Alton’s colourful tales revealed The Black Seeds soon to be back on tour
A tale of two boys breaking into a primary school to steal the leather ‘‘strap’’, then burying it, is just one of dozens of anecdotes from a tiny South Taranaki community’s past rediscovered by a historical sleuth.
Author Jacq Dwyer gathered so many stories about Alton – a rural community near Pātea–and its people, she had to write two books to fit them all in.
‘‘You’d never think from a village of 200 there would be so many stories that came out, including a few scandals,’’ she said.
In early 1885, the district was abuzz with news that an illicit whisky still had been discovered ‘‘2 mile beyond the hotel on a farm up Ball Rd,’’ it was reported in newspapers all over the country.
Most of the townsfolk were either arrested or posting bail for those under suspicion, among them a hotel keeper.
Dwyer scrutinised online ancestry and newspaper websites, read old letters, sifted through boxes of photos and talked to many people from the district during the five years it took to finish the books.
She spent hours painstakingly typing out the school’s logbook from 1881 to 1995, handwritten by successive principals.
In November 1916, it was recorded that two boys had broken into the school and stolen the strap, a length of heavy leather used to mete out corporal punishment.
‘‘Punished Allan Baker for cutting up the school strap. He and Roy Hodge came in on Sunday and cut it to pieces and buried it in the horse paddock,’’ reads an entry on October 26.
‘‘Obtained new strap and punished Allan Baker for lying about the matter of cutting up the old one,’’ a November 8 entry states.
The books include the stories of 14 district residents who died in WWI, and 32 stories about Alton families. About half were written by Dwyer and the others by descendants of the families.
Dwyer, who wrote her first book for the 125th jubilee celebrations at Hurleyville in 2017, has already started on her next project, a history of Kakaramea.
‘‘My old school is going to be 150 years old in 2026, so I have four years to do it.’’
Graphic designer Caitlin Finnerty said collaborating with Dwyer on the five books they have produced had inspired her to learn about Taranaki’s history.
‘‘Seeing her passion has got me motivated to learn more . . . I’m Taranaki born and bred, but I knew nothing of Taranaki’s history at all.’’
And there was another benefit, she said.
‘‘I’ve got a lot of friends who are having babies and there are some great oldfashioned names. I’ve started writing the best ones down and sending them to my friends.’’
The books are available from Dwyer on 027 241 5595.
Five years since their last tour, Kiwi band The Black Seeds are hitting the road to promote their new album Love and Fire.
Lead singer and founding member Barnaby Weir said performing after such a long gap was scary. ‘‘But it’s what we need to be doing. The band has missed it, and we are excited. It’s time.’’
More than three years of work has gone into creating the album and Weir, who has moved to New Plymouth, said it wasn’t easy with everyone living in different cities.
But he said the band was ‘‘pumped’’ to showcase their new music. ‘‘It’s been two years of Covid, and so we are excited about bringing some new music out and connect with our fans again in New Zealand.’’
As well as the tour, the band have also released their new song Game Over, the fourth track from Love and Fire, their seventh studio album, which comes out on June 17.
Weir said the album was a collection of songs that would bring fans back to the core of what the Black Seeds were about.
‘‘It’s time to come back out again and celebrate some classics and hear some new music too.’’
Formed in Wellington in 1998, The Black Seeds are one of New Zealand’s most recognisable and popular live acts.
The tour starts at Wellington’s San Fran on June 23, then heads to New Plymouth’s Theatre Royal on June 25, Auckland’s Powerstation on June 30, Mount
Maunganui’s Totara St on July 1 and Hastings Pavilion on July 2, before heading to the South Island to visit Ngaio Marsh Theatre in Christchurch on July 8, and Wanaka’s Lake Wanaka Centre on July 9.
Tickets are on sale now.