PO Box 56076, Tawa Wellington 5249; Secretary ph 232 5901
Website: tawahistory.org.nz
The Tawa Historian
Newsletter #55 – August 2021
Dear Members and Friends and Supporters,
I am writing to you all as the newly-elected Chairman of the Tawa Historical Society following the recent AGM.
Bruce Murray
Firstly I would like to formally acknowledge and thank Bruce for the contribution he has made as Chairman of the Society for the past twenty years. Without his dynamic and enthusiastic leadership the Society would not be in the strong position, both reputationally and financially, that it is in today. We on the Executive are grateful for Bruce’s leadership and are grateful that he will still be available for advice and research on historical matters, although stepping down from formal leadership group..
Activities of the Society
The Society currently has several projects on the go or in an embryonic state. These will continue through to fruition. We on the Executive will continue to work together on more projects, be it writing or recording Tawa’s history in other ways, as time goes by. The aims of the Society (to encourage study of the history of the Tawa district; to encourage research into the history of the district; to foster an appreciation of the achievement of all the inhabitants of the Tawa district; and to advocate for the conservation of sites or documents of historical interest) remain the same.
Currently in the pipeline, and both the fruits of Bruce’s labours, are;
• A refresh of “The Streets of Tawa”, originally published in 2002. It will be updated with information received since 2002 about some mysteries in the original book and some minor errors will be corrected.
• A history of the Tawa Cricket Club. Originally thought to have been formed after the Second World War, Bruce has unearthed some information about the club’s first competitive appearances dating back to the 1870s.
A history of the Linden Tennis Club is also nearing completion. This work was specifically commissioned by the members of the former club. While the print-run is largely intended for those members, a few extra copies may be made available for general sale.
Tawa Cemetery
The guest speaker at the AGM spoke about the Wellington City Council’s work, as part of its city-wide cemetery plan, on preparing to survey the existing site of Tawa Cemetery and recording as much information as possible on those buried there. The Society, as local subject-matter-experts, will be closely involved in the work as it progresses.
A suggestion made at the AGM was that ground radar be used to confirm where the bodies of those buried there are actually located. The radar ought also to be able to determine exactly where the first Anglican church was located on the site and whether there were any other burials there, records of which have been lost since the early 20th century.
Spring Into Tawa
The Tawa Historical Society will have a stand at this year’s event on Saturday, 30 October, COVID permitting of course.
Copies of our past publications, some of which are close to being out of print, will be available for sale on the day.
Introducing David Parsons
I have lived in Tawa since November 1981, originally in Linden and latterly in Redwood. I have an interest in researching and writing about historical matters and have written a handful of books on my main hobby interests, railways and cricket. I am married to Cathie and we have four grown-up children who all live reasonably locally.
Please contact me with any queries, concerns and bright ideas about the Tawa Historical Society; phone 232 6339.
With kind regards,
Bruce Murray
Acting Chair,
Tawa Historical Society