Ohakune Times arrives in 1905

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 233, 1 March 1988, Page 8

Ohakune Times arrives in 1905

The Ohakune Times was first published in 1905 and preceded the - Waimarino County Call (reviewed last week) by t h r e e years. However unlike the Call which was printed and published i n Raetihi and could therefore be regarded as the first truly Waimarinobased newspaper, the Ohakune Times remained a Taihape production for its first three years. It was distributed in the Waimarino as a thrice-weekly newspaper (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) at the cost of one penny. It was a broadsheet format and usually ran to four pages. Without the benefit of the automated electronic processes we know today - particularly in the field of word processing and typesetting - these early newspapers were set entirely by hand. Each single piece of type had to be lifted individually from its font and placed in the correct position within

the printing forme. It is perhaps not surprising therefore, with three editions per week, that much of the advertising content of the paper remained the same with only a few minor changes of copy to announce the arrival of new stock or a new service. It was only in the editorial content of the newspaper that each edition had to be re-set to bring readers the latest news. It wasn't until 19 0 8 when a partnership was

formed between the Waimarino County Call and the Ohakune Times following the installation of the Waimarino's first printing press in the Seddon Street, Raetihi, premises of Lawrence Fryer and Frederick John Jones, that the Ohakune Times became a wholly owned and operated Waimarino newspaper. According to the imprint on those early editions of The Ohakune Times, Frederick Jones was the proprietor and publisher

and Lawrence Fryer was the printer. The partnership between Jones and Fryer did not last long, however, for within a year it was dissolved and both partners went their separate ways with Fryer taking over the Waimarino County Call and Jones the Ohakune Times. Jones' involvement with the Times could not have lasted very long either because in 1910 it was reported that the paper was to be in the charge of Mr P.J. Dunne of Wellington, a "joumalist of extensive

experience on the New Zealand Press." The appointment o f Mr Dunne apparently followed a bid from a Mr Claridge of the Taumarunui Press a month earlier to take over the Ohakune Times. These negotiations seem to have fallen through. We have been unable to obtain a copy of any of the early Ohakune, Times newspapers between 1905 and 1907 (perhaps some reader can help?) but we have seen a copy dated July 8 1908. A copy of the single

title newspaper dated Monday, February 1, 1909 is pictured. It wasn't until sometime in 1910 that the sub-titles: "Rangataua Advocate and Waimarino Gazette" were added to the original single title: "The Ohakune Times." While we haven't been able to check this out, the inclusion of these two additional titles probably occurred when Patrick Dunne took over as proprietor in 1910. The new titles were probably those of two locally-distributed new-

sheets which might have been seen in Rangataua and Raetihi soon ^after the turn of the century until they wereabsorbed by the Ohakune Times. The earliest copy of the paper we have seen incorporating all three titles was dated Saturday December 9, 1911 (pictured). This copy, worse for wear due to the attentions of slaters and silverfish, bore the title: Ohakune Times, Rangataua Advocate and Waimarino Gazette (pictured). It was, according to the imprint on its back page: "printed and published by Charles Cecil Nation for the Proprietor, Patrick J. Dunne, at the. Printing Office, Kerr's Buildings, Church Street, Ohakune, in the County of Waimarino, New Zealand." Church Street, Ohakune? This is now Moore Street where the present Borough Camping ground is sijuated and the Ohakune Times printing office in Kerr's Building is believed to have been next door to the Waimarino Brass Band's present club rooms at the entrance to the carnp. NEXT WEEK: Times have changed.