50 years ago
❚ It was difficult to imagine a ground anywhere in the world to surpass New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park as a venue for a test match, Mr Dick Brittenden, a cricket writer and editor of a new magazine, New Zealand Cricketer, wrote in the first issue of the monthly magazine.
❚ The New Plymouth Yacht Club had set up a steering committee of three chaired by Mr H Vosper, to investigate the possibility of holding in 1970 a 1329-mile singlehanded race from New Plymouth to Brisbane, the club secretary, Mr D C Woodhead, announced.
❚ The appointment of Mr G J Ginever as curate at St Mary’s Church, New Plymouth, was announced by the Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev J T Holland.
❚ After hearing from a Waitara Swimming and Surf Lifesaving Club deputation comprising Messrs W Birdling, S Roberts and P Neil, the Waitara Borough Council decided to investigate the economics of heating the Waitara swimming baths.
❚ After 34 years with Newton King Ltd at Hawera and New Plymouth, Mr J West, was appointed general manager of the company.
❚ Having fallen into disrepair,
120-year-old buildings which had housed the St Mary’s Parish Coffee Club and the Sunday School Chapel at New Plymouth, were demolished to make way for a church car park.
❚ Sideshows at the 1966 Taranaki Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s show were called ‘‘scruffy’’ by the president, Mr R S Smith, during the society’s annual meeting at New Plymouth.
❚ Membership of Heritage North Taranaki had fallen by 17 from 191, the chairman, Mr P B Kennedy, reported to the annual meeting.
❚ The Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture’s plant raisers’ award for 1967 was given to New Plymouth’s Mr L E Jury for his camellia hybrid Grand Jury.
❚ Movies: Gambit (Waitara Royal), Michael Caine and Shirley Maclaine; Lost Command (Mayfair), Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal and Claudia Cardinale; Walk, Don’t Run (Hawera Regent), Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, and Jim Hutton; Sandokan The Great (State), Steve Reeves.
❚ Highlight of the Taranaki Cornish Society’s meeting at New Plymouth was a Cornish pastie making competition which was won by Mr H Perrington.
❚ After five cases of food poisoning involving girls aged 11 and 12 were reported from Inglewood, samples of potato chips had been sent to Wellington for analysis, the medical officer of health for Taranaki, Dr A A Cox, reported. ❚ There had been 436 fire calls in New Plymouth during 1966 and 116 had involved loss of property, the chief fire officer, Mr G Drummond, said in his annual report.
❚ A new $9000 aircraft, an Airtourer 115, the second of its type to be manufactured solely in New Zealand, arrived at New Plymouth from Hamilton flown by Mr L W Martin, president of the New Plymouth Aero Club, the new owner of the plane.
❚ Reporting on an increased incidence of rabbits in the Hawera county, the rabbiter, Mr C G Hart, told a meeting of the county council that in the past month 377 baits had been taken and 177 rabbits shot.
❚ Following the discovery of an infectious tuberculosis case at the Hawera High School, about 900 pupils, almost the entire roll, had passed through the Health Department’s mobile x-ray unit, the principal, Mr P J Whelan, told a meeting of the school’s board of managers.
❚ 35 Years Ago: Esther Robson (Waitara) wins New Zealand Ladies’ Golf Union Coronation Medal; Inglewood’s new Anglican minister, the Rev Ken Walker, inducted; Kiwi league test forward Bruce Gall of Inglewood joins Australian professional team Balmain; Taranaki grey Sirtain wins New Zealand Cup.
❚ 25 Years Ago: New Plymouthtrained True Echo wins at Ellerslie races; hazy signal received in Taranaki from Totalisator Agency Board’s new television channel; Auckland Electric Power Board plans $286 million gas powered power station in Taranaki.