That same year Mr. Thomas Mudgway opened a store in the township just east of where the Ohau Hall was later built. Late in 1893 when the saw-mill closed down, Messrs. Walkly brothers followed on with the store there, and about 1897 they moved to the township and opened a large store on the site where the store still operates, but which has changed hands many times over the years.
About 1894, Mr. Joseph Bettalani opened a general store on the Main Road about quarter of a mile north of the township which he continued to operate until his death in 1904, when Mr. Irvine took it over for some years, and was then followed by Mr. A. McLeavey.
In the year 1900 Messrs. Geary and Bassett opened a store on the Main Road south of the bridge and near the Kuku.
1893 saw a boot business opened and carried on by Mr. F.W. Pink, at the residence just east of the present subway. About the same time Mr. W.H. Wilson opened a bakery in premises which had been for many years the Post Office. In the early “nineties” Whiley brothers ran a butchery business, and in 1894 this was followed by one established south of the bridge by Mr. H. Saint.
Later again Messrs. Whiley and Cameron conducted a butchery just west of the Ohau Hall. This was later taken over by the Levin Meat Company.
Blacksmithing was an essential business in these early days and Mr. Crompton was first in the field at Ohau and had a forge at the saw-mill at the station during the mill’s operation. When the mill closed down in 1893, Mr. Crompton obtained permission from the Roads Board to erect a blacksmith shop on the side of the road leading to the school. This building, which was situated on the south side near the junction with Main Road, was later taken over by Mr. J. Giles who about 1904 re-built on the present site on the Main Road. The shop was later taken over by Mr. Ramsbottom who in 1912 disposed of it to Mr. E. Musso. The building was later used as a fish shop, but it is now in disuse.
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