Special thanks to Lloyd for sending some photos that will be passed on to The Treasury in Thames. A reminder to all, if you have some old photos of the Thames area - please consider sharing a digital copy or taking them in so a copy can be made.
A great view looking at the western side of the old Waiokaraka aka Central school that was in Cochrane Street, Thames. What a grand old school it was - the area now the site of the Thames Historical Museum and the Waiokaraka Retirement Village. This photo was taken in 1954 at the time of the school's 75th anniversary. The road to the left (up the hill) is Broad Street and the houses all remain today.
To gather an understanding of the lives of parents, grandparents and other relations, it is interesting to focus in and look at things such as dress and other themes. The men for instance are all mostly dressed in suits and the women are wearing a hat. Several other items will bring back memories to the older reader. What a fine buggy, pram the child below has. A far cry from todays pushchair models. Plenty of room to sleep and for the older child, a harness was employed to stop them falling out!!
The boy on the Tricycle, with its strong metal frame, would have been proudly riding his bike around the grounds! No need for trainer wheels here!
