History corrected

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 425, 25 February 1992, Page 6

History corrected

• I would like to correct some misconceptions the public might have from a report which appeared in the 1 Bulletin after a Waimarino Community Board meeting. The township of Ohakune was not surveyed in 1892. It was the Small Farm Settlement Act surveys which were made in 1892. They included land adjacent to Ohakune and Raetihi and were generally settled by those who were hoping to become farmers and businessmen. The town of Ohakune was designated on the Clifton No 1 Special Settlement Block survey map (1982) but it was also designated when the Raetihi (not referring to the present town) Block was surveyed by John Annabell in 1886 and also the Rangataua Block alongside which lies the township of Ohakune by Thorpe in 1879. This land was subsequently purchased by the Crown in 1881. I am surprised that General Manager Cliff Houston could suggest after reading a small article about one family that 1893 could be an appropriate date. A correction to Colin Webb's statement: Only part of Ohakune was sold in 1907. Sections had already been sold from the surveys of 1895 and 1896, at the special sale of Ohakune town sections made in April of 1896, even though a few titles date from 1891. There are many dates one could use as a reason for a celebration: • Maori entry in the Waimarino 13th - 14th century) • First European

Settlement Karioi and district 1860-70 (a bit late for a centennial) • Waimarino County constituted 1902 - first meeting 1903. • Town District made: Ohakune 1908, Raetihi 1912. • Karioi Post Office opened 1886. • Ohakune and Raetihi Post Offices opened 1894. • Ohakune and Raetihi schools opened 1896. My suggestion to the community is:- forget the parochial Ohakune versus Raetihi trivia, and work together, as a district of this size should. Although it may be good to celebrate in 1992, 1 feel more impact would be made if we celebrated 100 years of education in our district and that would include everyone, and create less difficulty for many people. It took me 12 years of my spare time to write and get my book on Ohakune published. I suggest councillors spend some time reading it and use it as a refer-

ence

Merrilyn

George