NAMING THE STREETS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 250, 16 December 1940, Page 8

NAMING THE STREETS

EARLY WHAKATANE DAYS TASKS FOR FIRST BOROUGH COUNCIL CONTROVERSY OVER THE SACRED ROCK When the first Whakatane Borough Council was elected in 1917 one of its tasks was to name most of the streets. How this came about was related tof a representative of the BEACON by Mrs Laura H. Slieat, ai pioneer resident of Thornton who now lives in Auckland.

"When avc came to the district in 1915 the town of Whakatane Avas administered by a Town Board," said Mrs Slieat. "The only street Avhicli seemed to have a name Avas? the Strand. It really Avas a Stranc\ then, for the tide lapped against the outer edge of the roadAvay opposite the Whakatane Hotel, and came up' to the back doors of shops near the post office, and higliAvater mark was just across the road from the Commercial Hotel. All the acres of reclamation work was'done while the 191-1-18 Avar Avas in progress. "What struck us as amusing Avas •that householders Avere privileged to graze coavs on the sides of the residential streets. There Avas a coav lax, just like the dog tax, and the ToAvn Clerk collected 2/6 or so and issued cow collars for every cow grazing on the roads. Of course they were all quiet, house cows, and there Avas plenty of grass, no footpaths, and practically no motor cars, only buggies and riding horses. The coavs seemed to liaA r e "the freedom of the citj T .

Request for Street Names,

"The new Borough Council wanted the public to send in names for the streets Avhich were then nameless. News of this appeared in tha local paper, then "The Whakatane Press," of which Mr E. W. Beckett was proprietor. ' One remark by a councillor as repeated in the Press of that time comes to mind. This councillor urged the need for naming what is now Domain lioad, by saying that he had heard it said: "Where does so-and-so live?" "Oh, on the road to the cemetery." And of course we were all of us,"on the road to the cemetery," for lias not a poet written "To every man upon this earth death cometh soon or later." So dwellers in Domain Road did not like to be reminded that they had "one foot in the grave," being "on the road to the cemetery" 'We thought out names in our 'household," said Mrs Sheat in reminiscent mood, "and some were serious names and some mentioned humorously. We suggested Bridge Stceet, at the entrance to the Bor-, ougli, and there it is to-day. Likewise Ave suggested Clifton Road for the tlioroughlare which the council had just then completed at the foot of the cliif by using thousands of lons of rock for reclaiming the mudlUlt on the other side of the Strand, where the Grand Theatre was built 20 years ago. I believe, we also first suggested Commerce Street, because at that time business premises were beginning to line this street, and it was generally supposed that it would oust the Strand from the position of the main street of Whakatane.

J King Street and Domain Road 1 , ''We suggested facetiously that what was then the leading residential street be named Midas Street, because it was Avhere those who had done well in the new land of promise lived. There were quite a number of successful speculators living there then, and everything they touched had "turned to gold," as with old King Midas. Some of them suffered reverses in after years. But the council called this King Street. "For "tlic read to the cemetery" we suggested "Concord Road," after the quotation "the dusty Concord Road." It was a dusty road in those days before tan-sealing and footpaths, for the soil in that part is sandy. We thought "concord would be suitable for the road where "the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep" I wrote: "All who differed on the question of the removal of the Rocl< could lie down in peace and concord at the end of the road." But the council called it Domain Road. At that time the Domain extended right to the road, but now the frontage is occupicd by State houses and the school, so perhaps the street needs renaming—may be Brabant Street, after the first Mayor,- Mr G. A. Brabant, who has been for so long a notable resident of Whakatane.

The Sacred Rock.

' "This question of demolishing the Rook was a burning thought. The Rock was in the road, so they wanted to blow it up for road metal and so as to extend the Strand,. The Maoris were up in arms (not literally) against such a move by new-' comer jpaltelias. It was to them a sacred rock. Their veneration for Pohuturoa and their fine sensibility Avere outraged. I could understand their hurt feelings, having myself a veneration for tradition. So Avlien I took my street names to the new Mayor (Mr Brabant) with my congratulations on his election, Tasked if I could say a few words in protest against the removal of the* Rock. I said 'Your Worship, I am hurt to my very soul at the thought of demolishing that sacred and venerable rock. I feel about it just as 1 if I were one of the noble Maori race. Let it stand. (At that time the road was between the Rock and the hill—such a unique entry into the town —and the tide lapped the outer edge where is now the main road). 'Noav,' I continued, 'there arc divided opinions on the question; but I have found that if there is a difficulty one cannot get over, | JjUst go round it. Go round the Rock. Widen the road from Avhere Ave branch off to"our Rock Pass. Reclaim the land on the foreshore and make a real Strand of it, as in London, with shops on both sides, and so a beautiful entrance to the toAvn.

Foundation in Mercy and Justice. "We were pleased to read that at the meeting of the council it was' resolved to let the old sacred Rock stand. The Maoris were grateful and jubilant. What a success the reclaiming of the. foreshore has been. And so the new town of Whakatane was founded on mercy and justice, and .both Maori and Pakcha were united as in the words: Behold how blessed a thing it is for brethern to dwell together in unity, brethren to dwell together in unity, the memorial to the great chief Hurunui Apanui, and to'the soldiers of the last war who gave their lives for freedom. At that Rock one touches the Gates of Heaven. I am far away, but I think of its sacred Karaka trees and its wonderful his-

tory."

Mrs Sheat added, in regard to the naming of the streets, that public interest in this subject was much less than in that regarding the Rock. For the Press reported that "only one list of suggested street names, that of Mrs Sheat," had come in. "So the council gave citizens another four weeks to send in names. We thought there should be some Maori names, such as th'c names of the canoes In which ttto Maoris came „to New Zealand. A[ name could not be found for the short street leading to the Police Station and Courthouse. I sent in "Equity Street/' for it was being called in derision "Bobby Street."