PO Box 56076, Tawa Wellington 5249; Secretary ph 232 5901
Website: tawahistory.org.nz
The Tawa Historian
Newsletter #54 – June 2021
Dear Members and Friends,
Chair of the Tawa Historical Society
Prior to the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Tawa Historical Society, I gave notice that I wished to retire from the position of Chair of our Society. As you may recall, the Executive approached Gilbert Roper to see whether he could fill this position. He was happy to do so, but time and some health issues have prevented Gil from taking up that position, and he notified the Executive of that situation recently.
In these circumstances, your Executive gave further thought to this matter and have approached David Parsons. David has been a member of the Tawa Historical Society for many years. He has been part of the Executive for a decade or so. He has just concluded work on a book detailing the history of the Linden Tennis Club, at their request. He is an author in his own right, writing books about Wellington railways and New Zealand cricket. He is in full time employment with the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society as an auditor. He has the experience and skills to fill the role of Chair and has agreed to accept a nomination for this position.
Therefore, the Executive proposes to nominate David for the position of Chair of the Tawa Historical Society at the AGM to be held on 16 August 2021. That does not preclude any member from nominating another member for that position. But your Executive did not want members to think that we had given no thought to this important matter, and that we were simply waiting to see what might emerge in this regard from the Annual General Meeting.
I will continue as Chair of the Tawa Historical Society until the conclusion of this year’s AGM, after which I will step down. I do not propose to continue as a member of the Executive of our Society. I believe it is important to step away entirely from such a position of leadership. From time to time, as determined by the Executive, like any member I will happily undertake tasks that the Society may ask of me. I look forward to seeing you all at the 2021 AGM in the Tawa Community Centre, to be held at 7.30pm on Monday 16 August 2021.
Review of Wellington Cemeteries
Wellington City Council (WCC) is currently commencing a review of three of its Cemeteries - Karori, Makara, and Tawa. During last year it began a close look at its strategic and management plan for each of these three cemeteries, and issued a draft plan, about which feedback was requested. We met with the person responsible for this review, Shona McCahon, in July last year, and made an oral submission. We also met with her on the cemetery site. Shortly, the final plan for our Tawa Cemetery and the other two cemeteries will be completed. Once expected by late May, the final plan has been set back a little due to committee reorganization within the WCC but should emerge in late June or early July.
Given that the Tawa Cemetery is probably the premier historical site within Tawa, we are very interested in what may be proposed for this Cemetery. It is likely to become a recurring theme of work for our Society as we consider the final report, and hopefully can cooperate with its implementation. To this end, at the conclusion of the formal section of our AGM, Shona McCahon will speak to us about the Tawa Cemetery, and what is proposed for it. Please come to the AGM, and stay to listen to Shona, for it is, in my view, the first time that the WCC is deliberately undertaking a long term programme of an historical nature within Tawa, and we, as a Society should stand solidly alongside the WCC.
One of the issues we raised with Shona related to the back (western) boundary of the Cemetery. Beneath that boundary lie a good number of graves which have been ‘invaded’ by trees, shrubs and flax. We believe that the boundary needs surveying and clearing so that all will know where it lies, and what needs to be done so that the graves/gravestones can be revealed. Such work, Shona tells us, may be able to be commenced in WCC’s new financial year (after 1 July 2021). That would be good.
Reprints of THS published books:
We have sold out of our first print run of Mike Steer’s book on Takapu Valley. We are about to undertake a small reprint which will be available shortly. We will sell it at cost - $25 per book - and, as usual, it will be available from the Tawa Library, and from Books and More, 181 Main Road, Tawa. (Books that have a small publication run are inevitably dearer than those which have a longer run.)
Secondly, work has commenced on a reprint of our first, and our most successful publication, The Streets of Tawa. Since 2005, when it was published, our knowledge of Tawa’s history, and the number of streets in Tawa, have both increased, so a reprint is worth doing. It will be available sometime during the second half of 2022.
With kind regards,
Bruce Murray
Acting Chair,
Tawa Historical Society