Raetihi reminiscing

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 460, 3 November 1992, Page 5

Raetihi reminiscing

Raetihi celebrates its centenary next year and to mark the occasion longtime residents have put pen to paper to prqduce brief histories of the town 'as they see it'. Ida Matthews nee Ford has the foilowing memories: I was born in a house on Valley Road, my birth certificate 18.6.06 is signed by S King of Raetihi. After the Government had purchased 458-580 acres of land from the Maori for 2/6 an acre in 1887, 6850 acres were set aside for the small settlement of Waimarino. Small farm associations were formed in 1892. These were in Marton, Wanganui, Bulls and Sanson. My father Mr L S Ford joined the last mentioned The foilowing rules had to be observed: Each organisation had 34 members, no purchasee could have more than 320

acres, no purchasee to be under the age of 17, each purchasee had to pay a 10/- deposit per acre. So it was that my father and others from the Sanson District, acquired land in Raetihi between 1892-95. In October 1895 Stanley Ford married Elizabeth Crouchic in Sanson, they came to live in Valley Road. Mrs Battersby has written about the hardships of these early days and the difficulties of travel but those hardy early settlers formed friendships that lasted many many years. My parents had four children and I am the only surviving member. Maberalle and Elsie went to school in Raetihi with Herb and Eileen Boulton and Kathy Havin. I've been told by the late Elizabeth Allen that those early school records were lost in the big Raetihi fire.

My other sister and I did not go the Raetihi School as we shifted to Manunui in 1909. I think the farm was sold to Mr Laird and in much later years to Mr Dave Scarrow, but I'm not sure of that. My father was an early supplier of the Dairy Company, represented Raetihi on the Bash of DG board. During my years as a boarder at the Wanganui Girls College I met up with Lurlean Read, Dorothy Ashwell, Marjorie Sandford and Gwen Sigley, all well known names in Raetihi.

Evolution

One of Australia's leading creation researchers will be speaking in Raetihi in November. John Mackay is the director of the Creation Research Centre in Australia. He has lectured and conducted research around the world. He has published many articles and appeared widely on radio, television and public seminars in universities and schools. A geologist by profession, Mr Mackay claims to have overwhelming evidence against evolution, and for , creation., The topics to be covered during his presentation include, fossil records, carbondating and the appearance of dinosaurs. He will speak at the Raetihi Primary School on Friday 13 November.