A Waiuta Wedding

This is our version of the Thorn wedding party, standing outside Granny Cole's store, opposite the hotel, in the Top Road, Waiuta; and the photo that it was inspired by/copied from. Actually - it looks nothing like it! (But, at least it's in colour).

I once had two little-old-lady visitors. They were standing laughing at the scene. They were two of the little girls in the picture, 60-odd years ago. Funny.

The Lake Mess Monster

Michael went along the side of the lake & tidied it up, with his digger, making it wider, which was good. He threw the rubbish out into the lake, unfortunately some of the weeds showed above the surface of the water, which was not good - left alone they would've grown and spread across the lake.

So, somebody had to get out there and remove everything showing above the surface. (not a bad job on a sunny afternoon).





He got a bit wet - not the hair though!


cheers

Big Day Yesterday

Benji finished a project that he's been working on; which happens all too rarely. (He's almost as bad as me!)






Oh - yeah. the Hagglunds arrived too - Michael's new all-terrain passenger carriers.

A Visitor to Reefton

Guess who visited Reefton, and stayed overnight in Dawson's Hotel, in 1920?



No - not the one on the right. It was his friend, the one in the middle.



They put a flush toilet in his room - the first one in the town. Don't know where it flushed to, it was the only one in the town.

Louis Schmitt, grandson of Louis Schmitt who organised the Royal Visit sent us copies of the programme etc. Thanks.

(He also sent a copy of the blotter with the prince's signature on it - Granddad pinched it from the hotel room.)

cheers

New/Old Waiuta Photos

These are a couple of photos from the memoirs of Louis John Schmitt who was the company accountant in Waiuta in 1911 - thanks to his grandson, Louis.

The poppet head - the tall structure over top of the mine shaft - was the one built by my great-grandfather. The one modelled in the village is much taller and is from the later era.

I think that's a line of nappies in the second pic - what a hard life! The men worked hard but i think the women worked harder, their day didn't finish after 8 hours.

Progress on New Bekonscot

This scan, if you can read it, is of an article in the latest 'West of the Alps' - a tourist paper.




cheers