Waiopehu College students

Description

These excerpt were collected by students from Waiopehu College. Their brief was to speak with older residents in Levin. The work was carried out in 2005.

I remember back to when it was Christmas in the late 60s early 70s. Everyone was celebrating and my father’s work , the Horowhenua Electric Power Board were having their annual Christmas party. All the workers brought their children and we all gathered at the old hall down Durham Street. Trestle tables filled the floors, coverd with lollies, ice-cream and drinks. Then Father Christmas would come and give all the children presents, lollies and oranges. Once Father Christmas had gone we would walk down to the Little Theatre and watch the afternoon performance. Those were the days when we really celebrated and had fun.

In September 2001 the government made the official announcement that the last institution in New Zealand for people with an intellectual disability was to close. This is the Kimberley Centre situated just south of Levin township.

On February 25th 1981 The Grand Hotel on Oxford Street burned down. The Grand was first established in 1911 by Staples Brewery. Nobody was upstairs at the time of the fire which meant that fortunately no-one died. The fire started at 5.20pm. on Wednesday evening. The people who were in the building came outside with their jugs of beer, crossed over the road to the garage and watched the Hotel burn to the ground.
50 Firemen were brought from Levin, Shannon, Foxton and Otaki. Palmerston North fire commantder Mr L. Te Koeti arrived 30 m9n. later to help out.
Cobb and Co was built on the foundations almost as soon as the rubble from the Grand Hotel was cleared.

In 1986 the butcher shop on the corner of Keepa and Oxford Streets was demolished to make way for the Weraroa Shopping Centre.
The shopping centre opened in early 1987 and consisted of 12 new shops filled by 4 existing businesses and 8 new ones. The four existing businesses were the butchery, the pharmacy, a fish and chip shop and a book shop. Some of the new shops included a bakery, a restaurant, a hair salon, a wool shop and a café. Over the years businesses there have changed hands and new ones have been established bringing opportunities to Levin.o

Mrs Irma Murray, widow of Don Murray
Irma has told me a few stories…
She told me how Don Murray was involved in the rescuing of the old Kai Whare from the banks of Lake Papaitonga. It was in poor condition and in danger of collapsing and being lost forever to New Zealand. The government arrinaged frothe Kai Whare to be removed from the base, the most decayed part of the house. They shipped the house to England. There it was fully restored and displayed in the great exhibition in London.

Many years later it was returned to NZ and is displayed in the Te Papa museum to this day. The carving is really intricate. If you go to Te Papa it is the smaller Maori building you climb up a ladder to see food being displayed. Don Murray found several pieces of carving just after the building was removed. He used these to decorate the sign proudly displaying the name of their Papaitonga. The actual name Papaitonga was carved from the Maori family, even the children helped. This is positioned opposite our house to this day.

Identification

Date

2006