Steam engine rolls in for 80th
Paeroa man Brendon RoweMitchell has had a fascination with trains that stems back to his childhood.
He can remember driving past Te Omeka Marae, on SH24 at the foot of the Kaimai Range and marvelling at the traction engine 2409 Burrell compound engine that sat in front of Te Omeka.
‘‘As a kid, myself and my family used to drive past the place going to the hot pools. I always had a thing for that engine, I quite liked it.’’
The engine was first used to thresh wheat, then as a power source to transport timber and other building materials, while the marae and surrounding buildings were under construction.
On September 21, 1937, it broke down and was parked at the front of the premises, where it would remain for the next 70 years.
The engine was built in 1901 in the UK and is a six horse power, seven crank compound.
Fast forward to 2007 and RoweMitchell visited Te Omeka Marae and asked if they would be interested in selling the engine.
It took seven years for RoweMitchell and his business partner to fully restore the 2409 Burrell compound. Being left out in the open and exposed to the elements for 70 years had left it in an extremely poor state.
On Thursday, it made the trek on a truck from its new home in Queenstown, to be part of Te Omeka Marae’s 80th anniversary celebrations.
It was important to the celebration organisers, that the engine was present on the day.
The engine was such an integral part of the marae that for many years it doubled as a place where members of the Ra¯tana Church gathered and from the late 1970s through to early 2000, the traction engine became the trademark of Puff ‘n Billy Foods, the catering business. It was started in 1977 by the marae trustees, overseen by its chairman Ron Smith and his wife Ann.
Led by the Ra¯tana band, the engine was driven onto the courtyard at Te Omeka Marae to the applause of the people who had gathered.
‘‘It was 80 years to the day that this train was last used and out in public, it’s very special to come back and be a part of the celebrations,’’ Rowe-Mitchell said.