WHAKATANE REVISITED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 38, 12 January 1943, Page 5

WHAKATANE REVISITED

AFTER 56 YEARS ABSENCE

EARLY DAYS RECALLED

Looking fit and well despilte his seventy years, Mr Theo P. Browne, of Gonville, who visited Whakatane during the New Year holidays in the course of a 995 mile cycling tour with his young son, Mr Elwin, Browne, had some interesting details of Whakatane's early days to recall when he interviewed a Beacon representative and 1 informed him that he was the son of one of "Whakatane's earliest school teachers, the late Mr W. F. Browne, and at the age of 13 left home and family to follow the more adventurous life at sea. Mr Browne who is particularly keen on cycling has completed many tours by this means in his colourful life. His machine is one which he bought second hand 34 years, ago and which has; served him on numerous tours in the North Island and one in the South embracing no less than 1360 miles. Town's More Hectic Days As a boy, he admits he. was something of an outlaw spending many days and nights; in the bush to escape punishment from his father who was a strict disciplinarian. On one of these occasions, he arranged to ride in the town's; first race meeting, staged in the Domain in 1886. Iji those days, he says, Whakatane was a pretty exciting place. The sehool was situated in the present Domain and the blue gum trees had been planted there by the first school teacher the town had known. He himself lived partly amongst the. Maoris and had become, in spite of his yeans something of a horseman. When he decided to go away to sea, the trading vessel which was returning from Opotiki sent a dinghy ashore at the Heads to pick him up. His. pony had become so attached to him that it swam after the dinghy nearly to the ship and had to be taken back ashore by force. 30 Years at Sea From that day on commenced a life full of adventure l and experiences dating over 30 years which he spent at sea. He saw the last of the wind-jammers and has served both on the picturesque old sailers and the more modern steam vessels. Many a yarn of those earlier days lie can recall, several of them unbelievable- in their flavour and desperate nature. During the last war he served, three, years with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and on returning home settled in Taranaki. Remarkable Growth Mr Browne is astounded at , the growth of the .town and more particularly at the. expansion at Oh ape where he said the beach formed nothing more or less than part of the deserted coastline. Ho left here in the year of the Tarawcra eruption and having returned 56 years, later had difficulty in finding any persons who recollected him in the earlier days. However he had an interesting talk with Mr George Creekc of the Heads, and also with W. Francis the latter being one of the early scholars who attended his father's school and was actually one of his classmates.