PO Box 56076, Tawa Wellington 5249; Secretary ph 232 5901
Website: tawahistory.org.nz
The Tawa Historian
Newsletter #40 – February 2017
Dear Members and Friends,
A happy New Year to you all!
Report on the Tawa Memorial
Some, and perhaps many of you, will have seen that work has commenced on building the Tawa Memorial at the northern end of Oxford Street. The contractor, Maycrofts of Lower Hutt, began the construction on 23 January. Prior to work beginning, a letter was delivered to local residents at the northern end of Oxford Street explaining what was going to happen. Since 23/01/17 the following has occurred:
• four trees (one large casurina and three spindly pohutukawa) have been removed, to be later replaced by trees chosen by the Wellington City Council;
• concreting of the base for paving the approach to the Memorial proper has commenced;
• funding is now in place, and we have commenced making the first of numerous progress payments to the contractor;
• it is expected that the Memorial will be constructed by early April.
The Memorial will be unveiled and dedicated at a Service commencing at 10.00am on Saturday 22 April 2017. The Mayor of Wellington will unveil a Memorial plaque; students from Tawa College and Tawa Intermediate School will take part in unveiling the names of those died during wars; an Air Force band will attend; Air Vice Marshal Kevin Short, Vice Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, will speak, as will I; and the Order of Service for the unveiling is almost complete.
All members of the Tawa Historical Society are hereby invited to attend the opening. Please mark it in your diaries / calendars. The ceremony will be followed by refreshments in the adjacent RSA building.
Kind regards,
Bruce Murray
Chairman,
Tawa Historical Society