AN HISTORIC PILE

Evening Star, Issue 23382, 27 September 1939, Page 13

AN HISTORIC PILE

LARNACH’S CASTLE PROVINCIAL CENTENARY MEMORIAL EXPANSION LEAGUE'S SUGGESTION Historic Larnach’s Castle at Highcliff was commended at the annual meeting last night of the Otago Expansion League by the president (Mr H. M. Mackay) as being worthy of consideration as a memorial of the centenary of Otago in 1948. Air Mackay said that visitors from all over the world were amazed at the magnificence and enterprise attached to this building, built, as it were, in the dark ages. What about the Otago centenary in 1948, he asked. With a scenic highway oyer the Peninsula to the castle, returning by the Harbour road, what better attraction could a city have for its visitors or its own people? Air Alackay paid his personal tribute to what lie considered to be a splendid act of public motive when that interesting and historical landmark, Larnach’s Castle, was saved from the vicious bushman’s axe, as it wore. Of the many thousands of people who had visited this historic edifice annually not one had come away disappointed, but rather with an everlasting feeling of wonder and admiration, not only for the enterprise of an early _ pioneer settler, but for the enterprise and initiative of Air Purdio, who saved l this landmark from destruction and re-estab-lished it at great personal expense. Now that health prevented! him from living so far from town, the city and province was once more faced with the possibility of losing for all time this, one of the most, if not the most, interesting relics of the early days. The speaker said ho felt that there was ample justification for citizens to take this question up seriously by making provision for the future care of this historical landmark. The difficulty for the moment was to find a niche for this building as a public utility, and to help this end he had reason to believe that Mr Purdie would substantially assist. Air Mackay commended the proposal to the league’s consideration for the 1948 Otago provincial centenary.