These are fundraisers for The Coromandel Heritage Trust, so you can learn a little bit about the history of Thames, while supporting this wonderful group and the preservation of Thames historical documents.
Title: PLAYING SPORT ON THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS: 1867-1920
The feature article is a transcript of an interview with Toss Hammond in 1967 by E Slaney and transcribed by L Bisset in 2010. Mr Hammond talks about early sport in the townships of Grahamstown, Shortland and Tararu. (Part of the Oral History Recorders' collection of interviews - held at The Treasury)
Many sports are mentioned, giving a few snippets of their early history, including those long lost. Such as polo and skittle alleys. Along with those that have remained core sports in the town: Rugby, Cricket and Bowls...to name but a few. Lots of family names included...maybe one of them is your relatives?
One thing that came through while researching this booklet, is how important sport was to our early Thames-ites and how they loved to gather to watch and participate. With New Year approaching, it is sad that we have lost that big New Year celebration and Family Sports Day that our ancestors enjoyed during their early days on the Thames Goldfields.
