"Waiuta Mine"

1. In the hills behind Blackwater,
Where the gold was rich and fine,
Dwelt in nineteen forty-nine a
busy township around the mine.

Chorus -
Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling,
Waiuta Mine,
Thou art lost and gone forever, Dreadful sorry,
Waiuta mine

2. They had dances, they had pictures;
And the folk were mighty fine,
In the hall they'd often gather,
Seven hundred ninety-nine.

(Chorus)

3. They had sports and games in plenty;
Matches when the sun did shine
Filled them with the joy of living,
Of the future, not a sign.

(Chorus)

4. But the gold grew scare and scarcer,
Fate approached with dark design;
Shafts below were near collapsing -
They were forced to close the mine.

(Chorus)

5. Then the township of Waiuta
Soon began to peak and pine,
Til in nineteen fifty-nine the
Ghosts were walking at the mine.

(Chorus)

6. Now the people of Waiuta meet with every friend in line
Scattered far, they come together, re
Membering the dear old mine

(Last Chorus)



Words by E.A.McCarrigan, Greymouth, January 1960.
Published in Ed. C. Chandlers book 'Waiuta Ghosts', July 1962.



I think that that song was written for, and sung at, one of the first Waiuta re-unions - a picnic day up there in 1960.

At the entrance to the town there was a big banner across the tar-sealed Top Road, which read "Welcome Back to Waiuta."

How do I know that? I was there! We went up on a bus from Reefton. I nearly didn't get to go as I had to shovel a ton of coal into the woodshed before we left.

Shoot! That was a long time ago!

There is still huge nostalgia around Waiuta. Probably because it died so quickly and they were all in the same boat - "up the creek without a paddle."

cheers

Sausages!

There was a butcher in Reefton, who had better remain nameless, (but it was Austin). He had a 'hair lip' which made him talk funny - he couldn't pronounce 'esses'. These days they correct it, but back then people just lived with it.

The butcher's shop had an 'in' door and an 'out' door with a counter across on the inside. The building is still there, i think it's a cafe now. It was a great joke, for kids, to go in one door, sing out "Hello Aufftin!", and race out the other door before he could catch us.

One day, a guy came to town who also had a hair lip. He was staying in the Bellbird Motels at the bottom of the main street. He went into the butcher's, Austin came to the counter, and he asked for "a pound of faufageff"

Austin said, "What did you fay?"

"A pound of faufageff."

He picked up the meat-cleaver. "I'll give you faufageff, you Barftard!" And he chased him all the way back to the motel.

The whole town was wetting themselves. Poor guy did nothing wrong. Austin was just used to kids taking the piff out of him.

cheers

One of These Days, I'll Get the Camera Back!

Meanwhile :-

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Now that I'm 'older' (but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered:

1. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.

3. I finally got my head together; now my body is falling apart.

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded .

5. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded .

6. All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.

7. If all is not lost, where is it?

8. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

9. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded .

10. Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.

11. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few . . .

12. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.

13. Accidents in the back seat cause kids.

14. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded .

15. It's hard to make a come back when you haven't been anywhere.

16. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.

17. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

18. When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?

19. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded .

20. It's not hard to meet expenses . . . they're everywhere.

21. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

22. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.




24. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...


cheers

Suzie Dean

This is my model of Suzie Dean's house in Side Road, Waiuta. I have got photos of the real house and of Suzie herself, but i can't upload them because - well, it won't!

In the real town, there's not a trace of the house but there are two huge pine trees growing where the front gate used to be. Suzie's son, Lance, was working in the Forest Service nursery in Reefton, as a teenager, and he 'borrowed' a couple of seedlings and planted them there when he went home for the weekend.

Suzie was a friend of my grandmother and was a well-known resident & character in Waiuta. As the oldest-attending ex-resident, she was the one who cut the cake at the reunion dinner in 1986 - while the band played, "If you knew Suzie, like I knew Suzie, Oh what a gal!"

She was also the one who took an umbrella with her to every rugby game, regardless of the weather, just in case she disagreed with the ref's decisions. Alec Goodmanson told me that, as a boy, he was running down the short-cut track, through the Manuka scrub, in the centre of Waiuta, and he came across Suzie, in all her Sunday best - fur coat and all - lying face-down in the mud, as drunk as a lord. He helped her walk, (stagger?), home.

In later years, Suzie lived at Crushington, east of Reefton. As a boy, i used to bike out there to see her and her pet deer - named Sally. She had an amazing house. Crushington was a dying town and Suzie had several empty houses moved and joined on to hers. Quite eccentric, but very cool to a boy.

One room was filled with a huge table that had a model farm on it - field & roads, animals, people and buildings. It fascinated me, but i wasn't allowed to touch it. I think that's where i got interested in modelling in the first place. Scarred for life. Thanks Suzie.

cheers

Not Something You See Everyday

I don't even drive a car!

What we were doing was taking some 'aerial' photos of the village by standing up with a camera in the elevated bucket on the tractor. Well, Benji was standing up. I was going to, but the blasted thing moved, so i sat down & stayed down. As you do.



cheers

This is Totally Weird!

But it's fun too, and fascinating. Have a look at http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/games/magic-gopher-central.swf
(just click on the arrow and follow instructions).

cheerrs

Waiuta People!

Well, person. This is Myra Gibb, nee McDonald and her hubby - he's not a Waiuta person.


cheers

Call Off the Police Search

All better now. It was Ben's fault - he just moved the Police Station out the back because it needed small repairs.



cheers

Guess What?

No photos today - it won't upload.

I guess it's not in the mood - probably got a head-ache or something.

cheers

OI!! Who Stole the Police Station?

Went back to "work" today, after a few days in Christchurch,(which i am SO over btw). I was showing someone around the Reefton village and the Police Station was gone!

What am i going to do? Call the police?



cheers