christmas dinner in New Zealand wasn't until 1769, when Captain James Cook first arrived.

The crew of the Endeavour, while battling heavy seas, this time off the tip of the North Island, had a feast of goose pie. Only there was no goose available, so they improvised and botanist Joseph Banks shot a gannet instead. Apparently the Endeavour's crew spent Boxing Day nursing hangovers.

This has also become a bit of a Kiwi tradition. As has going to the races. Boxing Day race meetings were held all over New Zealand in the 1800s.

A lot of families also went on picnics on Boxing Day, something that wouldn't have happened in a European winter. But it was a good way to use up the leftovers and enjoy the summer.

For Hawera residents, catching the train to Normanby, having a picnic and then heading to the races was a popular way to spend Boxing Day.

But in New Plymouth on Boxing Day in 1887, it rained all day and the races were postponed and the picnics abandoned.

Not so traditional

Most of the Christmas traditions enjoyed today date from Queen Victoria's time. Before she came to the throne in 1837, there were no Christmas trees, cards, crackers, Santa Claus or a holiday off work. The wealth and technologies generated by the industrial revolution of the Victorian era changed the face of Christmas forever.

Mass production meant getting toys for Christmas was no longer only for the rich. And the wealth generated meant middle class families in England and Wales were able to take time off and celebrate over two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

In New Zealand, a day off work for Christmas was the norm, but was not law until 1910. Shops and pubs often opened. Newspapers were published on Christmas Day, some of them even into the early 20th century. Christmas cards: The first Christmas card was designed in England in 1843 by John Horsley after Rowland Hill introduced the penny post in 1840. Before 1840, it would not have been feasible for ordinary people to send cards because of the cost of postage. By the 1860s, Christmas cards were very popular in England. Christmas cake: Originally, Christmas cake was eaten on Twelfth Night (January 6). In the late 19th century, people began to eat the traditional Twelfth Night cake at Christmas. Christmas crackers: Crackers were invented in London by Tom Smith in 1846. The original idea was to wrap his lollies in a twist of fancy coloured paper, but this developed and sold much better when he added notes, paper hats, small toys and made them go bang. Boxing Day: December 26th earned its name as the day servants and working people opened the boxes in which they had collected gifts of money from the "rich folk". Christmas stockings: These first became popular around 1870. Traditionally, an orange went in the toe. Christmas carols: A number of popular Christmas carols were written in the 19th century, including O Come All Ye Faithful in 1843, Once in Royal David's City in 1848, O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868 and Away in a Manger in 1883.

Happy birthday , Eltham

2010-01-03T15:49:00.000+13:00

Eltham begins celebrating its 125th birthday today. Rob Maetzig, who grew up there, takes a lighthearted look at the town.
Taranaki Daily News

Last updated 10:37 07/12/2009

ROBERT CHARLES
Taking time out: Long-time Eltham residents Beulah and Max Hucker enjoy a moment under art deco artwork in the town's Stark Park.

There are quite a few Elthams around the world, but none quite compares with ours.

Consider the Eltham in the London borough of Greenwich, for instance. Famous people born there might include comedian Bob Hope and musician Boy George, but the New Zealand Eltham produced cut-the-hedge- with-a-lawnmower All Black Jazz Muller.

Eltham in Victoria, Australia, might be where the paralucia pyrodiscus lucida - the Eltham Copper Butterfly to us - was discovered, but our Eltham had this country's first fully tarsealed main street.

The Eltham in New Kent County, Virginia, might be where the New Kent-Charles City Chronicle is published, but our town has got the Eltham Argus.

But wait, there's more. Our Eltham had New Zealand's first commercial butter factory, which made the first-ever classic pound of butter. And it's got the first commercial building ever to have a suspended concrete floor. And Eltham even hosted the first-ever world axemen's carnival.

No comparison, really. But that's Eltham.

The town actually likes to describe itself as a town of firsts, because it is true that many years ago, it did pioneer everything from tarsealed streets to pounds of butter - which in some ways is ironic, because Eltham was the last place in Taranaki to be settled between Patea and New Plymouth.

Historians say this was because Central Taranaki was difficult country. If in the mid- 19th century it took several days for a bullock dray to travel the 21 kilometres between Inglewood and Stratford, it must have taken even longer to negotiate that valley where Eltham now is.

The town is nestled between the Waingongoro River on one side and the Ngaere Swamp on the other, and the whole area is crisscrossed with numerous smaller streams and creeks, so in those early days, it must have been a very muddy place when it was wet.

No wonder a few years later it became the first town in New Zealand to tarseal its main street.

Actually - and maybe this was because of the difficulty of the country - it almost seems that in the very early days, no one even wanted to claim the Eltham district.

In 1876, when the Patea County Council was formed, Eltham was lumped into its area of jurisdiction. Then, five years later, when the Hawera County Council was created, it was given the fledgling township.

It took another three years for Eltham to be declared a town district. Mind you, at that stage, it only had a population of 25 settlers.
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But the town quickly grew, thanks first to the timber industry and then the development of dairy farms. This meant that by the beginning of the 20th century, the district was sufficiently populated to allow the urban area to be declared a borough and the country surrounding it a county.

One of the things I enjoy about Eltham is that its first mayor was the powerfully named and United States-born George Washington Tayler, and that among the borough council's first decisions were to ban driving stock through the main street, outlaw spitting on pavements and curtail cycling on footpaths.

Obviously, this would all have been part of a big move to bring respectability to a town that, by then, would have been getting quite prosperous. The beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings that are there today are proof of that - everything from the Coronation Hotel (it opened in 1902, the year of King Edward VII's coronation), to the Post Office Building opened in 1904, to the Eltham Courthouse opened in 1908.

And what about the Pease Building down on the corner of Bridge and Stanners streets? Built in 1909, it was the first such commercial building outside of Europe to have a fully suspended floor. That's flash. So was the fact that during World War II, it was officially designated an air raid shelter.

Mind you, when I was a child, we didn't know that building as the Pease Building. It was Carmen's, because that's where one of those traditional old booksellers-cum-giftshops was located.

Locals do that sort of thing, you see. That's why the Coronation Hotel is known simply as the Corrie, why the little stream running through the centre of town isn't known as the Mangawharawhara but the Town Creek, and why the Waingongoro River on Eltham's western boundary is simply called the Wong - just like the sound of a stone plopping into one of its deep pools, wrote the late Douglas Stewart, famous ex- Eltham author and poet.

And how about this? Down by the golf course there's a green area officially known as Soldiers Memorial Park, but which everyone calls the Gully. And the golf course has a hole called not Suicide but Sewerside, because it runs alongside what used to be a sewage outfall into the Town Creek.

Instead of sorting out the pollution at the time, Eltham named a golf hole after it. Now that's local.

But let's get back to history. These days, Eltham is most famous for the magnificent selection of cheeses it produces and that history goes right back to the late 1880s, when Chinese entrepreneur Chew Chong built a dairy factory on the banks of the Waingongoro River.

He exported his butter under the Jubilee Butter brand, because the factory was opened on the date of Queen Victoria's jubilee. Maybe these days it might have been called Chong Wong Butter.

Anyway, the story goes that within a few years, Chong's suppliers didn't like it when he told them he could not pay more than tuppence per gallon for their milk - and that the payout would probably be half that the following year - so the farmers formed their own Eltham Co- operative Dairy Company.

Cheese was the first product to be manufactured, as it was considered a safer export commodity, and Eltham's cheese industry took off from there. These days, a massive selection of cheeses, ranging from traditional cheddar to French- style and processed, roll out of two big plants in the town.

But there is one particular cheese that Eltham is most famous for: blue vein - that product that smells like foot odour but tastes divine.

This tangy, salty cheese has been made in Eltham since 1952. Today the town might also make a variety of cheese on the blue- vein theme, but nothing beats the grunty original version that is quite addictive.

Over on the other side of the railway tracks, there's the Riverlands meatworks, which produces damn good steaks. In fact, a couple of years ago, its porterhouse took out New Zealand's prestigious Steak of Origin title.

Besides the cheese and meat industries, there's not a lot left in Eltham these days. A few decades ago, its main throughfares of High Street and Bridge Street were alive with shops. Most of these retail premises are empty now, although retro and second- hand shops have opened up and are popular.

The reasons are obvious. It used to be quite a journey to the big city lights of New Plymouth. Today, it's just a half-hour scoot up the road in the average family car. That means many people choose to live somewhere else and commute to Eltham to work, and that in turn has hurt the financial viability of retail businesses.

But if Eltham's business area is looking a bit bony these days, the town's soul is still very much there. In fact, it's turning back to its past as the means towards its future. Take Time Out is the mantra now being promoted by the Eltham Business and Professional Association as it encourages visitors to spend time in the village and sample both its history and its wares.

And that includes popping into the little cheese bar on Bridge Street, where there's usually a big selection of Eltham-made cheeses, often at ridiculously low prices. Just why this cheese bar isn't out on the main street, I'll never know. Then again, its almost-hidden location makes it a neat sort of Taranaki secret that's quite appealing, because you have to take time out to find it.

That's the thing about Eltham - you have to take time out there to begin to appreciate it. So how about this: pop into the town and pick up a brochure outlining the histories of all the beautiful old buildings in the central area. Head off on a walking tour of these buildings and, along the way, pop into the cheese bar for some blue vein and the Corrie for a few beers.

Then head down to the Wong for a picnic. And if you're really hungry, set up a barbie and cook a Riverlands steak. That'd be the true spirit of taking time out.

Campgrounds brace for their summer rush

2009-12-26T11:18:00.000+13:00

By KELLY LONEY - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 26/12/2009

South Taranaki beach and motor camps are upbeat about how this summer season is shaping up.

Kaupokonui Beach Motor Camp opened to full bookings today and is set to host busy grounds for five weeks.

It's caretaker Vince Leatherby's first year in the job and he's taking calls from keen campers from Wellington to Auckland.

While most spots are taken, there's always room for overnighters, said Mr Leatherby.

"I'm a friendly man and people are more than welcome at my place."

The new $200,000 shower and facilities block at Kaupokonui was up and running by Christmas Eve and this year the camp shop is fully stocked, and will open from 9am to 6pm.

By Christmas Eve, Waiinu beach camp, near Waitotara, already had a smattering of campers and South Taranaki District Council staff were expecting it to be almost full through the first two weeks of January.

Library Plus in Waverley takes registrations for the council managed campground.

Staff said many of the campers were locals who continued working while based at Waiinu. There was also a steady flow of overnighters staying on their way through Taranaki.

Opunake Beach Holiday Park's peak time starts today, with most but not all spaces already booked.

Camp leasee Craig Russell said the camp is "pretty solid right through until January 10 to 15".

He said there was "the usual crew coming" and many farmers had rung to extend their camp bookings since the increased milk solids pay-out was announced.

Mr Russell had heard from other campground managers that in general New Zealand camps were fuller this year with people who, because of the economic recession, had put their overseas holidays on hold, deciding to stay local instead.

King Edward Park Motor Camp manager Lu Katene said that while there were bookings from now through to the end of January, it was difficult to know how many people in motorhomes would be staying.

"They just turn up, one day we can be empty, the next day full."

Likewise for Ohawe Beach Camp.

Manager Phoebe Paraha was expecting to be busy from Christmas through until the first week of January with several bookings, mostly tenters. "I'm anticipating being busy. I'm not stressing, just plodding along."

In Patea, Carlyle Beach Motor Camp operator Ken Bentley was expecting a usual season with the camp's 30 sites filling up over the period until New Year with mostly families from around Taranaki and Wanganui.

"If the weather stays good, we're looking good."

Hawera High School principal Paul Ryan

2009-10-23T21:57:00.000+13:00

Hawera High School principal Paul Ryan has announced his resignation.

In a shock announcement at the Taranaki Secondary School Association's annual dinner this week Mr Ryan said this year would be his last. He will be the fourth Taranaki principal to leave in 14 months but while the other three will be working overseas, Mr Ryan is going to travel. Quite simply, it's time to see the world with his wife – again – but this time in style. "It's been 20 years since Christine and I have done any decent travelling," he said.

The pair are off on an overseas adventure to visit family and friends and return to places they have wanted to go for years.

It'll be their third overseas experience but with a bit more comfort – there'll be no backpacks and shoe-string budgets.

"I've made a promise to Christine that we'd stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel when we're in Zimbabwe because last time we were in a motor camp."

South America and China are also on the travel plans they never visited the first and second time around. There are no other plans beyond the travelling yet.

When Mr Ryan leaves it will be three years and three terms since he first set foot in the door of Hawera's secondary school and he thinks he's made his mark.

Classrooms have been refurbished, there are plans under way for further improvements to the property and the school is in a financially strong position. "I've been hearing from a few people the school is in better shape now than before I arrived which is nice to hear," he said.

He's also proud the school has improved academically. "The students continue to make positive decisions in relation to their schooling and in setting up the best possible future for the themselves."

Staff had also been amazing to work with. "They are a fantastic group who really focus on the students and have a genuine desire for them to achieve."

The sale of Manaia and Opunake townships 1880

2009-10-06T21:44:00.000+13:00

e original list of names was from Papers Past

From the HAWERA & NORMANBY STAR, dated 22nd December 1880

SALE OF MANAIA
The sale of Manaia and Opounake townships was advertised for Friday and there must have been at least 300 persons present when the sale commenced.
The townships of Manaia was first offered for sale and a large number of sections were sold, some at very high prices, those at the octagon bringing in over £80 ($11,442 in 2008)
The competition was very spirited throughout the day and the Commissioner went through the various sections at a pretty rapid rate.
When the suburban sections around Manaia were disposed of, an adjournment took place and the sale of Opunake commence after lunch.
The area of nearly all the sections was about a quarter of an acre each (unless otherwise stated)

The following are the details:-
(the number of the section then price paid at auction)
* A.C. FORCE was a member of the NZ Armed Constabulary 1846-1885)

BLOCK II
#10 - £15 .. AND ..
#11 - £12 - J. Davidson, storekeeper, Hawera
#22 - £10 - F. McGuire

BLOCK III
#1 - £15 .. AND ..
#10 - £15
#11 - £12 - William Hackett, A.C. Force, Manaia

BLOCK VI
#6 - £10 - John Meikle, carpenter, Hawera
#10 - £15 - C.A. Wray (for Church of England)
#11 - £12 - J. Linton
#20 - £12 - Timothy O`Brien, A.C. Force, Manaia
#22 - £18 - M. Byrne, Manutahi

BLOCK VII
#1 - £15 - P. B. Cahill
#4 - £10 - Right Rev Dr. Redwood (for Roman Catholic Church)
#12 - £12 - M.D. King (for Wesleyan Church)
#13 - £18 - Charles O. Hawke, A.C. Force, Waihi

BLOCK X
#10 - £21 - Charles Days
#11 - £15 - P.B. Cahill
#12 - £15 - J. Livingston (for Presbyterian Church)
#20 - £16 .. AND ..
#21 - £17 - R.E. McRae, farmer, Kakaramea
#22 - £28 - Charles Days

BLOCK XI
#1 - £21 - George Parmenter, laborer, Hawera
#3 - £15 - James Thomson, Waihi
#10 - £12 - R.A. Adams
#12 - £21 - James Nicoll, tinsmith, New Plymouth
#13 - £31 - George Newsham Curtis, storekeeper, Stratford
#14 - £25 - George McLean, farmer, Hawera
#15 - £18 - John Gilmour, storekeeper, New Plymouth
#16 - £14 - Benjamin Vickery, labourer, Wanganui
#17 - £16 - Henry Sinclair, carpenter, Hawera
#20 - £13 - Benjamin Vickery
#21 - £15 - R.A. Adams, draper, Carlyle (now Patea)
#22 - £18 - John Gilmour

BLOCK XIII
#2 - £10 - Hearn & Kennedy, Kakaramea
#9 - £13 - Patrick Tarrant, ploughman, Hawera
#10 - £17 - P.B. Cahill, Hawera
#11 - £17 - James Linton, Mayor of Palmerston North
#12 - £15 .. AND ..
#13 - £15 - A. Young, farmer, Manutahi
#14 - £15 - E. Pulford, storekeeper, Hawera
#15 - £15 - William Shearer, settler, Hawera
- (if you have ANY further information on William, at the above link, please leave a comment)
#17 - £16 - George Parmenter
#18 - £15 - E. Pulford
#19 - £17 - Michael Bourke, cooper, Carlyle
#20 - £31 - Charles Days

BLOCK XIV
#1 - £15
#2 - £13 - George Lgenn, Greymouth
#4 - £14 - G.T. Potto, saddler, Carlyle
#5 - £13 - A. Young
#6 - £14 - John Gilmour
#7 - £15 - H. Honeyfield, settler, New Plymouth
#8 - £16 - James Nicoll
#13 - £21 - G.N. Curtis
#15 - £24 - John Manson, draper, Hokitika
#16 - £27 - A. Young
#17 - £34 - John Gilmour
#18 - £36 - H. Honeyfield
#19 - £37 - James Nicoll

BLOCK XV
#1 - £33 .. AND ..
#2 - £36 - J. Milroy, settler, Carlyle
#3 - £18 - George McLean
#4 - £14 - J. Barleyman, solicitor, Hawera
#5 - £15 - John E.W. Honeywill
#7 - £15 .. AND ..
#8 - £16 - Daniel Leitch, settler, Hawera
#9 - £16 .. AND ..
#10 - £18 .. AND ..
#11 - £20 - John Patterson, settler, Hawera
#12 - £81 .. AND ..
#13 - £86 - J. Milroy, Carlyle
#14 - £47 - Jacob Meuli, saddler, Hawera
#15 - £41 - J. Barleyman
#16 - £40 - R.A. Adams
#17 - £37 - G.T. Potto
#18 - £85 - T.M.J. Sheahy, spinster, Palmerston North
#19 - £80 ($11,442 in 2008) - William Shearer
#20 - £80 - Daniel Leitch
#21 - £85 - John Henderson, saddler, Hawera

BLOCK XVI
#1 - £15 - Benjamin Vickery
#3 - £12 - Charles Jamieson, A.C. Force, Manaia
#12 - £29 - H. Owen, commercial traveller
#13 - £24 - Thomas Broadrick, settler, New Plymouth
#14 - £21 - Frank McGovern, laborer, Carlyle
#15 - £17 - Jeremiah Sheshan, farmer, Whenuakura
#17 - £13 - Martin Power, settler, Hawera
#18 - £18 - J. Mouri
#19 - £18 - P. McLoughlin, Carlyle
#20 - £14 - E.H. Thompson, A.C. Force, Manaia
#21 - £17 - P.B. Cahill
#22 - £80 - Thomas Broadrick

BLOCK XVII
#2 - £12 - Arthur J. Knyvett, Maxwelltown
#4 = £12 - W. Cowern
#5 - £12 - George Glenn
#6 - £15 - J. Tingey, painter, Hawera
#8 - £15 - George Norgate, A.C. Force, Waihi
#9 - £15 - A. Young
#10 - £25 - Kenneth Fraser
#19 - £12 - A. Young

BLOCK XVIII
#1 - £ 28 - Robert F. Holden, contractor, Stratford
#2 - £25 - George McLean
#3 - £20 - G.V. Bate, Hawera
#4 - £23 - F. Searling, carpenter, Carlyle
#6 - £28 - C.S.Curtis, storekeeper, Stratford
#7 - £30 .. AND ..
#8 - £41 - W.H.E. Wanklyn, Hawera
#9 - £59 - Albert R. Langley, settler, Normanby
#10 - £85 .. AND ..
#11 - £65 - Thomas Lloyd, Hawera
#12 - £16 - Joseph F. Pease, Hawera
#18 - £12 - H.R. Parrington, solicitor, Hawera
#14 - £13 - George McLean
#15 - £13 - F. Searling
#16 - £14 - Martin Bolger, settler, Manaia
#17 - £15 - C.S. Curtis
#18 - £13 - Thomas Whelan
#20 - £17 - A.R. Langley
#21 - £33 .. AND ..
#22 - £32 - ?. Taylor

BLOCK XIX
#1 - £75 - Patrick Healy, hotelkeeper, Ross, Westland
#2 - £51 - John Gilmour
#3 - £41 - Patrick Healy
#4 - £38 - Newton King, Auctioneer, New Plymouth
#5 - £36 - E. Pulford
#6 - £31 - William Shearer
#8 - £29 - John Manson
#9 - £27 - Henry Sinclair, carpenter, Hawera
#10 - £27 - John Patterson
#11 - £31 .. AND ..
#12 - £31 - James Linton
#14 - £ 12 - R. Dingle, Hawera
#15 - £12 - Newton King
#16 - £17 - E. Pulford
#17 - £15 - C.W. Broadbent, Hawera
#18 - £12 - R.H. Wilson, storeman, New Plymouth
#19 - £13 - Cornelius Casey, settler, Normanby
#20 - £14 .. AND ..
#21 £16 - John Patterson
#22 - £30 - Charles Days, boatbuilder, Oamaru

BLOCK XX
#1 - £27 - James Linton
#2 - £19 - J.C. Yorke, settler, Hawera
#3 - £16 - H.R. Parrington
#4 - £16 - R.A. Aams
#5 - £16 - H.B. Cockburn, blacksmith, Hawera
#6 - £13 - J. Davison, storekeeper, Hawera
#7 - £13 - T. Twigg, settler, Hawera
#8 - £15 - George Glenn
#10 - £16 - E.H. Thompson
#11 - £29 - Charles Days
#13 - £12 - J.C. Yorke
#14 - £14 - H.R. Parrington
#15 - £14 - R.A. Adams
#16 - £12 - W.M. Thomson, auctioneer, Hawera
#18 - £10 - Thomas Twigg
#19 - £12 .. AND ..
#20 - £10 .. AND ..
#21 - £10 .. AND ..
#22 - £12 - George Glenn

MANAIA SUBURBAN SECTIONS - price PER ACRE
each person bought around 5 acres, give or take 2 roods
#57 - £12 4s - T. Mann
#58 - £12 4s - Freeman R. Jackson, auctioneer, Wanganui
#72 - £19 5s - William Box, Rosy Creek, Waimote Plains
#73 - £12 5s - Alexander Sutherland, Wellington
#79 - £15 - J. Burton, brewer, Hawera
#80 - £13 - P. Healy, hotelkeeper, Ross, Westland
#81 - £12 - Frank McGovern
#85 - £11 - Martin Power, Hawera
#86 - £10 10s - George Glenn
#87 - £12 - John Patterson
#88 - £11 15s - John Vincent Riddle, Waihi
#89 - £15 5s - C.A. Wray, R.M., Carlyle
#90 - £12 10s - George Glenn
#99 - £12 10s - R.E. McRae, Kakaramea
#100 - £14 10s - John V. Riddle

Taranaki News

2009-08-29T10:36:00.002+12:00

http://twitter.com/taranakinews

Whitebait in decline

2009-08-15T20:09:00.000+12:00

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

Movie not so magic for cafe

2009-08-15T20:06:00.000+12:00

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

Kai with soul

2009-08-11T22:52:00.000+12:00

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
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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.

Delivering the paper

2009-08-11T22:51:00.001+12:00

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.

That most public of art

2009-08-11T22:49:00.000+12:00

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."

Shop owner in 70km mission to thwart thieves

2009-08-11T18:16:00.001+12:00

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.

Book launch brings former scouts together

2009-08-11T18:15:00.001+12:00

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.

Film company to share veterans' tales

2009-08-11T18:13:00.001+12:00

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.

Party to kick off filming

2009-07-01T22:05:00.000+12:00

Party to kick off filming
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News

There's so little public activity you'd hardly know a full-length feature film was being made in South Taranaki, but that's all about to change.

The South Taranaki District Council is laying on a welcome party next Friday for the 50-odd cast and crew of Midnight Productions, who are involved in the making of Predicament.

Invited guests will get a chance to meet the star (as yet unnamed but almost certainly Jemaine Clement, one half of the Flight of the Conchords), the director and screenplay writer Jason Stutter and producer Sue Rogers.

A new clue to the star's identity is the latest reprint of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel by Dunmore Publishing, which has a black-haired, black horn-rimmed spectacled chap on the cover that strongly suggests Clement in the lead role of Cedric Williamson.

Company publicist Sue May says everything is going according to schedule with filming starting in mid-July and running through to August, at unidentified locations through the district. However, they are urgently looking for more crew accommodation.

"We need good quality furnished houses in Hawera that are available to rent. This is because although the motels are very helpful, and we are using them, we seem to have booked out the whole town and we have more people still to accommodate," she says.

Anyone able to help should contact Gerald Langford, communications manager at the STDC.

Set building is in full swing in the old Warehouse building right in the centre of Hawera, but the windows have been covered over.

One thing that is known is the director has asked Taranaki Newspapers to print a 200-copy run of a special newspaper, called The Harperton Herald, so obviously something in the movie is going to make headlines.

The big unknown is: Whose house will be used to represent the Williamson family home?

Memories shared

2009-05-02T18:54:00.000+12:00

More than 60 years since the world's biggest conflict put millions of men and women in uniform, the clubs and associations they formed after the war struggle to survive. The Taranaki branch of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association might be one of those which doesn't.

Open to any ex-RNZAF, Commonwealth or Allied air forces members, the branch suffers from being isolated from former air bases and major airfields where former pilots and flight crew naturally settle.

Although counting more than 30 members on their books, many are in rest homes or hospitals, too frail or sick to participate in association activities.

In the past three months alone seven members have died.
Whether the Taranaki branch will continue in its current form was the subject of a special meeting held last week.

Seven members attended, bringing with them walking sticks, glasses, hearing aids and faces lined with memories.

Matt Rilkoff talked to three of them about their lives.

Samuel West

On Friday evenings Sam West meets with his regular group of ex-servicemen at the RSA for a beer or two before dinner.

The former Royal New Zealand Air Force flight sergeant chuckles about solving the world's problems that way, a common joke among men with time to fill and beer to drink.

Gentle and intelligently spoken, the Hawera-born man sits comfortably in his overstuffed armchair, his ankle a stripe of white between slippered feet and dark trousers.

As president of the Taranaki branch of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association, much of the responsibility for finding a solution to the membership problem falls to him.

He is quietly pragmatic about the issue, which for many provokes sadness and dismay at a period of time falling from the nation's living memory.

"Its inevitable that we will amalgamate with another association. Whether that is this year or next, I'm not sure. But it's our only option. As these things operate now, even the RSA will have trouble in time."

Mr West left the Air Force in 1975, having joined as a 16-year- old aircraft apprentice in 1951.

His first posting was to England where citizens still carried ration cards and bomb craters dotted the cities. He met his wife Doris there, and made lifelong friends.

His time in England was as close as he came to the world war, to the type of aggression he was trained to mete out and defend against. For a long time, association members like Mr West, those who were not veterans of World War II, were a minority. Now they are the only hope for its survival.

Without young ex-RNZAF members the association will continue its decline.

"Oh, it's changed all right. We used to make trips, overnight trips or longer. We used to have dances and everyone would stay out late at night. Now our members prefer lunch and we don't get many along to that either. So many are in rest homes or in hospital. Most people accept that is the way these sort of clubs go," he said.

The problem for the Taranaki branch is geographical. Pilots and ground crew tend to live in bigger cities where larger airports and services offer employment. Mr West himself lived in Auckland when he worked for Air New Zealand after leaving the air force. He moved to Bell Block only when he retired.

The presidency came Mr West's way because of his age. At 74 he's younger than the people he has been charged with organising for the past few years. Sometimes he wishes he had those years the other members own.

"If I had been five or 10 years older I would have been living in a better period than today. Life was more settled, people were more communicative. They knew what was wrong, what was right."

dummy word

William Edhouse

Freshly demobilised WWII veteran Bill Edhouse slept through his train stop, arrived in New Plymouth and decided to stay.

It's a polished story, worn smooth by telling and one of many age and experience have equipped him with.

There is the tale of bunking school at Ohakune to peer at planes from the bushes, of Kingsford Smith and the barnstormers, of white coated "spies" at a wartime plywood factory and the Chinese family that helped his own survive the Great Depression.

They are a spiderweb of history and now and then there is a strand about the Pacific, a place he first knew as a venue for war against the Japanese.

It was there he served as a gunner, radio operator and almost any other job required except flying the PV1 Ventura bombers of his squadron.

His face, unlined and smiling, peaks out from history books he owns.

In these photos he is a young man meeting the governor general with the rest of his aircrew on an island airfield captured from the Japanese.

Pointing to the insignia on the bomber's wings he has another story to tell.

"You can see our roundels don't have the white lines on them yet. At that time the Yanks were shooting at anything that looked like a red circle, like the Japanese. They were trigger happy. They shot at anything that moved."

He should know. At one time his plane very nearly came under attack from two American P-38 Mustang fighters planes who mistook it for a Japanese bomber.

"They came in so fast. They were there and then they were gone and they must have been going at a rate because for an instant I could see the vapour trails coming off their wingtips. You get those at higher altitudes but when they came at us we were low so they must have been just thundering."

From time to time he makes promises to get back to the topic he agreed to talk about - the Airforce Association - but there are memories and distractions everywhere.

"When I applied for the air force I got a telegram telling me to report to Te Kuiti at oh-nine- fifteen. I asked my father "what's this oh-nine-fifteen". We didn't know about any 24 hour clock," he laughs.

Then he laughs again recalling his father's advice. "Ask the post office, they'll know."

The next telegram confused them just the same, telling the 18-year-old to report to Ohakea "forthwith" a word, like the time before, he had never heard.

He asked his father what would happen if he went "without".

"Ask the post office," he said. "Ask the post office."

There is no doubt his children have heard the story, his grandchildren too. Like the one about his arrival in New Plymouth, it has the good humour and timing of a well practised skit. Though his squadron did not lose a man in the theatre of war, they did not escape unscathed.

During training one of their pilots lost control of the Tiger Moth he was flying, slammed into the side of a shop and was killed.

"We all got airborne straight away. It was what we did. It was the way to make sure nobody lost their nerve."

He pauses, takes a bite of his cracker.

"These are all just memories coming out. You work them in to make them fit."

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Lorna Sarten

Before her own war, a young Lorna Sarten knew Anzac Day simply as the one when her brother got a birthday cake.

Now each year the former WAAF rises at 5am for the dawn ceremony to see children wear the medals their grandparents won in a war so devastating it changed the world forever.

"That makes me smile when I see them wearing those medals. It is really special to me to see that," she says.

The 86-year-old enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1941 at Bell Block. Just months later she was in Wellington training as a cook at Rongotai airfield dealing with the massive quantities of food to feed 2000 airmen.

"We used to fry eggs in a pan that was about two feet long. It was half an inch deep with fat and we'd start cracking eggs in at one end and by the time we got to the end we'd be going back and taking the first ones out."

While civilians were dealing with rationing, there were no such restrictions on the fighting men and women, some of whom saw opportunity in the excess.

She recalls her "battleaxe" boss at the base and the fate of a bacon and egg pie.

"I had to make it for an exam and I know she took it to the guards to keep them sweet so they would not search her bags when she left. There was food in them, of course."

Like other ex-servicemen and women Mrs Sarten remembers the friendships of that time, the bond their common experience gave them. Despite the horrifying reason behind their mobilisation, the memories are happy ones.

There were the weekly dances, the trips to town in their civilian clothes and the innocent flirting with the young men preparing to fight.

"We did not even think about them maybe dying. We did not want to think about it and no one wanted to talk about it . . . I knew a man from a flying boat that had been shot down. I knew him very well and when I heard he had died that made me think about it. That brought it home to me as to what it was all about."

She says she knows of a few other ex-WAAFs in New Plymouth but there may be more. To her, meeting with these women who share similar memories is not a time for nostalgia. They never talk of their war.

"It's just that contact we enjoy," she says. "The chance to chat with people."

By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News 25-4-09

2009-05-02T18:48:00.000+12:00

Gerald McNaughton Chong

2009-05-02T18:40:00.000+12:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/features/2362813/Siblings-recall-fathers-untiring-efforts#share

When dawn breaks on Anzac Day, Taranaki resident Brian Chong will remember his father's medal-winning World War I service as a stretcher-bearer.

Brian's father Gerald McNaughton Chong was one of only a handful of Kiwis of Chinese descent to serve in the war - a source of immense pride for his family.

His bravery under intense German shelling saw him awarded the Military Medal for "conspicuous bravery" but Brian says his father was "just an ordinary man who did his bit for his country".

"My brother and I would visit our father's grave after the parade, to put a poppy on it," he says.

"We used to compete to see who would get there first and my brother would beat me to it."

But his father was one of the many men who returned from the war and preferred to leave it behind, refusing to talk about his experiences, not wanting to be reminded of the horrors he had seen.

"He would say, though, that on Christmas Day they would yell out season's greetings to the Germans - because their lines were very close," he says.

"He said they would throw tins of jam to each other."

Many Chinese-New Zealanders declined to serve in the war because of their marginalised status. But Gerald McNaughton Chong volunteered to join the Medical Corp.

The youngest son of Chew Chong, a prominent member of the community who pioneered selling and manufacturing the pound of butter and built one of the first butter factories in 1885, and Taranaki local Elizabeth Whatton, the daughter of a settler involved in ironsand smelting, was a chemist's assistant.

He enlisted and joined the New Zealand Medical Corp as a stretcher-bearer, being attached to work with the No 1 Field Ambulance.

Initially an officers corp, an amendment in 1908 defence regulations saw "all officers, non-commissioned officers and men connected with the medical service of the permanent force, militia and volunteer, formed into the New Zealand Medical Corps".

General Sir Ian Hamilton ordered the corp organise field ambulances and "make every use of men whose civilian training fitted them to the work".

With his training as a chemist's assistant, Gerald Chong was quickly admitted and in May 1916 sailed for Plymouth on the Willochra, reaching England two months later.

He was sent to Bapaume in France, where www.britainatwar.org.uk records: "The ground shook and tolled humanity by the second."

Being a stretcher-bearer was exhausting work.

Chong carried wounded men to aid posts to receive treatment and later to dressing stations where they would have their bleeding stopped, splints applied, or have their wounds stitched.

In his book The New Zealanders at Gallipoli Fred Waite wrote: "A man without a load can dash from cover to cover, but the stretcher-bearers, with their limp and white-faced burdens, must walk steadily on, ignoring sniper and hostile gunners. Hour after hour the work went on, until after 20 hours' stretcher-bearing these unheeded heroes fell in their tracks from sheer exhaustion".

Chong's life was constantly at risk from bullets, shells and gas as he waded through mud and shell craters to remove the wounded from the battlefield.

One corp sergeant said he would never forget the experience: "A 12-stone weight on the stretcher, a dark night, a little drizzling rain, groping our way down the steep incline through prickly scrub, our wounded man crying with pain and begging for a drink every few yards, incessant rifle fire and bullets whizzing all around us."

In 1918 Bapaume came under intense enemy bombardment on August 25. The New Zealand Division suffered heavy losses and more than 300 were wounded. Heavy overnight rain meant heavy mud made the conditions for the stretcher- bearers almost impossible.

Chong was on duty at one of the bearer-posts and worked continuously for 36 hours carrying the wounded despite the weather and heavy shelling, winning his medal.

It is not possible to determine how many Chinese-New Zealand men served in World War I, a time of intense and open racism against the Chinese.

But like Chong, that did not deter Arnold Wong Lee, who also had a European mother, from "answering his country's call", as the inscription on his parents' headstone in Hastings reads: "He was killed in action on November 24, 1917 at the age of 19."

Another soldier of Chinese ethnicity was Clarence Eric Kee, who stayed in France with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment from 1917 until the end of the war, despite being wounded during his service.

In 1920 his father, Frank Kow Kee, was granted naturalisation because of his son's service, making him one of only four Chinese naturalised between 1908 and 1952 - years when Chinese were not allowed to become permanent citizens.

Michele Ong is a Fairfax intern student at AUT

McCormick's death end of an era

2009-05-02T12:58:00.000+12:00

The death on Anzac Day of Don McCormick marked the end of quite an era in Hawera's history.

It might even be called the day the music died when Donald Irvine McCormick passed away in the Trinity rest home at the age of 87 years.

He was a funeral director, a skilled musician and closest friend and drinking buddy of Hawera's late and not always lamented posthumously famous novelist Ronald Hugh Morrieson.

They were both born in Hawera in 1922 and both died there. Morrieson drank himself to an early death in 1972 at the age of 50, three years after his mother died and not long after McCormick embarked on a similar path.

They were mates from about age nine. McCormick joined the RNZAF when he was 18 and graduated as a sergeant pilot just before World War II ended.

McCormick learned piano from Miss Winifred Thomas, played in local competitions and sang in a church choir. Morrieson was born into a musical family and became a music teacher himself. He played violin and double bass hand-crafted by his grandfather Charles Johnson, an outstanding instrument maker.

McCormick and Morrieson played in dance bands together for some 20 years, from about 1946. Both men were talented multi-instrumentalists, firstly playing in the five-piece Premiere Band, Don on drums, piano or sax (his first sax was acquired from an American serviceman in exchange for a bottle of whisky) and Ron on piano, bass or guitar.

They then formed the Rhythm Masters trio and played all around Taranaki, tearing through the night in Ron's nine-seater Hudson, which was big enough to take all their gear.

Later they joined Colin King's eight-piece The Harmonisers.

While Morrieson was secretly writing his novels based on Hawera life, McCormick inherited his father's funeral parlour and furniture store business, then based where Barrie's Restaurant and Bar is now located in Princes St.

The firm buried Morrieson, but McCormick chose to be just another mourner. Shortly after this event, he sold it to his partner Russell Bassett, invested the money and began living off the interest. Bassett sold out to Michael Clegg in 1975.

McCormick boasted to me about his drinking prowess in a published 1988 interview after I met him at the Railway Tavern. At that stage his daily routine was to begin at the Railway about 9am, move to the South Taranaki Club when it opened at 11am, go home for lunch and a snooze and head back to the club at 3pm.

When I asked him how long he'd been living like this, he replied: "Not bloody long enough."

He later shocked Hawera by giving up alcohol. This was when people began telling him he'd go the same way as Morrieson.

On the subject of Morrieson, McCormick said: "Actually I'm a bit sick of talking to journalists about Ron. A lot of rubbish has beenwritten and a lot of people are suddenly discovering that they knew him.

"He's getting to be larger than life. He wanted success but not fame. He never told anyone outside of his mother and aunt he was writing books until after the first one was published."

Don McCormick was a lifemember and former Rangatiraof the Hawera Savage Club and very proud of what he helped the club achieve.

By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 02/05/2009

The lazy days of summer

2009-01-18T08:58:00.001+13:00

There are all sorts of botanical secrets stashed away in South and Central Taranaki, says South Taranaki District Council property and facilities manager John Sargeant.

"In Eltham, there is Bridger Park on Bridger Street that's worth a visit. Children will enjoy looking at the toy wall, which has many hundreds of toys cemented into it."

Naumai Park in Hawera is good this time of year, and there's also the Goodson Dell, on the corner of High and Cambria streets, Mr Sargeant says. It is a small reserve gifted to the council some years ago and it has been developed and is cared for by a group of volunteers who call themselves the Goodson Guerrillas because they wage war on weeds and vandals.

"It's one of the best-kept secrets in Hawera. It's a bit like Dr Who's Tardis bigger on the inside than on the outside."

A trip a little farther afield is to Glen-Nui Park, at the top end of Lake Rotokare, a jaunt designed to be accompanied by a chicken sandwich and a flask of tea, Mr Sargeant says.

"Turn inland at the Eltham library and head out east. Follow your nose out over the Mangamingi Saddle and through Mangamingi. About 10 minutes past Mangamingi, turn right up Glen Nui Road and you'll find the park, which overlooks the lake. And it's fenced, so it's safe for kids and there's room to kick a ball around.

"In spring, it's full of bluebells and in autumn, there's chestnuts. Kids can skim stones on the river and it's well worth the journey out there."

There are good toilet facilities and barbecues there.

"It's one of my favourite out-of-the-way spots, where I go for some peace and quiet."

Farther south, at the Manaia Domain, is a rich trove of local history. To get there, go down Bennett Drive to the sports ground, walk around the 18th hole on the golf fairway and look for the watchtower poking up through the trees. The watchtower is part of the Manaia redoubt and it is a replica of one built in 1880 for the use of Parihaka chief Te Whiti o Rongomai and his followers.

"It's got some exceptional history there. and on one wall is some amazing graffiti. It's the names of people who wrote them before they went away to war, promising to come back, but they never did. It's hugely poignant."

Drive a bit farther south to Waitotara and you'll find a good beach called Wai-nui, Waitotara or Nukumaru, depending on who you ask, Mr Sargeant says. If you want some respite from the summer heat, there are six free public swimming pools cared for by the council at Kaponga, Rawhitiroa, Eltham, Waverley, Patea and Manaia. At Kaponga, the pool is in a lovely sheltered spot and as it's not very deep, gets quite warm and is ideal for families. The region's only public diving board is at Rawhitiroa. All pools are free to use and have qualified lifeguards on duty and are all open until 7pm, so it's a great way to cool off after exploring sunny South Taranaki.

In the north around New Plymouth, walkers looking for a quieter adventure than they'll find on the super popular coastal walkway could head to Lake Mangamahoe, suggests parks programme manager Steve McGill of the New Plymouth District Council.

To get there, turn off into Lake Mangamahoe opposite Kent Road and you'll find a sign board that shows the various trails through the forest. There is a bridle trail for horses, tracks for mountain bikers and others for walking. Many of these tracks require reasonable mobility, but those who are not up to walking far can enjoy the drive alongside the lake, which has several picnic areas, waterfowl to watch and feed, and toilets near the gates.

At Barrett's Lagoon, on the western end of New Plymouth, is an area of bush and grassy spaces with several quite gentle walks through it. One track meanders through a forest of young kauri, others though established bush full of birdsong. It is suitable for family rambles or for walking dogs, and there are ducks to feed from a wooden platform on the lagoon itself.

Another city walkway worth a wander is the Herekawe, which begins at Manadon Street on the city's southern boundary and trickles along beside the Herekawe Stream to Back Beach. It's gentle enough for the youngest of walkers to enjoy.

One of the most obvious places to go walking right now is in the centre of the province the good old mountain, Mr McGill says.

On a good day, pack up a lunch and head up to Dawson Falls or North Egmont for a short stroll or an invigorating tramp.

"It's certainly nice up there at this time of year. It can be a little cooler and there are lots of tracks for different levels of fitness and experience."
Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 02 January 2009

Family doctor

2009-01-01T07:41:00.000+13:00

WALKING into Peter Rich's waiting room comes very close to travelling through a time warp. The walls of the reception office bulge with handwritten patient notes.

"He's a technophobe," his long-serving staff share fondly with broad smiles. In our modern world, where doctors are surrounded by computers and are grouping together to share costs in sprawling offices, his surgery in the front room of a big old villa in New Plymouth's Powderham Street stands proudly alone.

There's no sign of a computer on the battered wooden desk that his GP dad purchased in 1945 for his Hawera family practice. Apparently he does own a computer, but it is hidden away in a cupboard.

"I can't type and I'd lose a lot of time if I used a computer," he explains.

The 66-year-old estimates there are about 2100 patients on his books, some of whom are now the third generation of the loyal patients who signed up with him 30 years back, when he hung up his first shingle in his rooms next door to the police station. The shingle, which reads Dr Peter Rich, MB ChB (Otago) FRNZCGP and Dip Obst (Auck), has now shifted with him and his patients three times around New Plymouth.

His great sorrow is that his Dip Obst (diploma in obstetrics) has become redundant. New Zealand now has a rare few GPs who continue to assist in the birth of babies.

He regrets that there's now a generation of GPs who have never witnessed the joy of a birth.

"It is a privilege to go to deliveries. I think it's a tragedy that GPs have been sidelined from obstetrics and working with midwives as our colleagues. Midwives do a great job but we can add an extra dimension."

As a result, GPs are now missing out on that special bonding with families when babies are born. He's also a fan of families being together during the birth just as he had done when he was young.

While computers might not be his thing, he is passionate about keeping up with health trends and drugs.

"People are living longer with the introduction of ace inhibitors (which lower blood pressure). They don't have that slow decline."

The ace inhibitors help your heart pump better and by lowering the blood pressure, you also protect your kidneys, Dr Rich says.

And he's already on the record supporting the use of cholesterol-lowering statins, which he describes as "wonderful".

In the interests of good bowel health and lowering the likelihood of putting yourself at risk of the ever-expanding diabetes epidemic, he believes white bread should be banned.

"I wish we could get people to eat less white bread and more wholemeal. All white bread should be ditched," he says with feeling.

The message about healthy eating is slowly getting through to adults, he says, but he fears for the young, a generation seemingly brought up on a surfeit of fast foods.

Some Taranaki practices are already being swamped with diabetics.

"On average, diabetes has added 8% to our workload. In 15 years in South Auckland, there won't be any money for anything but diabetes."

However, in Taranaki, patients are well served by GP diabetes checks used to identify those at risk.

"Poos" are a great diagnostic tool and the sure way to find out if you are getting enough roughage in your diet and what might ail you, Dr Rich says. It's a great icebreaker when you ask the kids in the surgery about their poos.

"Their faces light up. They love talking about their poos."

Dr Rich is a great supporter of the monthly GP peer review groups that were made compulsory at the beginning of the year.

His own group is a mini League of Nations, where they benefit from sharing their different methods of diagnosis and treatment.

His love of diversity and desire to keep up his skills means he enjoys taking his turn at the city's community medical and accident after-hours clinics the type of work that the 24/7 family GP would have taken care of in the past. "You never know what's going to walk through the door."

It's a message to the younger docs coming through that they, too, should hone their skills by doing the same.

"The younger ones do need to keep up their interest in emergency medicine."

Another of his fears for the future of general practice is that government restrictions, which stop GPs putting up their fees, is financially strangling them.

"Helen Clark froze the fees for the last two years. And John Key said they would continue to be frozen. They are allowed to go up with inflation only. The problem is it did not keep up with pay rises."

It was a painful blow when they were facing pay rises of 20% for their practice nurses and clerical staff pay. And there's another in the pipeline. There's no similar restrictions on any other business in New Zealand, he says.

"As a result, we're unable to do maintenance or buy new equipment. The result is a lot of unhappy younger doctors do not want to come into private practice because they don't want their prices frozen."

In the meantime, Dr Rich proudly remains computer illiterate. He is adamant he works faster, leaner and meaner without a computer.

And his patients love the fact that they get his full, undivided attention. There's a few on the books who have left the bigger practices in preference for the handful of sole-GP practices that remain in Taranaki, he says.

"Not everyone wants their GP to be part of a bigger practice. I think solo practices will continue to thrive."

By LYN HUMPHREYS lyn.humphreys@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Old photos of Taranaki

2008-12-31T18:35:00.001+13:00

http://www.windwand.co.nz/oldtaranaki3.htm

Shot at victory

2008-12-31T18:00:00.001+13:00

Taranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 31 December 2008

CAMERON BURNELL

Former Taranaki and Hawera player Frayne Bloor returns a shot from Waikato's Jayden Grinter on his way to victory in the open men's final of the Taranaki Open tennis tournament in Hawera yesterday. Bloor, who is coaching professionally in Queensland, beat 15-year-old Cambridge and leading New Zealand age-group player Grinter 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

2008-12-31T17:59:00.001+13:00

Great complaints are made of the increase of larrikinism in Hawera. The wanton mischief done by them richly deserves to be punished ; but at present, owing to their being only one policeman, the detection of the offenders is difficult.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 129, 9 July 1881

Gang fight in Hawera leaves residents shaking

2008-12-31T17:56:00.000+13:00

Police are hoping that a violent confrontation between two rival gangs in the Taranaki town of Hawera yesterday was a one-off incident.

Officers from through Taranaki were called in after about 60 Mongrel Mob and Black Power members armed with baseball bats, tomahawks and machetes clashed.

The drama began after the Mongrel Mob members stopped in Patea, 28km from Hawera, to refuel as they made their way from Hawke's Bay to Taranaki -- considered Black Power territory.

By the time they reached the southern boundary of Hawera a large group of Black Power members were waiting for them, and violence erupted.

The rioting stopped when the Mongrel Mob members were escorted out of town

2008-12-22T21:38:00.000+13:00

2008-12-22T21:36:00.000+13:00

2008-12-18T19:42:00.000+13:00

Old-school pub crawler recalls
Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 18 December 2008

Rob Hansen hasn't been on the Hawera push bike pub crawl since 1981.

When Rob Hansen and his mates set off on Hawera's first push bike pub crawl in 1977 they never dreamed it would get as big as it has.

He thinks it's great hundreds, possibly thousands, of riders will join in on Saturday and even chase a world record.

Rob, 49, got the idea from his big brother Bernie who had done something similar on his last day of teachers college in Palmerston North.

"Three of us, Chris Johnston, Kevin McCutcheon and I, got together and decided to have the pub crawl on the last Saturday before Christmas," he said.

People thought they were crazy.

"We'd been in the pub on the Friday night before and people were saying `you're mad buggers'," Rob said.

But the rules were simple.

"One handle in every pub, all participants must ride a bike, you had to ride from one pub to the next even with three pubs situated on one corner."

The three were joined by five others and they pedalled their way from a flat near the racecourse to the Normanby hotels.

Locals saw they were actually going through with their plan and by the time they'd reached the Furlong another six had grabbed bikes to tag along.

There was a slight diversion to someone's house for repairs but by the time the group had got through seven more pubs, numbers had grown to around 20.

Back then a three-speed bike was a luxury.

Monkey bars and banana seats were in and the chopper even made an appearance.

There was the odd injury but it didn't stop anyone carrying on and of course there were antics galore.

"One rider even managed to get his bike into the Dominion and rode the length of the pool table."

Rob has since left Hawera but has been keeping himself up-to-date on the event.

He'd love to have another crack at the crawl and knows some of the originals still get involved.

His last appearance was in 1981 and it had grown to about 100 riders.

"The girls joined in for that one too. Before that it was only for the boys," he said.

"I might wait until the 40th year. It'll still be going and I won't be too old by then."

Meanwhile, local contractor Dick Sybrandy has offered to help carry out and cover the cost of a traffic management plan to NZTA for Saturday's event.

There will be a coned off cycle lane and event signage with the normal 70km/h and 100km/h zones reduced to 50km/h.

Police will provide traffic control at various locations along the route and there will be fixed and moving patrol cars.

Sergeant Robyn Burnetts said in the absence of organisers Mr Sybrandy has shown great generosity and community spirit.

"All we want is for people taking part in the ride to have fun and stay safe, and it is pleasing to know that there are people in the community who understand and share our motivation."

Residents who live along the route and are affected by the annual event are being advised to consider the delays there may be in the area before setting off on any journeys on Saturday.

If staying at home and in a position to park vehicles off the road and on driveways, they are advised to do so.

Children want sporting chance

2008-12-16T21:09:00.000+13:00

y HARRIET PALMER harriet.palmer@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Tuesday, 16 December 2008

CAMERON BURNELL

There was no basketball for Hawera Intermediate students, from left, Liam Doherty, Oliver Porter, Alexander Gilbert, and Arnez Close, all 13, yesterday. The hall was being used and the school doesn't have vital facilities such as a gym or a pool, a situation deputy principal Craig Simpson, centre, says is not good enough.

A Taranaki school says pressure to spend money on expensive technology means children are missing out on the basics.

Hawera Intermediate has no gym and no pool, a situation that's not going to change despite repeated calls by government to get children exercising.

Deputy principal Craig Simpson said pressure to keep investing in technology was taking big chunks from small budgets and other areas were seriously missing out.

"There is such a high ICT (information and communication technology) demand on schools now. A lot of funding and vision is going to that," he said.

"It would be lovely if the government could recognise that. We're still selling cakes to buy computers."

Mr Simpson said the cost and distance to the community pool meant swimming was out of the question.

Recent figures show only 50% of Year 6 students can swim 25m and drownings are expected to rise almost 50% by 2030. Despite being on the coast, Mr Simpson said he had seen a massive deterioration in the Hawera students' swimming ability.

"We have swimming sports here in February, I imagine most schools do. I'm amazed each year how few students can swim a distance, let alone strongly."

Mr Simpson said the situation was comparable with South Auckland schools where he had also taught.

"Going to the local pool is just out of reach. And we're not putting any worth on it. Less and less city kids are swimming and I see the same stuff happening in rural kids.

"Gone are the days where we could take kids down to the river for a dip. There's always safety procedures."

The school used its hall as a gym, but would love a purpose-built facility where they could store gear and exercise throughout winter.

Mr Simpson said not having one meant they were missing out on developing sports talent or offering a consistent physical health programme.

"If we had a gym children could say, `let's go down to the gym' instead of `what are we going to do this lunchtime?'

"It's just a huge ask. When I think about a gym, I don't want to say it's impossible. It just seems like a big endeavour and we're raising money for technology."

It's on with the annual Pukekura light show

2008-12-13T21:36:00.000+13:00

HELEN HARVEY - Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 13 December 2008

The trees will receive special attention when the lights go on at Pukekura Park.

It is that time of year again when the lights go on in Pukekura Park. More than 800 light fittings and 6km of cable has been put up this week and the lights get switched on tomorrow night after Christmas at the Bowl.

This year's TSB Bank Festival of Lights has new features as well as oldies but goodies such as Grimace the Gorilla. New features include a moving digital artwork and an interactive piece that uses motion-sensitive technology to bring people's shadows to life.

And for the first time, the festival has its own lighting designer. Nicola Haines, who last year worked on the black-light area and poet's bridge, has been working with the council on the overall design.

While reluctant to give anything away and ruin the surprise, Ms Haines says the lights around the lake have changed.

There will be layers of colour and people can lift up their eyes and see all of the trees. She has taken special care with the notable old trees and people are definitely going to notice them more.

The lights in the islands are different and there will be a special centrepiece in the lake. She imagined it to be like a fairyland.

"I wanted a filigree of lights, tiny little lights, like fireflies, all the way around the lake. It glitters, then all other colours come up into play."

Wells Lighting has done a remarkable job considering the budget, she says.

There are always constraints.

"With a design, you go as far as you can and then come inwards. Aim for the stars."

Last year, Ms Haines designed a large signature for the poet's bridge. This time round, the fibre optic light has been remodelled and will float in the middle of the lake.

Her inspiration for the design was New Plymouth's dramatic weather.

Ms Haines witnessed first hand the tornado in Oakura last year and was inspired by the power and the rawness of it.

"But if people think it looks like a Christmas tree floating in the middle of the lake, I can live with that."

She has also expanded her oversized luminous garden in the black light area, which has been moved to a different place in the park.

It works better in its new space, she says. The trees lend themselves to the display, which works in unison with the trees. Ms Haines has had numerous walk-throughs at night to test them.

As well as the three lilies, three calla lilies and three groups of three kowhai, she has added large orchids and three flutes. The large concrete sculptures were inspired by the flowers in Pukekura Park and took a week each to make.

A designer and artist, her background is in interior design and architecture in the UK, where she also used to do sculpture.

She came to New Zealand about seven years ago to visit and thought she would love to come back here to live one day. Then her circumstances changed and she moved out two-and-a-half years ago to Oakura.

"New Plymouth completely blew me away. It's a beautiful country. It's not difficult to be inspired by the flora and fauna."

The TSB Bank Festival of Lights costs about $500,000, half of which comes from rates and the other half from sponsors.

This year's festival route is from the children's playground to the main lake through to the TSB Bowl of Brooklands.

We've had it wrong all the time

2008-12-09T23:15:00.000+13:00

We've had it wrong all the time - Mt Taranaki is in the South Island, not the North.

That's according to calendar manufacturer John Sands.

One of the Melbourne-based company's New Zealand pictorial calendars contains a photograph of Mt Taranaki at dusk, and the caption tells us that our mountain is in the South Island.

The error was spotted by New Plymouth's Charles Delworth, who had bought five of the $4.99 calendars to send to friends overseas. "It's a lovely wee calendar - except for the blunder," he said.

But how did it happen?

A John Sands' spokeswoman said she would find out how the error made it into the calendar, which was printed in China.

If anyone who had purchased the calendar was offended by the error, it would be replaced with another.

But she had no idea how the error had occurred.

So we contacted Dunedin photographer David Wall who took the photograph of Mt Taranaki at dusk.

He'd already been emailed about the captioning error, and he also had no idea how it happened.

"I think we just need to put it down to being one of those things," he said.

"I'd like to assure everyone that Mt Taranaki is indeed still in the North Island - in fact we have 700 images of the mountain on our website.

"And I've just been up there taking more pictures.

"We flew over and around the mountain at sunrise, and as the sun came up it was orange and then pink. Absolutely stunning."

The pied piper of Tawhiti

2008-09-24T22:04:00.000+12:00

The pied piper of Tawhiti
By HELEN HARVEY helen.harvey@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 24 September 2008
BRADLEY AMBROSE/Taranaki Daily News

Nigel Ogle in his workshop.

Nigel Ogle plays the Irish pipes. Little bagpipes that sound really good when they are played well. Nigel also likes Jimi Hendrix.

He plays piano, guitar and drums and has all the equipment to amp up the sound. Lucky he lives in the country. He can make as much noise as he likes.

But it is his work in heritage and historical interpretation that he is known for, not his music. And it was this work that saw him awarded a QSM in January.

Nigel is happiest tucked away in his workshop, music blaring, making his models. He has even got a TV out there so he can keep up with what's going on in the world without really trying.

For one part of the process, he has to sit in a small room behind a square pane of glass. Visitors to his Tawhiti Museum stop and watch him at work, as if he were one of the full-size fibreglass models that tell stories of the past.

Nigel hates sitting in that room, doesn't enjoy people watching him like that. It's horrible. He's quietly spoken, shy, but because of his teaching background doesn't have a problem getting up and talking to groups of visitors about the stories they are going to see.

Usually he is out the back, but today he is working on the front counter. He greets the visitors, takes their money, offers them a brochure and tells them to turn left and then left again.

Nigel, who is aged "40 plus GST", never had a grand plan to start a museum it came about by default.

With a vague idea that he might be able to make a living from his art at some point, Nigel and wife Teresa bought the old Tawhiti Dairy Factory, which included almost a hectare of land, in the mid 1970s.

"I was mad keen on pottery and ceramic sculpture at that stage. It seemed like a good way of getting a big cheap property where we could build kilns and convert part of it into a house. It just seemed to have lots of creative possibilities."

They renovated the old house and put two kilns in other buildings out the back.

The factory was unused and just sort of sat there. Over time, it became a great place to store Nigel's bits and pieces. The first displays and models he made weren't for the public they were purely for his own interest.

Nigel has always been interested in old things old wagons, old tools just the feel and character of the things. "I love it."

He has an old flintlock musket and does a bit of black powder shooting. He takes people out with him if they are interested in seeing how the old guns work. But he wasn't always a history buff. He took history at school, but was disappointed that there was no New Zealand component. He found that component while he was at teachers' college in Palmerston North. He met people interested in New Zealand history and for the first time got into books on the subject, which in those days were a bit thin on the ground.

"By the time I got back to Hawera, I was avidly reading anything I could on local history."

The museum evolved on its own, a combination of that interest in local history and having a spare building to store his increasing collection of artefacts.

"There was never a point in time when I said, I'm going to build a museum."

He remembers a local farmer asking him how his museum was going that was the first time he thought it did look a bit like a museum. He had never called it that. It was just a big shed full of all his old stuff.

Beginning in 1980, the museum was open 10 days a year. Then, in 1988, Nigel decided there had to be more in life than teaching. So he quit, with the plan to combine what was looking more and more like a museum with his pottery.

Teresa kept teaching until 2000. She now runs the cafe and does the books.

The couple met at Hawera High School and got married while they were at teachers' college. It was Nigel's interest in art that made him decide to go to Palmerston North. And it was art that kept him there.

Art students went on a lot of field trips and one was to New Plymouth, where Nigel saw some "absolutely inspirational" teachers working on what were then called integrated programmes, where the whole programme worked around a theme maths, language, art.

"They were groundbreaking in what they were doing. After seeing these teachers working, I felt, Yeah, teaching is something I could really do, because I had really seriously considered leaving teachers' college and doing something else."

Finding out there were people who lived their art was an entirely new concept to Nigel, who grew up on a dairy farm just out of Hawera.

His father used to take the milk to the dairy factory that is now the museum. Nigel went to Tawhiti School, Hawera Intermediate, where he later taught for two years, and Hawera High School, where he taught art for 13 years.

In 1987, when their three children, Jeremy, Jenni and Paula, were still small, the family went off on an overseas holiday. Nigel came back fired up with ideas he had seen in museums around the world.

"When I came back, I thought I wanted to build the figures, the scale models, that present artefacts. They just tell stories, really, the social stories on what artefacts say."

If he was going to have a museum and charge people it would have to pay its way then he needed to look at ways to present history in an interesting way that would catch people's attention.

He couldn't just put rows of artefacts in front of people and hope by some sort of infusion process they'd understand what those artefacts meant.

An example of this is a young boy who visited with his school from New Plymouth.

He got out of the bus, threw away the worksheet he was supposed to study while at the museum and did a runner into the building.

Nigel followed him and found him entranced by a display of small-scale figures of Maori in canoes. The boy told Nigel he knew where that was, he went fishing there with his dad. Then he asked what the Maori were doing there and then he wanted to know how come they had guns. That's exactly the sort of reaction Nigel wants. In three questions, the youngster had got to the core of that display and related to it as a place he recognised and had experience of.

"If everyone who came to the museum went through the process he went through, we'd be winning."

The first models he made were ceramic. He sculpted all the body parts as one-offs and fired them in the kiln. "When I had six blow up in the kiln because I'd fired it up too quickly, I thought, Oh, there's got to be a better way to do this."

That's when he started using fibreglass, which while smelly and dusty is a stunning process, he says.

He either sculpts the figures or casts them from life.

"I've just finished a face of a guy who was working here for a while, from England." He thought the face didn't look like a Kiwi face and would be good for a sailor in his new trading display.

All of the faces of the children in the museum are sculpted, not cast. "They wouldn't enjoy the process."

Nigel uses a range of silicon products and for a cast, the person has to sit for between 10 to 15 minutes while it sets.

Some people find the process a little claustrophobic, things go dark and suddenly they are breathing through their nose and dribbles go up their nose and they cough and splutter. It's the next part of the process that Nigel loves.

"I enjoy the sculpting because once you have taken the cast, you get a very bland looking face. The eyes are closed. It's what to do with it after that that brings it to life. That's the creative part trying to turn something that is essentially a blank face into something that has expressive eyes."

Adding the hair makes it look like a real person with real expression. "We swap noses and change features and ears, aiming to make them look alive."

The little figures, in the dioramas, are started off in wax.

The are all sculpted. It's very fiddly it takes as much time to make a scale figure as it does to make a full-size figure.

"I love sculpting the small figures. I'll sit there with a lump of wax on a stick making a new face and a new head as I watch TV."

Hours and hours go into making new heads, but because he uses silicon for casting the time is not wasted. He can use them again.

"I love that sculpting of figurines and building them into display. Some people weave or knit. I sculpt figures."

And he likes it when they connect with people, which doesn't always happen in the way he expects. One day a bus group came through and a woman told Nigel he had a very romantic view of childhood because all the child figures look happy and contented. Nigel thought that was a reasonable comment.

"I saw a photo in the Daily News of a boy absolutely distraught on a piece of playground equipment in New Plymouth. I sat down and sculpted his face."

He then added two crying children to the museum. Another bus group came through. A woman saw the crying children and told Nigel that he must have had a very unhappy childhood. "I can't win."

The first day the crying little girl figure was there, a wee girl, aged about three, came in with her mum. While her mother was paying, the girl walked up to the crying figure and burst into tears. It's never happened again.

At the moment Nigel is making one full-sized figure a week. He has 60 to do for his new display.

That's pushing it along. Normally he makes about one a fortnight.

The new display is called Traders and Whalers and is looking at that very early contact period between Maori and Europeans 1820 to 1840. It is being made in partnership with the South Taranaki District Council.

"We are telling the public what we are doing in terms of stories, but exactly how we are doing it we are keeping under wraps because it is very different.

"It's incredibly exciting. I'm working on it 24 hours a day every waking moment." He has been working on it for two years and has one year to go. Despite seemingly spending every waking hour in his workshop, Nigel has time to go beachcombing, tramping around the mountain. He paints when he has time and makes bone carvings.

But it is telling stories through his museum that gives him the most pleasure. That and the four grandchildren.

They think all granddads have their own museum.

State of grace(land)

2008-09-17T20:17:00.000+12:00

By HELEN HARVEY helen.harvey@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki D

Elvis is not allowed inside the house. Or in the car, at work or down the pub. He is confined to the garage. And Hawera's biggest Elvis fan, Kevin David Wasley KD to his mates is quite happy about that.

He doesn't have tunnel vision. His whole life doesn't revolve around the king of rock 'n' roll. But part of it does ... and has done for more than 45 years.

KD was about 12 when he first heard Elvis Presley sing. But it wasn't until he saw what the singer looked like that he became totally hooked. He saw the cover of an EP record with a black-and-white head shot of Elvis taken side on.

"The way his hair hung down in front motivated me to find out what Brylcream was." Later, KD's parents banned mirrors from the house because he was always combing his hair.

His hair is gray now, but KD still has the same swished-back hairstyle. And he still has the sideburns.

Wife JJ has never known him without the sideburns, though his three now adult sons, David, Greg and Chris, once planned to shave one while their dad was sleeping. Their mother talked them out of it. Just as well, KD growls, or they would have been sleeping out here.

2008-05-10T21:57:00.001+12:00

A giant billboard in Auckland is telling thousands of city drivers a day to get their bums to Taranaki.

The billboard is promoting Taranaki as part of AA Travel's 101 must-do weekends advertising campaign and reads: Get your bum to Taranaki.

Hanging above Newmarket's Khyber Pass Rd, the billboard is on one of Auckland's busiest routes and has raised the eyebrows of some city dwellers.

Newmarket Business Association general manager Cameron Brewer, a former Taranaki man, is amused by the billboard and is bemused some people are offended by it.

"Some precious people have rung me and told me they think the language is a bit crass for upmarket Newmarket. One person even wanted me to complain to the Auckland City Council and try to get rid of it," laughs Mr Brewer, pictured in Auckland.

"I love the billboard. In fact people have suggested I was the one who organised it given I'm so pro-Taranaki. It makes me homesick every night I drive under it."

Mr Brewer, who grew up near Hawera, says about 60,000 cars drive down Khyber Pass Rd every day. He says the billboard is great free advertising for Taranaki.

AA Tourism general manager Peter Blackwell said the whole 101 must-do campaign has the theme of "get off your bum New Zealand".

"The premise is we spend enough time on our bums on the couch, so people need to get out there in the world and get off their bums," said Mr Blackwell, who also used to live in Taranaki. He said the AA hadn't received any complaints about the billboards but there had been some about the television advertising.

2008-05-10T18:29:00.000+12:00

Patea couple proud to grow organic Maori potatoes

2008-05-05T21:08:00.000+12:00

They probably came from Peru and are now being grown organically in Patea.

Markus Gripp and Rochelle Bertrand are the only certified organic commercial growers of Maori potatoes in the country.

The couple, originally from Taranaki, returned from Australia about 10 years ago and got into growing the spuds through a friend who worked at Massey University.

"We had to find something to do. I left Patea to get away from the freezing works or having to milk cows.

"They were the only options for work," Mr Gripp said.

He spent a few years at Crop and Food Research studying the potatoes, which he says are the best you can get.

"They taste like potatoes should. Other potatoes have been modifed."

But these ones are just as they were hundreds of years ago.

They are also very healthy, according to Ms Bertrand.

"They are full of antioxidants and have a slow sugar releasing content, which means they are good for diabetics."

There are a few stories behind the name, but no one is really sure how they came to be called Maori potatoes.

"Some people say they came over with Maori in the canoes, but I don't really know if that's true."

Mr Gripp says there is also a hypothesis they originated in Peru.

"They were a delicacy because there was only taro and kumara which would only grow in certain areas. These potatoes could grow anywhere from Bluff to Whangarei."

The couple started wholesaling the spuds, which are sold in New Zealand supermarkets.

"It was a bit hard in the beginning. The wholesalers wanted them, but we had to educate them a bit about the potatoes," said Mr Gripp.

The couple have taken them to food shows all over the country, and they proved popular as wedges at the Wild Food Festival in Hokitika. "They make the best wedges," said Ms Bertrand.

Six months ago, the couple opened The Vege Shed in Patea and started selling the potatoes from there a month ago.

The are slightly more expensive than the conventional potato but that hasn't put people off.

"It's because they are organic and also the yield is low, compared with other potatoes,but I'm confident they will sell well," Mr Gripp said.

GRETA CLEARY greta.cleary@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 05 May 2008

Rousing farewell for local legend

2008-05-05T21:03:00.000+12:00

By LEIGHTON KEITH leighton.keith@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Monday, 05 May 2008

BRADLEY AMBROSE / TARANAKI DAILY NEWS
Noel Yarrow's casket is carried to a waiting Cadillac by pallbearers, on the left (from the front) Michael Yarrow, Russell Guckert, Paul Yarrow, on the right William Tennent, Philip Yarrow and Peter Tennent.

The skies were blue and the rain had cleared, but the tributes for one of Taranaki's favourite sons continued to pour.

Noel Henry Yarrow, baker, businessman, husband, father, grandfather and philanthropist, was farewelled by more than 1500 people in Manaia on Saturday.

Those attending included family, friends, employees, sports people, school principals, students, some of the Royal New Zealand Navy's top brass and Dame Malvina Major.

Many of the mourners had been beneficiaries of the 83-year-old's renowned generosity.

Everybody spoke of Mr Yarrow's love of Manaia and Taranaki.

The crowd began gathering well before the 1pm service. About 300 mourners packed the Manaia Town Hall while others sat in an adjoining marquee. Bouquets of flowers lined the hall's entrance and foyer.

Barry Pepperell from New Plymouth was passing through Manaia and decided to pay his respects to a man he described as an icon of the region.

"He has done so much for so many."

George Duffus, who began working at the bakery in 1959, said that from the first time he met Mr Yarrow he knew he was destined for greatness.

"This business was going to progress and move forward."

Mr Duffus said Mr Yarrow often told him "if you stand still in business, you will only move backwards".

He valued their association. "In the beginning he was my boss, at the end he was my firm friend."

Peter McLeod said he had been privileged to know Mr Yarrow.

"In the short time I did get to know Noel he was a man of immense values and generosity."

Alf Bevins, who had known Mr Yarrow for more than 70 years, said he was a honourable man. "He was great to his district and his family."

RNZN Rear Admiral David Ledson said Mr and Mrs Yarrow had been generous to the navy over the years and their donations had helped improve the quality of life for sailors aboard ships. "It was done in a very low-profile way. They had no expectations of recognition."

The recognition came though. Rear Admiral Ledson awarded the Chief of Navy commendation to the couple some years ago at a ceremony in New Plymouth.

Mr Yarrow's casket was covered in red and white roses and his 10 grandchildren had placed a white baker's hat on it.

Dame Malvina, who Mr Yarrow had been proud to call a friend, sang Ave Maria before his casket made its final journey to the Manaia cemetery.

That final ride, in a silver and grey Cadillac, took Mr Yarrow past his home, through the factory and stopped for one final look at a snow-covered Mt Taranaki.

A memorable war

2008-04-25T12:16:00.000+12:00

By LYN HUMPHREYS lyn.humphreys@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 25 April 2008

Taranaki Returned Servicemen, from left, Graeme Lowe, Peter Beckham, Jack Elliott and Ra Penn cannot see today's Kiwis laying down their lives in defence of the United Kingdom.

The squalor of war shot to hell their ideas about war and adventure. Like so many others, four World War II Taranaki veterans joined the queues for what they hoped was the experience of a lifetime. They weren't disappointed, but it wasn't what they expected. Along with the blood, guts, starvation and thrills came the realisation that a life under German or Japanese rule wasn't worth living.

Four veterans who gathered around the table at the New Plymouth RSA this week were adamant that, given the same circumstances, they would once more join up to fight for king and country.

But they are at odds as to whether New Zealanders today would do the same. They certainly agree that contemporary Kiwis will never feel the same loyalty to Britain that they did nearly 70 years ago.

Don Mander, who's 85, admits that at 20, when he joined the fleet air arm, he was ignorant of the politics that led to the war.

"We didn't even know that Hitler existed," Don admits. "We went for the adventure and to fly."

But it was all too real for 83-year-old Englishman Peter Beckham, who was living with the daily threat of Hitler and his menacing war machine across the channel. The moment Peter turned 18 in 1943, he became part of the massive sign-up of all available Brits, to the consternation of his father.

"My father's battalion was massacred on the Somme in World War I by the bad advice of generals. I'm bloody lucky to be here at all!"

And there was the horror when, as a youngster, he saw World War I veterans marching to London to plead for work and money.

"What a pathetic situation. They send them to war, they risk their lives and then they can't even feed them properly."

Ra Penn, who gives his age as "eighty-bloody-five", says he had a major falling out with his father when he also signed up as a flyboy as soon as his age allowed.

His father, who fought in World War I under General Douglas Haig, had no faith in the incompetent military leadership who had failed to protect their men.

"The old man got shot running up the beach at Gallipoli. He thought war was futile and stupid."

Jack Elliott, a soldier in New Zealand's 25th infantry battalion, experienced first hand as a prisoner of war behind German lines what the options would have been if the Allies lost the war.

"I don't regret it," the 88-year-old says. "It was well worthwhile when you consider what our life would have been either under the Germans or the Japanese."

In joining up, Jack had continued the family tradition. "I had six uncles who fought in World War I. Two didn't make it and four were invalided home wounded."

Jack was captured in North Africa after a series of desert firefights. "We had two wins and a loss that day." He would spend the remaining three-and-a-half years behind the wires.

The experience opened his naive young eyes to the realities of war. "People think that all the people who died were gassed, but they weren't. Many were starved, died of illness, or worked to death. We saw the suppression of the ordinary German people for ourselves. They were too afraid to say or do anything."

The men's hero remains a Stratford man, Lieutenant Colonel William Malone, in command of the Wellington Infantry regiment at Gallipoli during World War I, who died alongside his men on Chunuk Bair in 1915, probably from friendly fire.

Unlike other military leaders, he had tried to conserve the lives of his men and had been the only commander who achieved his objective, they say.

They are frustrated that, despite many entreaties to officialdom, the country has never given Malone the accolade they feel he deserves. "He should have been given the VC posthumously," Peter says.

Ra says the young today would never go to war as they had done.

"A lot wouldn't put a uniform on. It is just the way they are. They don't want to fight for king and country."

Don disagrees. "I think they would go again."

The group has taken heart in the recent outpouring of the younger generations on Anzac Days as they rediscover their grandparents' past.

This year's poppy-sale collection might have been down in numbers with plenty questioning whether the poppies were stolen in the North Shore theft but those who did give were more charitable than in the past.

Ra says he handed out fewer poppies and his collection box was lighter, but that was only because it was filled with notes. Most generous were the young mothers, he says.

They were also delighted to see young kids putting all their pocket money in.

The group is convinced that the dropping of atomic bombs on Japanese cities, which ended the war in the Pacific, was a necessary evil to save the lives of many millions more.

Don says the realisation of what nuclear wars could mean to the world has been an effective preventive from that time on. "There's not been a really big war since then."

The veterans say they are disgusted by the depletion of today's Kiwi armed forces, especially the Labour Government's decision to ditch the Air Force fighter jets.

"We learnt the hard way in World War II that nothing is gained without air cover. And now what do they do? Buy helicopters," says RNZN Malaysian vet Graeme Lowe. "We spend less GDP on defence of any of the Western nations less than one per cent.

"We haven't got a strike force now," Ra says. "The Skyhawks were equal to any fighter in the world. We had the best in the Southern Hemisphere. At least give them equipment. Now they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag."

Mystery as soldier's headstone discovered

2008-04-25T12:12:00.000+12:00

By MATT RILKOFF matt.rilkoff@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 25 April 2008

Emma Crofskey and 5th Battalion Cadre NCO Stephen Muschamp examine the headstone of World War II soldier C.D. King.

Who is C.D. King and why was this old soldier's headstone recovered miles from any cemetery in New Plymouth yesterday?

The headstone of the World War II veteran who died in 1981, aged 67, may have remained hidden for years, had the new owners of the house on Sycamore Gr, where it was found, not decided to whip their property into shape.

Only days after moving in to the house, Joe Govier and Emma Crofskey were clearing their section of debris when they found the headstone among trees and ferns down a steep bank.

"It was just lying there, down the bank, on top of a lot of other rubbish.

"It wasn't like I unearthed it or something. I didn't think it was a grave site. I just thought someone had dumped a headstone," Mr Govier said.

Once they had found it, the couple were stumped as to what to do with it.

After two days, Miss Crofskey decided to call police, who directed her to Stephen Muschamp, Cadre NCO of the 5th Wellington, West Coast and Taranaki Battalion Group.

Mr Muschamp was on the scene in a jiffy and identified it as an RSA headstone, also noting that the usual brass cross inlay had been removed.

He said it was hard to determine how long the headstone had been in the bush, but he would be particularly interested to know just how it had come to be there.

"And I thought, well, on the eve of Anzac Day, what a way to start the day, to recover this headstone of an old soldier," he said.

Graeme Lowe, senior vice-president of the New Plymouth RSA, had a different reaction to the headstone.

"It's from the Te Henui cemetery. You can tell that because of the design, and it's been removed because you can see where it sat in concrete.

"But you know what this reminds me of - it reminds me of what those damn hoods did to the Jewish cemetery in Wellington, and then that other time in Auckland."

He said if the family of C.D. King did not live in Taranaki, they might not know his headstone had been removed.

"He's served with the 2nd NZEF as a driver, and some of them went straight to England when there was the invasion threat, but when that went away after the Battle of Britain, they went into North Africa."

Mr Lowe said he would not like to guess how many old soldiers' graves were at the Te Henui cemetery, but the sexton would be able to give them more details about this particular headstone on Monday.

The headstone reads: 2nd NZEF, 35896 DVR, C.D. King, NZ Army Service Corps, 14-10-1981. Aged 67 years.

Creating list a huge effort

2008-04-25T12:11:00.000+12:00

By PETER BINGHAM peter.bingham@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 25 April 2008

Jack Elliott has never forgotten the mates he lost at war. And their memory has inspired him to labour at a task for the past 10 years that no one else has been prepared to do.

The 88-year-old painstakingly compiled the list that appears on the front page and page two of today's edition of all the Taranaki men and women who lost their lives in World War I (1251), World War II (793), Korea (1) and Vietnam (2). It has been a protracted effort of patience and endeavour to verify and log the names of the 2047 who died in service.

"I started compiling a list for the Inglewood RSA and that sort of got me going. There were a lot I knew from Inglewood who went away [in WWII] and quite a few schoolmates from New Plymouth Boys' High School who didn't come back. That inspired me."

He has taken names from cemeteries, churches, memorials, school and hall honours boards, researched books and sought information from the National Archives and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

"I reckon my list is about 95 per cent, maybe 99 per cent, accurate. It is vital something is done because more and more honours boards and memorials are being lost as schools close and country halls come down. It would be good if all these names are put up in one block in a place like Puke Ariki. There is only a bit of fine-tuning left to do." Not every Taranaki person who served and died would be on his list.

"For example, a lot of Taranaki men served in the RAF and were regarded as members of the British forces and are on their rolls of honour." He has also compiled a list of all who died in the Taranaki Wars and the Boer War.

Jack added a year to his age and listed his job as shop assistant when he signed up. "I was only 20 and was a chemist's apprentice in Inglewood. A chemist was a reserved occupation [exempt from service], so I had to change that."

He joined the 25th Infantry Battalion and served in Greece and Libya before being captured and sent to Italy.

"We should have been released when armistice was declared in Italy, but the commandant was a fascist and held us until the Germans arrived."

They were shipped to Poland to work in a heavy machinery factory where a number of them, including Jack, trained as fitters and turners and as gas and electrical welders.

"We knew what they were up to and when they lined us up to make parts for their tanks and 88mm guns, we cited the Geneva Convention at them. They were not happy, called us swine Englanders, then loaded us on to the rattler [train] and sent us off to our next job."

With flying colours

2008-04-25T12:07:00.001+12:00

By HELEN HARVEY helen.harvey@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 25 April 2008

Allan George and his wife of more than 60 years, Frances, have nine children.

The picture couldn't possibly tell the story. It's a black-and-white photo at Allan George's Manaia home. It shows two young men, both in uniform, standing in front of a plane. By the look of the aircraft and the uniform, it is reasonable to assume it is World War II.

And even though Mr George is 90 now, it is easy to pick him out. But the picture only hints of the danger, the friendships and the reckless disregard. It doesn't tell of events so painful they bring tears more than 60 years later.

And it doesn't tell of two medals the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) awarded for bravery.

Mr George, a pilot, received the DFC after "an episode" when his Wellington bomber got "awfully shot up" dropping bombs over the Ruhr.

"My poor old rear gunner got his bum shot away. Screaming his head off, we had to pull him out of the rear turret, blood from hell to breakfast."

First a fuel pipe was severed then a fighter plane came in and shot the motor out.

"It was a miracle we never blew up, because the plane flooded with fuel."

Petrol was gushing everywhere, so an Englishman, Viv Broad, the wireless operator, bandaged up the pipe and contained the petrol. The Wellington was struggling on one motor and losing height.

"The crew said `can we bail out?' I said `hell no'."

It wasn't a good idea to bail out over the target. The searchlights would shine on the parachutes and the German gunners would shoot the parachutes down.

Mr George told his crew to hang on until they reached the coast. Once there, they still had a bit of height, so limped across the sea and crash-landed at an airfield just inside England.

By the time the rear gunner got out of hospital, he had been replaced, so the gunner joined another crew. He was shot down over Hamburg.

Altogether, Mr George flew 73 operations, 21 as a Pathfinder.

The Pathfinders were the elite.

They were the top pilots and navigators from the RAF's Bomber Command. Each one had to have completed at least one tour of operations a tour equalled 30 bombing missions. And they had to volunteer.

By 1943, Bomber Command was huge, so there were plenty to fly the missions. However, the difficulty, because of the European weather, was to find the target, he says.

"At this time, scientists had developed decent radio aids, which allowed us to become more precise. And it was realised that those of us who had done a tour of operations ... were very experienced men."

The Pathfinders flew Mosquitoes and flew ahead of the bombers. Each Mosquito carried a pilot, a navigator, flares to indicate the targets to the following bombers, and one 4000lb bomb. They had to prove, with a photo, that they had hit the target.

There was some delinquency, Mr George says blokes who were LMF (lack of moral fibre) and didn't go over the target, dropping flares and bombs anywhere.

"It was equivalent to a soldier going over the top. You knew you had to go through that barrier of flak.

There would be hundreds of bombers flying behind the Pathfinders, so they had to hit the target on time, otherwise it increased the risk of collisions.

"It was equivalent to rush hour in Auckland."

There was an 80% fatality rate for the bombing missions. For the Pathfinders, it was 90%.

That was the butcher's bill that had to be paid every night, he says.

For the extra danger, Pathfinders got extra rank.

Mr George was in 139 Squadron, which was unique, because there were 16 nationalities among the aircrew.

"They were a remarkable gang of burglars."

The squadron's purpose was to bomb Berlin. It was the most difficult target of the war, being the most defended target in Germany. Hitler boasted that no bomb would fall on Berlin, Mr George says. In March and April 1945, the RAF hit the city night after night after night.

"The idea was we had to do nothing but bomb Berlin for 50 nights in a row."

They stopped at 36 because the butcher's bill was too high and the RAF needed to build up reserves.

Aircrew worked two nights on, one night off.

Hitler surrounded Berlin with searchlights and moved in the fighter jets.

"The jets were at 40,000ft. We were at 30,000ft. They came down on us and picked us off."

Hitler was so upset at the Pathfinders' success at highlighting the targets that he ordered that any Pathfinder shot down was to be killed.

The last time Bomber Command attacked Berlin was April 20, 1945.

"There were thousands of Russian guns all the way from the Baltic Coast, down as far as you could see to the south, and that barrage kept going until the second of May and Berlin surrendered.

"April 20 was the only night there were no fighters or no flak at us. Everything on the ground was aimed at the Russians."

The butcher's bill for Bomber Command aircrew in World War II was 55,000. There were also 20,000 wounded and 12,000 taken prisoner.

"We never thought of more than today." It was said that airmen were only concerned with wine, women and song, he says.

"We didn't give a monkey's stuff for anything."

They did some stupid things, got up to all sorts of mischief, were a wild bunch.

"Every night we used to say `well, I hope it's quick'."

There wasn't much lingering.

"We'd stop a hit from flak and, with our load, would blow up. It was instant. You'd just vaporise."

One thing they used to say was they didn't want to know when their last raid would be.

But on May 2, they were called to a meeting.

"They said, `well, boys, there's one target left Kiel. You've got to go. Get home tonight and you are through the war.' That was ..."

Mr George stops, his voice breaking. He gets his hanky out and wipes his eyes.

"... the most terrible parade of the lot. You can understand I never go there. It's too upsetting."

He stops for a bit.

"I can't talk about it. We always used to say we didn't want to know which was the last raid. You get home tonight, you're through the war. You could've heard a pin drop. I don't go there."

He has recorded his last flight in his logbook, as he recorded all his flights. In neat, precise handwriting.

"May 2, 1945. Last of European war. Very good raid.

"The fighters were up and they had a bit of a mix up with us."

Berlin surrendered the same day.

After the trip to Kiel, every aeroplane in the Royal Air Force was grounded.

"They opened the bar and we got drunk."

The bar stayed open all night and the next morning, there was a huge parade. The airmen were still drunk.

"When the old parson said, We'll bow our head and give thanks to the Almighty, most of us fell over."

The logbook is one of Mr George's most prized possessions. Inside it is a piece of cloth covered in writing in English and in Russian and a Union Jack. It is called a blood chit.

Mr George carried it in his raids over Berlin.

"It guarantees a reward for not taking a life ... so if we were damaged, we could land behind Russian lines instead of the long flight home. The Russians, of course, would shoot anything. They were the most ill-disciplined bastards in the world."

It was a long way from the farm in Manaia where Mr George had grown up.

He volunteered when the call went out for air crew in 1940 and went to the RNZAF aircrew training school in Levin, then to New Plymouth at Bell Block. It's not where the airport is now, he says, it was across the road.

At the time it was the biggest corrugated iron building in the world. It burnt down later.

Mr George learned to fly for two months, then went to Ohakea and learned to fly twin-engine aircraft before going to England for more training.

First he went to Lossiemouth in the Moray Firth for a conversion course on Wellington bombers, then to 115 Squadron in Norfolk and straight into operations over Germany. By this time, it was 1941.

He got his first medal, the DFM, for flying a Wellington bomber especially fitted with a Rolls Royce motor.

"They brought out this big bomb, 4000 pounder, and they made a special plane to carry it and I was the pilot who flew it."

He dropped it on Hamburg.

Both his medals were presented to him by King George VI at receptions at Buckingham Palace.

On one of the visits to the palace, he remembers getting an urgent call of nature.

"We had all had a pretty heavy night on the booze. In a long line waiting to be introduced to the King, I said to one of the stately ushers, Mate, where's the toilet?"

The footman looked at him with disdain.

"We were just uncouth pig-islanders."

In the end, Mr George said to him, "Mate, I want to piss."

He followed the footman up and down the corridors until they got to the toilet.

"Well, you wouldn't believe it. It was on a dais. It had armrests. Having used it, being polite and a well-trained boy, where's the chain? There was no flush. There was a bloody great lever. You got hold of it and pulled it.

"I went back and told the other pilots in the line, Hey, go to the toilet it's a bloody beaut. They all went."

As well as flying bombers, Mr George had a stint as a flying instructor and at one point he was posted back to New Zealand for a couple of months "to sort out a discipline school at Delta [just out of Woodbourne] which had mutinied, but they never used the word mutinied. They had gone on strike. I came back from England and sorted it out. I went straight back to England and went on Pathfinders."

He wasn't brave, he says, he was doing what he had to do. And he wasn't scared there wasn't time. He was too busy thinking about what he was doing, flying the plane, looking for searchlights, looking for the target, dodging the flak, dodging the fighter jets.

"I've had lumps of shrapnel just miss me, been shot at, had a fighter take me on over Berlin and miss ...

"A piece of flak was buried in behind my head I must have been leaning forward, or it would have cut my head off.

"I always say to this day I never worry about not getting Lotto. I've had all the luck in the world."

Rain

2008-04-01T18:45:00.001+13:00

Heavy rain means water restrictions around Taranaki have been eased and fire bans relaxed.

South Taranaki District Council spokesman Neil McCann says the weekend rain was enough to replenish the district's streams and rivers.

"Thankfully much of the weekend's rain fell where it was needed most, with more than 50mm around Hawera and Patea," Mr McCann said.

"The rain has allowed us to ease the restrictions and if we get some more over the next week or so we may be able to remove it completely."

Expat couple's pies hit high spots

2008-03-27T22:24:00.000+13:00

Y LEIGHTON KEITH leighton.keith@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 27 March 2008

A former Taranaki couple making "Kiwi-style" pies are cleaning up the Aussie competition.

For three years Tom and Anne Butler have owned the Beechwood Bakehouse in Maleny, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The couple, who previously owned Butlers Reception Lounge in New Plymouth, recently won a gold certificate for their cream silverside pie and a silver in the chunky meat pie category at the Fine Food fair Show in Brisbane.

It is not their first success - they took home the bronze medal for their chunky steak pie in last year's Great Australian Pie Competition in Sydney.

The idea for the silverside pie came to them while having dinner one night.

Mrs Butler said they had not expected success in their first foray into pie-making competitions.

"We were pretty lucky to be up there, because a lot of them are big pie manufactures and we are only small-fry," she said.

The recipe for success was simple. "Good Kiwi ingenuity. We are making Kiwi-style pies."

They sell 22 different varieties of pie at the bakery, including minted lamb pies, which were sold as the Kiwi pie because of the ribbing Australians gave New Zealanders about sheep.

Their pies had met with the judges' approval - but what does the Ocker on the street think?

"They think that they are wonderful too, pies are the biggest seller in our bakery," Mrs Butler said.

The wide selection of pies has also impressed the locals.

"They are like kids in a lolly shop, they don't know what to pick."

The couple, who left New Zealand in June 1991, still have family in the region, including Tom's parents, Ken and Shirley Butler in Stratford, and son Matthew and his wife Anna in Hawera.

Taranaki latest region to declare drought

2008-03-18T22:50:00.001+13:00

1:57PM Tuesday March 18, 2008

Taranaki is the latest region to declare a drought after a prolonged dry spell in the area.

Taranaki Regional Council declared a drought today as farmers struggled to deal with the conditions.

There has been no sufficient rain since November and no rain was predicted until May.

South Taranaki District Mayor Ross Dunlop said the drought declaration would open up new avenues of government assistance for farmers.

"The council is formally asking the Government, and in particular Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton, to provide all reasonable assistance to farmers suffering undue stress as a result of this extreme situation."

He said the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was offering financial and welfare assistance to affected farmers through the region's Rural Support Trust.

Trustee Neville Hagenson said two coordinators were available to visit farmers in trouble.

Mr Hagenson said coordinators could provide advice and refer farmers to government departments like WINZ and the IRD.

"Our coordinators can go and sit down around the table and talk. Just say, hey, what are your problems and perhaps make suggestions," he said.

Farmers needing help can call 0800 787 254.

Financial assistance included the unemployment benefit, emergency benefit, special needs grants and recoverable assistance payments.

The drought had been declared in the area of coastal Taranaki extending south from Okato, 35km from New Plymouth, through all of South Taranaki District to the region's southern boundary, and including southern and eastern parts of the Stratford District.

High Street 1957 - Telephone Book

2008-02-03T16:45:00.000+13:00

High Street Hawera 1957

84 White Hart Hotel
86 Maypole Stores
88 Laurenson & Assoc Arch
90 Ormond H R Hrdrsrs
96 Barraclough M Butcher
98 Gamages Mlnrs
100 Norris & Frampton Hrdrsrs
102 Morgan A D Chemst
Sincere Fruit Shop Princes St Intersection
103 Bennett & Suttons Ltd Irn mgrs
112 Grubi Stvn Restrnt
112 Black Erick Wl Shop
135 Hing T Frtr
102 A MacLeans Specialty Shoes

Union Street Hawera 1957 Telephone Book

2008-02-03T16:42:00.001+13:00

39 Hodder & Tolley
41 McMahon Mrs Melvina
43 Grant Jno
45 McCarthy Jno G Brmn
47 Nielsen Jos m Town Clk
49 Eade Wm F Mgr
51 Hammon Mrs
51A Lovell Mrs A
53 Gardners Funeral Prlrs
55 Wilson J & H A Wd Mchts
57 Stanford Thos R Rly
57 Burgess & Fraser
63 Duffy Edwd J Rly
65 Transport Dept
67 Rick Wm C Mech
69 Johnston Mrs Msse
71 Bailey Mltn Stkbyt
73 Guilford Edwd B
76 Somerset House P Htl

Union Street Hawera 1957 Telephone Book

2008-02-03T16:38:00.000+13:00

Union Street Hawera 1957

6 Hall Cycles
6A Louella Gowns
8 Wilton Richd A Grocer
12 Nolans Blds
12 Hawera Textiles
12 Para Rubber
16 Peacocks
18 Ravgee & Co Frut
20 Roberts Noe Cyc Dlr
22 Newman H R Btch
Mrs Archer
Arnold Carl B Clthr
Smith Lillian E Bty Sln
Haymans Dry Cleners
26 Dixon & Co
26 Ranford, George
38 Mac Ewan & Co
48 Masonic Hall
Moller
72 Bell Allan S Gar
Garey Peat K E
74 Ravje Govind S Frtr
Lowe Wm E
80 Guiford Dgls R Trav
82 Leishman Jas Mec
84 Farms Co Op
86 Chong Ken Frut
88 King Gordon Eng

Maize maze all ready to amaze again

2008-01-17T17:54:00.000+13:00

By GRETA CLEARY - Taranaki | Thursday, 17 January 2008

Taranaki's latest maize maze is all set to amaze visitors - and to help them get lost.

The Inglewood Lions Club held a working bee yesterday to put the finishing touches to this year's maze, which will open for its seventh year on Saturday.

The summer fundraising project, which sits at No 74 on Venture Taranaki's 101 must-do list, will be open until April.

The cost of the 450,000 maize plants is covered by sponsors, and volunteers are responsible for maintaining the 2km of track within the maze. But it's worth it, say Lions Club members.

"Kids love it and family groups really enjoy it," said Kevin Knowles yesterday.

"We don't have too many problems with people getting lost. Sometimes we have to go and look for the odd child when parents get a bit anxious."

The club would like to see more social groups and businesses going through.When the fun is all over, the three-metre maize plants will be harvested into silage for a local farmer.

'Pumped' kayakers sight Taranaki

2008-01-12T19:20:00.000+13:00

Saturday, 12 January 2008

TARANAKI DAILY NEWS
POSITIVE PADDLERS: James Castrission and Justin Jones are weary but their spirits are high as they near the end of their trip.

Two Australian kayakers attempting to cross the Tasman Sea, Justin Jones, 24, and James Castrission, 25, are paddling hard for New Plymouth after sighting Mt Taranaki about an hour before sunset last night.

At 9am today the pair were just 76km from the port city, and carving a straight line on their website's satellite tracking chart, paddling at 3kmh.

"James and Justin reported at around 8pm that they had just caught sight of Mt Taranaki," said Patrick Brothers of their logistics company Race Recon.

"They are absolutely pumped".

The two kayakers said it was a starry night, with calm seas "and the lights of New Plymouth are starting to twinkle".

The sighting followed a vexing two days in which winds and currents turned them round in a loop to the north, when they were actually trying to paddle southwest to reach New Plymouth.

Yesterday they stayed in the tiny cabin of their 9m kayak until the wind became more favourable, and put themselves back on full food rations, after halving their daily meals 30 days from mid-December.

They began paddling again about 3pm.

"The guys are so frustrated at today's progress they have decided to paddle into the night," Mr Brothers said after the sighting of Mt Taranaki-Egmont. "They are steaming for NZ".

The pair have already covered more than 3000km, weaving across the Tasman on a trip which was planned to take 42 days to cover about 2200km on an approximate straight-line route.

At dawn, the pair were less than 90km from New Plymouth, still paddling hard and chasing a Sunday finish – which would be exactly two months after they departed Forster, New South Wales.

- NZPA

Truck full of squash rolls in Taranaki

2008-01-08T18:34:00.000+13:00

7:36AM Tuesday January 08, 2008

A Taranaki road is partly closed after a truck full of squash rolled over early this morning.

Inspector Ken Climo said the crash happened on State Highway 3 on Mokau Rd near Mount Messenger Tunnel.

The driver was not injured and no other vehicle was involved.

The road was limited to one lane.

Police were at the scene and the recovery would take a number of hours, Mr Climo said.

- NZPA

Hooligans absent from revels

2008-01-02T08:27:00.000+13:00

GLENN McLEAN glenn.mclean@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Tuesday, 01 January 2008

Police are praising the behaviour of New Year's Eve revellers in Taranaki after a night free of the usual hooliganism.

Senior Sergeant Robbie O'Keefe said police made just eight arrests in New Plymouth for minor assaults and breaches of the liquor ban.

"The last couple of years have been generally quiet," he said, pointing out the city's liquor ban as the major reason for the improvement.

"It's made it a far more enjoyable place to be for everyone on New Year's Eve."

Urenui Beach, the scene of trouble last year when four young men were hospitalised after being assaulted, was also quiet, with just three arrests.

"Overall there were very few problems with a good crowd out there," Mr O'Keefe said.

Urenui Beach Camp manager Teresa Hayston said there were plenty of revellers enjoying themselves, with the only problem a few minor fights between teenagers.

"Everyone was really well behaved," she said. "There was a smaller crowd out here this year and no one hung around late being a pain or anything."

The 1500 at Butler's Reef, Oakura, to see iconic Kiwi band Supergroove were also well behaved.

Police reported few problems in Stratford and South Taranaki, with only a handful of arrests for minor offences.

A small number of drunk drivers were caught by police.

Boy or two out of luck

2008-01-01T14:45:00.000+13:00

RYAN EVANS ryan.evans@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Tuesday, 01 January 2008

The year 2023 could be grim one for Taranaki lads.

At least 14 could struggle to find dates, with the Taranaki Daily News birth notices recording 435 boys born last year, compared with 421 girls.

Liam and Sophie were easily the most popular names, with 13 each.

Joshua and Ryan tied for second, with eight each, while Charlotte, Ella and Olivia were recorded eight times each for girls.

Overall, there were 272 different girl's names recorded, including Journey-Grace, Liberty, Orlagh and Mazzlin.

Boys' names were slightly less diverse, 251 names in all, but also featured some crackers such as Ten, Kadison, Rhomyn and Tanius.

Jack was the most popular boys' name in Taranaki in 2006, while Ella and Hannah topped the girls' list

Happy New Year to Taranaki

2008-01-01T12:44:00.000+13:00

Results worth the effort

2007-12-31T09:10:00.000+13:00

HARRIET PALMER harriet.palmer@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Taranaki has so many wonderful things that John Eagles can't help but get involved.

He's been volunteering for numerous organisations, boards and committees for more than 20 years and says it's been well worth putting in all the effort.

"Without the hard work of Taranaki people, a lot of what the region has wouldn't survive," he said.

Mr Eagles has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community, many of which include working with school boards of trustees.

He said this work came about with the introduction of Tomorrow's Schools in 1989, which enabled him to have an input in to his children's education.

"I thought it was a good idea for parents to get involved," he said.

"It was a chance to make a difference."

Mr Eagles was also instrumental in the development of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery as chairman of the Govett-Brewster foundation, he was a member of the New Plymouth Opera House trust board for 10 years, and is currently independent director of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union.

The list of causes and events Mr Eagles has invested in is almost endless and it's a wonder he has the time.

"I like being busy and I enjoy doing all the things so I don't even notice."

Tuti's retirement just means keeping going

2007-12-31T09:09:00.000+13:00

HARRIET PALMER harriet.palmer@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Wetere says she has retired, although for her, retirement has quite a different meaning than it does to many.

Ms Wetere has been working in the community, mainly with Maori, for more than 55 years. Even though she says it's time for others to take over, she shows little sign of slowing down.

She has been a member and branch president of the Maori Women's Welfare League, was the first woman trustee of the Owae Marae Committee in Waitara, and was part of Taranaki's Clean Sea Action group.

Today, Ms Wetere wants younger people to take over the instrumental roles in Maori society, and her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are all following proudly in her footsteps.

Ms Wetere has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.

Today that means helping to knit 800 pairs of slippers to be given to delegates at a Maori Women's Welfare League conference.

It also means travelling to Wellington to be present at the signing of the Agreement in Principle which assures the return of the Port Nicholson Block to the Taranaki Whanui.

"I don't even think about it," Ms Wetere said.

"I used to finish a day's work and wonder what else I could do."

Ms Wetere grew up in New Plymouth and is of Te Atiawa and Ngati Maniapoto decent.

She is a JP and has been a marriage celebrant, but it is her work with marae that has meant the most.

"I've always been interested in marae. They don't have any funds. They rely on koha and the goodwill of people," Ms Wetere said.

Volunteering is where Ms Wetere has met people and been able to make a difference in the lives of her people.

"It's quite wonderful," she said

Volunteer rewarded for his life philosophy

2007-12-31T09:08:00.001+13:00

ROB MAETZIG rob.maetzig@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Thirty-five years' service to the Taranaki region in a wide variety of ways has been rewarded for New Plymouth's Lynn Bublitz, who has been made a companion of the Queen's Service Order in the New Year Honours.

Mr Bublitz said he was thrilled to have received the award, but the real honour was "being part of making a positive difference".

His many contributions have included local government, arts, education and community organisations.

Volunteering is part of Mr Bublitz' life philosophy. He believes it is voluntary effort that makes a good society.

"I hope I've been able to live that philosophy," he said.

The list of causes Mr Bublitz has given his time to shows he has well and truly lived up to his own expectations.

A New Plymouth District councillor for 18 years and deputy mayor, Mr Bublitz established the council's iwi liaison sub-committee and forged strong partnerships with the district's iwi.

He was instrumental in establishing New Plymouth's Puke Ariki museum and library complex, and was a trustee of the Taranaki Arts Festival trust for 17 years.

Mr Bublitz has also been heavily involved in the instigation and organisation of Womad, the Taranaki Youth Festival, and the Taranaki Festival of the Arts.

A member of the board of the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust for 35 years and at times its chairman, he headed a fundraising campaign in 2002 to save the garden, was the fundraiser for Pukeiti's 50th jubilee, and was made a life member in 1989.

Mr Bublitz was principal of Inglewood High School for more than 10 years, a teacher at New Plymouth Boys' High School for more than 25 years, was a mentor with the First Time Principals Programme, and was awarded a Wolf Fisher Scholarship in 1985.

He has also been involved in many other community organisations, including the LA Alexander Agriculture College Trust Board, the Unesco Science Committee, and the Te Papa National Services Committee.

2007-12-31T09:06:00.000+13:00

BRADLEY AMBROSE
Tawhiti Museum creator Nigel Ogle in front of one of his favourite displays.

Museum owner honoured

2007-12-31T09:04:00.000+13:00

GLENN McLEAN glenn.mclean@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Tawhiti Museum creator Nigel Ogle says he agonised over accepting the Queen's Service Medal for service to historical research and museums.

"I wondered what was going on when I got notified," he said.

"All I could think of was that there are plenty of other people doing similar sorts of heritage things in Taranaki. It is a wonderful honour, though."

As he sits hunched over his workbench at the back of his expanding Hawera museum, the smell of his creative work thick in the air, Mr Ogle says he never envisaged being where he is today.

A former teacher, Mr Ogle and his wife, Teresa, are in the middle of creating their biggest project, a $1 million South Seas Traders display, which is being made in partnership with Wellington's Weta Workshop - the Academy Award-winning film modelling and sculpture business.

Equally funded by the South Taranaki District Council and Mr and Mrs Ogle, the project is due to open in October 2009.

"The next 12 months will be the busiest I've ever worked," he said.

"But I've always toyed about doing it and to finally be able to, well, it's an incredible honour."

Founded after Mr Ogle purchased the old Tawhiti cheese factory in 1975, the museum has won seven tourism awards. It has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Taranaki.

At a time when the New Zealand Air Force's Ohakea Museum has closed, as well as Dairyland on the outskirts of Hawera, Mr Ogle said visitor numbers at his museum continued to grow as awareness from outside Taranaki increased.

"An area needs a basket of attractions, and it's sad to see these things fall over."

Bourke humbled by New Year award

2007-12-31T09:02:00.000+13:00

RACHAEL MURPHY rachael.murphy@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Former South Taranaki Mayor Mary Bourke, at her Hawera home, says she accepted her Queen's Service Honour out of respect for the people who nominated her.

Former South Taranaki mayor Mary Bourke is "hugely humbled" at being awarded the Queen's Service Order - but feels it's wrong to suggest it recognises only her individual efforts.

"I've accepted the award out of respect for those who have nominated me ... being chosen to accept this award is an affirmation of all those people I've worked with over the years - because nobody is an island," she said. "Sometimes it's tempting to try to be, but it certainly doesn't get the best results.

"I've been pretty fortunate to work with some excellent teams and individuals in my time."

Miss Bourke's 15 years as mayor was a record for a woman before she stood down before the last local body elections in October.

She has since kept herself busy with a few local government contracts, involving the parts of local government that she truly enjoys.

"Making sure meetings are productive, that people stay focused and that local government is recognised as a fulfilling and useful practice rather than the entity that people love to hate - which traditionally it has been."

She has also been keeping up with her work as a marriage celebrant, with which she has commitments until March.

She has been a celebrant since 2000 and officiates at about 10 weddings each year.

But mostly she is focusing on "taking the time to do some breathing and smell the roses and consider my options".

Miss Bourke is still heavily involved in the Bishop's Action Foundation in Taranaki, is South Taranaki Medical Trust chairperson, and is on the Territorial Forces Employer Support Council.

She has done a lot of work facilitating and chairing working parties for issues related to local government, such as rates reviews and ICT (information computer technology).

Award the result of love for Stratford

2007-12-31T09:01:00.000+13:00

GLENN McLEANglenn.mclean@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Life has not slowed down at all for former Stratford mayor Brian Jeffares.

The man who wore the mayoral chains in the Central Taranaki district for three successful terms is still accepting offers to sit on various committees in the town, despite almost three decades of working in the community.

The 59-year-old, who stood down as mayor at the last election, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local body affairs and the community.

The former builder turned real estate manager stands by his decision to step down from the mayoralty this year. "I think it was the right and best decision to make at the time and I don't regret it because it was time to move on," he said.

Mr Jeffares says he never envisaged getting involved in committees or local politics.

It all started from the "humble background of being a builder" when he took up an offer to work on a school committee.

"I think school committees and PTAs are a great breeding ground for community life and many people move on from there to serve elsewhere," he said.

Mr Jeffares says there is a simple reason behind what drives him to still be a Taranaki regional councillor, chair the Taranaki Electricity Trust, the Stratford Health Trust, to be a trustee on the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust, a member of the Hospital Advisory Committee, the Stratford Youth Trust and a committee member of the Stratford Rugby Club.

"I guess I'm just impatient, I want to get things done.

"That comes back to my background as a builder as well, you learn to get the foundations right," he said. Many of his positions have given him a lot of satisfaction and he admits to getting plenty of pleasure out of seeing projects through to the end.

One example is the Taranaki Electricity Trust, which he says is a tribute to the people of the area.

"We have now given away about $50 million and have a portfolio worth about $90 million.

"That's a huge increase on what we started with in 1993, so yeah, that's been significant in a lot of growth in the area," he said.

"But there is a downside to it, a lot of committees now think their fundraising consists entirely of writing a letter to the TET."

Mr Jeffares says he will continue to remain fiercely loyal to Stratford.

"That's why I do everything I do, because I really love this community. If I didn't love this community I wouldn't do it."

Dame given new honour

2007-12-31T08:59:00.001+13:00

LYN HUMPHREYS lyn.humphreys@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Monday, 31 December 2007

Taranaki folk will be delighted that the farmer-diva we claim as our own has been awarded the country's second-highest honour.

Conferred with a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1991, Dame Malvina Major this year becomes a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her lifelong service to opera.

"It was a lovely surprise," Dame Malvina told the Taranaki Daily News from the family beach home at Whangamata as six grandchildren milled around, impatient to get to the beach.

She is unconcerned that it is not the supreme national accolade - for which there can be only 20 living New Zealand recipients at any one time.

"It's important for me. It's an acknowledgment from New Zealand," she said.

Dame Malvina is well in control of her busy life despite heading towards her 65th birthday on January 28.

"It's amazing to me that at my age I'm still singing overseas and teaching. It's all a bit mad really."

Dame Malvina is a fulltime professor of voice at Canterbury University, is deeply immersed in supporting emerging musical talent through the Dame Malvina Foundation and committed to community work through endless fundraising campaigns.

Examples of just a few of those fundraising efforts in Taranaki alone are assistance with the purchase of diagnostic heart equipment, refurbishing the children's Base Hospital ward and supporting the Taranaki Hospice.

After some time off the stage to have her family, by 1986, she had picked up her career and returned to sing overseas. After the sudden death of her husband, Winston Fleming, of a heart attack at the farm in September 1990 she first moved to New Plymouth and a little over 10 years ago moved to Christchurch where her partner, Brian Law, is the conductor of the city's choir and director of music for Christchurch's Anglican Cathedral.

This year, the highlight for Dame Malvina was singing at the closing of the Rotary Convention at Salt Lake City, USA, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir before 21,000 people. Donny Osmond had performed at the opening of the convention.

Among the very full agenda for next year is representing the New Zealand Government at Washington and Los Angeles and ambassadorial work in Houston, Boston and New York for the Dame Malvina Foundation.

Dame Malvina returns regularly to Taranaki.

Bacon and Eggs

2007-12-22T22:08:00.000+13:00

Coffee anyone?

2007-12-22T21:51:00.000+13:00

Manaia Cemetery

2007-12-22T21:44:00.000+13:00

Sunrise - on the way to Manaia 22-12-07

2007-12-22T21:43:00.000+13:00

Hawera Spider - Union Street

2007-12-22T21:37:00.000+13:00