Owen Earnest Maru

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 676, 4 March 1997, Page 6

Owen Earnest Maru

On Wednesday 29 January the Waimarino lost another of it's well-known characters — Owen Maru. Owen was born in Raetihi, the youngest son of the late Frank and Miriam Maru. Owen's father had worked on farms for most of his life, so farming was in Owen's blood from the beginning. At the age of seven he expressed concern that if he didn't leave school shortly, then there would be no work left for him. His family had drafthors,es on their property as well as a riding hack, but unfortunately there was no saddle for the hack. Owen was 1 1 when he paid £60 for his first saddle which he had earned from trapping possums. At 15 he left school and

started work for the Lawrences at the end of Te Hue Road. Dogs were a prerequisite for his employment and so this is when he begangathering 'TheGang' as Owen put it — a team of dogs which he said varied from the. brilliant down through to the "passengers". Horses were also a requirement of the high country shepherd and his love for these stayed with him throughout his life. From Te Hue he moved to Mangohane Station, out from Taihape, and then eventually returned to the Parapara Road to work for, among others, Dick Coleman. By this time shearing had become a passion for Owen and one of his great achievements was in participating

in the Golden Shears, finishing in the top 10. In 1966 he purchased his Ruatiti Valley farm. On more than one occasion said that the only way to clean muster the entire property would be to turn it upside down and shake it. Owen had a wonderful sense of humour and was very generous with his time. Owen married Joanne Vallance in 1987 andis survived by his wife and son Patrick.