Refugees Arrive in Gnomeland

These refugees from deepest, darkest Auckland have arrived safely and taken up residence in Gnomeland.



This pair had a bit of trouble with their bench-seat on the way down, but it looks good like this.


This guy brought his own shovel and he has started work already.


Thanks to Isabella's Mum. Much appreciated.

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Visitors

They are really not fussy about who they let in here!
The school-groups -


Aussies (Actually a very nice Melbourne family, originally from India of course). -


Laurel and Hardy -


Benji's friend, Wade -


And even Coca Cola advertising icons -



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Seek and Ye Shall Find

(click on the pic.)



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Another Day, Another School

This lot, (and there was a lot), were from North Loburn School, in Canterbury.

They are over here, on a school camp at Moana, for the week and enjoying the West Coast sunshine. (It's a tough life for some!)

Great to see them. Nice kids (and parents/teachers).







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St. Canices School, Westport

This bunch of hoodlums was from St. Canices, Westport.




And this was their Getaway vehicle(s).



No - Great group of kids really. One of the nicest school parties we've seen, and there's been a few now.

They came down the Coast Road, from Westport, saw the village and had lunch then went to Waiuta for the afternoon and home via Reefton. A big day out, and great weather for it too!

This guy, Charlie Elley, was not one of the kids, he was a parent. I used to work with Charlie, 24 years ago. (Good grief!)


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Oops. I forgot.

The brave ones went for a ride on the Argo.

(If you click on a blog photo, it brings up a bigger imaghe).

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Oops. I forgot.

Reefton Ladies!

Had a great surprise today - a visit by a busload of Reefton RSA Ladies.

I learnt something too - When a bus comes up the hill and the gate into the village is open, the sign on the gate saying which way to go is not visible from the road. I think i'd better shift it. The bus almost carried on down the bikes' track which would taken them over top of the tunnel and that would NOT have supported the weight. We could've been on the TV news! (But not in a good way).

Anyway, it didn't happen. Great to see you ladies.

Some of them knew Waiuta, they all knew Reefton.










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While In the Newspapers

April 24 1930 - James Bernard Moroney, aged 50 years, fell over (possibly while drunk), and was asphyxiated by dust. B.T.Dougherty found him on the road and sent for Matron Hunt who pronounced him dead.

(He drowned - in dust! On a Waiuta street! - See, it doesn't rain all of the time. The Prohibition Mine-shaft was actually named, as a miner's joke, because they sometimes ran out of water and couldn't work).

Mind you :- 3 March 1920 - "The drought lasted for four days and now we have weather fit for ducks!"

Umm, yeah.

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It was a Hard Life

From the Grey River Argus - Waiuta Notes.

3 March 1931. Audrey Hocking, aged 1 year, has died of meningitis. Her family has been in waiuta for 6 months.

20 February 1938 Ethel Louisa May Hocking has died, aged 6 years, from meningitis.

14 April 1938 Leola Hocking, aged 9 years, has died from tubercular meningitis.

4 May 1938 Pauline Joyce Hocking, aged 10 years, has died from tubercular meningitis.

23 Setember 1938 The funeral of Mrs. Ethel Louisa Hocking took place in Reefton on September 20. The deceased, who had been in ill health from tubercular meningitis for some months, was a 28 year-old native of Cornwall who arrived in Waiuta 8 years ago.

The hand of death has fallen heavily on the family during the past few months. Four of the children, and now the mother, have passed away. The deceased leaves two children besides her husband.

(A child died in 1931 of meningitis, 6 months after their arrival from Cornwall).

We Put Another Building Out!

This is 'the Adams' Family Home', or the 'Haunted House'. We took it out and screwed it down yesterday.

That doubles the number of buildings now installed in New Bekonscot Model Village - ie.2. I struggle with putting my babies out in the weather; but summer's coming and we can't put it off forever.

This house is actually the only 'american' one that i've built. It was built to an actual plan in an 1875 book.

Next month, we might put another one out.





cheers