Thames (NZ): Heritage Images - Fish & Tomatos

As the long hot summer has drawn to an end, I wonder how many fish have been caught in the Firth of Thames.
Was it a good year for fishing?
Well, in 1905 there was no shortage of fish, as the photo below shows a catch of 1500 dozen fish were being processed at Thames! (Taken from the supplement to the Auckland Weekly News 26 October 1905 p012)

' Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19051026-12-4 '

Keep checking back to the Auckland Libraries Heritage Image website, you will be amazed at the number of new images that keep appearing. They remind us of things long gone...or refresh faded memories.

How many knew of the major market gardens that were at the Thames of old. Perhaps the photo below is of the gardens south of the Kauaeranga River crossing - while others existed on Shortland flat, up on the hills of Mt Pleasant, or out at Parawai. The image below was taken from  the supplement to the Auckland Weekly News 25 February 1909 p015 - Description: Tomato growing in New Zealand: a fine orchard plantation of 8000 plants in full bearing at the Thames, Auckland.

 

'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19090225-15-5



Thames (NZ): Soldiers football team post WWI

Sport played an important role in the early history of Thames, during times of hardship giving a place to relax and mix with others - for both the players and their supporters. The returned soldiers from WWI, also found it a way to continue their comradeship in sports such as football/rugby.

While at war in Europe, there are reports of teams playing at venues in France and England. Family report rugby games played by the men of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, while they were serving overseas.

Thames Star 5/2/1918

 When the World War One soldiers returned home to Thames, they started playing in the local rugby competition. In the 1920s the team was called the Returned Soldiers Football team. Some of the players of the day were: M Dare, T Burrett, G Buchan, McNiece, H Jamieson, Chalton, L Smith, Houghton, G Crawford, Lomas, Cooke, Strange, J Stewart, J Finnerty, L Sutcliffe, Alexander, O'Carroll, C Burt, L Stewart, T Crawford, F Marson, P Rolton and J O'Sullivan.  (Thames Star 30/4/1920)

In 1921, the SOLDIERS' FOOTBALL Club won the Thames Rugby Union Knock-outs Competition Cup. The team photo below names the following men and their supporters: L Towers, A Barker, W Ryan, W Lomas, A Dufty, J McLean, A Shepherd, L Pedrotti, L Stewart, J Stewart, A Lomas, Master Houghton, L J Sutcliffe, H Murray, J Wells, L Houghton, E Rickett, A Tate and H Royal (Absent)

Thames (NZ): Archive progress at The Treasury

Update for 29 March 2013 - there are lines of piles already in the ground and another line in above the ground. I'll let the photos speak for themselves - hope to have some more next week.

Top Photo: Looking south from The Treasury
Bottom Photo: Looking west, The Treasury building on the right

Thames (NZ): 1964 Parking Problems

Can you remember when there was parallel parking on both sides of Pollen Street?

Many people were grateful the day the eastern side was changed to angle parking...maybe people today have just become better at parking....It didn't seem such an issue in those slower, quieter days.

The reporter noted: "Vehicles are supposed to be enclosed in the space provided, not half in and half out as are the vehicles pictured."

Thames Star 7 December 1964
Source copy: Thames Library

Ten years ealier the angle parking we know today was coping well with traffic demands.

Photo c1950: Pollen Street, looking north to Mary Street intersect and Court's Corner on the right

Thames (NZ): The Treasury Archive Building update

Another major step has been taken today, with the driving of the piles for the new archive building at Queen Street, Thames. The Coromandel Heritage Trust members and supporters will be delighted to see the building now full steam ahead!!! It has been a dream for some time, now the following weeks will quickly see the construction and completion of the building that meets all the latest archive requirements.

A vote of thanks to all who have been involved with this vision - to the stage today where it is becoming a reality!

Above: Looking south from the present Treasury building towards the site of the new archive
Below: Architect's view of the finished building attached to  The Treasury

Thames (NZ): Miners & the New Zealand Tunnelling Co WWI

For those of you who didn't manage to hear the presentation at The Treasury today on the New Zealand Tunnelling Company - you missed a very informative presentation.

Why is this of interest to THAMES? Many of the men that joined this company were experienced miners, many having come from Thames, or their fathers/other relatives had been on the goldfields from the time they opened. Many of us have generations of miners in the family, some of these men then went to war and were involved with tunnelling projects in World War One.

For more information go to the dedicated New Zealand Tunnelling Company website. Waihi men in particular played a major part in this company and a memorial is planned to remember their efforts.
If you have any family information on men from Thames that were in this company, please can you make contact - as I try and find out more about these Thamesites.

A list of the names of men found with a connection to the wider Thames area can be found here.

WAIHI'S QUOTA OF THE NEW ZEALAND TUNNELLING CORPS LEAVING THE MINING TOWN LAST WEEK TO GO INTO CAMP AT AUCKLAND: THE CROWD FAREWELLING THE MEN AT THE WAIHI RAILWAY STATION.
Auckland Region (N.Z.)
Source: ' Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19151014-50-5 '

SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND ENGINEER TUNNELLING COMPANY NEAR THE FIRING LINE IN FRANCE.
Auckland Region (N.Z.)
Source:  Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19170111-41-2

If you have any information in general or on any soldiers from the New Zealand Tunnelling Company,
contact the webmaster at the website mentioned above.

Thames (NZ): Heritage Week Lectures & Walks

If you live locally, maybe you have already managed to attend some of the events scheduled for the first week of the Heritage Festival.

Have you dropped into the Thames Library yet? and taken a photo of your Thames house - so it can be added to the digital collection.

There are two lectures left at The Treasury, in their series: The Way We Were Lectures.

Tomorrow, Friday 15th March 2013 is Sue Baker-Wilson speaking on the NZ Tunnellers in World War One and Monday 18th March is Dr Caroline Phillips on the archaeology of the Shortland area.

If you want a walk, then Graham Robinson has a tour of Shortland on 17th and 19th March.

Pollen Street, Shortland 1868
Photo courtesy of J Vedder-Price

Thames (NZ): Shortland Cemetery & Heritage weeks

The Heritage Festival is underway - Shortland Cemetery has been mowed and cleared. The paths are very dry, thanks to the long hot summer. So if you were ever waiting for the chance to visit and search for ancestors - now would be the time.

There is a tour coming up, for those interested in a guided walk:
Thursday 14th March 5:30pm - 7:30pm Historic Shortland Cemetery Tour

Top Photo: Looking out over the Danby Street, lower section of Shortland Cemetery
Lower Photo: Looking up at the Shortland Cemetery from the lower north end

If you want to view just how large this cemetery really is - use the TCDC intramaps website.
Now on the left hand side of the page under MODULES, click CEMETERIES
The page will refresh, then down the bottom right, there will be a drop down list, click SHORTLAND
the page will refresh and you will see the whole Shortland cemetery map..you can zoom in or use the hand symbol to drag the map around.  You can also use the bottom tabs to search and get information on burials.

Thames (NZ): Miner's Rights

Old copies of the 'butts' of the Miner's Rights book are available at Auckland Archives. A copy of numbers 47-97 are available to view  at The Treasury The file number at Auckland Archives is

Auckland Archives BACL 14345 A208 1a

Ranapia Mokena's Miners' Right taken out 23rd August 1867

There is a wealth of information on mining at the Auckland Archives, that stretches up to the 1970s.

There are card indexes available in the index room adjacent to the main reading room - that have reference details for each miner and mines they were associated with. Then in  Miners Index Books for instance, there are alphabetically listed names of mine applications by surname. The one below is for 1965.

 

December 2014 update:

Since writing this, The Treasury at Thames have been obtaining copies of many miner's rights

Also remember you can check Kae's Goldminers Index for the years: 1867 - 1872



Thames (NZ): The Treasury update & New Book by M Hawkes

Meghan Hawkes has a new book on tales of Thames from the local newspapers. Called "A Line of Duck Boards" it is available from The Treasury at Thames; as well as the first book called "The Coming Year." For those coming to the upcoming Heritage Festival, there is a dramatisation of excerpts from the book - 19th and 20th March 2013.

 The Coromandel Heritage Trust has taken another step forward and nearer the building of the new archives building. The site is now cleared and ready for the building work!

Taken 27 February 2013, From Queen Street looking westwards towards the Treasury building (on right)