Irene Dallenger 1921 -

On 2^nd October 1921 Irene Dallenger, or Rene as she has always been known, was born in Levin. Her mother, Mrs Rankin, also was born in Levin, her grandparents having been some of the early settlers in the area.

She and her three younger brothers grew up in a house, down Keepa Street without today’s mod cons. They made their own entertainment. One of her favourite pastimes was playing rounders, rather similar to cricket. She and her brothers made bats out of old pieces of wood. Coming from an average family with caring parents, times were hard.

As a child she remembers Levin to have been a small but close, friendly community. She played with the other children in the neighbourhood and neighbours shared many things, such as fruit and vegetables from their gardens.

When the time came for her to begin school, she attended Levin Central. At the time it was the only school in the area. Right nest to the primary school building was a separate building for senior pupils which included a cooking room for the girls and a woodwork room for the boys from Standard 4 upwards. Rene Dallenger vividly remembers biking to school and in fact biking everywhere.

Another favourite activity was tracking the bush trails down the end of Queen Street. Also, situated in Oxford Street north of Queen Street was a picture show with the black and white silent movies with captions shown at the bottom on the screen. Levin had few shops and no mall. The roads were gravel and Rene remembers the common sight of horses and carriages alongside increasing numbers of cars.

At an early age Rene developed a great interest in flowers, but upon leaving school she worked not with flowers but in a shoe shop for eight years as jobs in floristry were scarce.

During World War Two she joined the Army which would lead her to meet her husband Jack who had joined the Air Force and was stationed down Kimberley Road. It was at one of the regular dances they held at the air base that they found one another. Mrs Dallenger made all of her gowns for dances as her mother had taught her to sew.

She shares many happy memories of living her lifetime in Levin. A few years later her mother fell ill and she left the Army. Shortly after Jack was discharged because of his health through Active Service. They got married in 1944 and bought some land down Mabel Street in Weraroa, where they built a house.

They had two sons, Jack was a horticulturist and together they went into working with plants and flowers. Rene by this stage had become a skilled florist.

In 1962 she was called to a meeting at St Johns hall for anyone interested in flowers. She met many friendly people that night and found that those at the meeting shared many interests in common. The meetings became regular and the Floral Art Garden Club still exists to this day. She remains a keen member and was made a Life Member in 1970s.

In 1969 Rene won a Flora Arts Award organised by the National Council of State Gardens Club USA. She and Mrs Maud Hinde, another flower lover, won awards for their floral arrangements.

Rene says that flowers have fulfilled her life.