Herrington 100 nears end for Proude family

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 588, 30 May 1995, Page 7

Herrington 100 nears end for Proude family

B\

Rachel

Williams

After 104 years of ownership, the Proude family of Herrington are selling their farm and beautiful colonial homestead which is located on a hillside overlooking the Mangawhero River between Raetihi and Ohakune. The original settler, PG Smith purchased Tawhiti

Ariki (or Herrington) in 1890 for its millable timber, chiefly rimu and totara. Once the timber had been milled he drove merino sheep from Karioi to graze his burned-off stump-filled farm. Unfortunately wild dogs ate many of the sheep to begin with. His son Philip Smith took over the farm in 1922 leading up to the de-

pression. Philip got through the depression by growing tulips and daffodils for nurseries in Levin. He also used his truck to cart timber to the Mangapurua Valley for the now-famous Bridge to Nowhere. After the Second World War the family set about bulldozing and dynamiting to clear away the remnants of logging. Leasing the farm out for three years to a market gardener helped prepare the land for grass seed and the sheep and cattle that were to follow. In 1984 Jamie Proude at the age of 17 bought the family' s first Simmental cow. His enthusiasm was the impetus for a now well-established Simmental stud. Social place Herrington has always been a social gathering place. PG Smith hosted many a cricket match, fishing party and golf tournament in its hey day when there where three mills and a thri ving community there. During Philip Proude' s time many people came to see the glorious garden and play bridge. Herrington was unscathed in the Raetihi fire and was a refuge for many people in 1918. During the

past few years Lesley Proude has held a "ho down" in the woolshed at the end of the ski season. The farm has a fishing cabin down by the river, and the homestead has been used for wedding receptions . As for the existing Proude family, the four daughters of Les (deceased) and Lesley Proude all live in

other regions. Jamie, the remaining son, intends buying another property where he can farm his stud, and Lesley Proude hopes to buy a home in Ohakune. Dorothy McNie, nee Proude, is philosophical about the move. "We are only caretakers of the land and it is time for a new caretaker".