TOWN BEAUTIFYING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 April 1925, Page 6

TOWN BEAUTIFYING.

SOME HISTORY

PARK AND OTHER. GARDENS. Mention was made by bis Worship thb Mriyor iii his Very ihtfereSting summing up of some of the work done in the borough during his term of office, of the breathing spaces ih Hawera for the people. And there is no doubt that in.the places to which he referred, the Park gardens and playing fields, the tower promenadp and garden; the little lawn round the memorial arcly, the town 'has three beauty spots of which her citizens may justly. Ire proud. All have been the subject of real and genuine admiration by visitors to the town. It is feared, 'however, that many of the people do not appreciate them as they should, nor give credit to those far-seeing men of earlier days who in.their wisdom, niade these possible, nirr to those who carried on the work so well begun.

Visitors from other places have wandered round, the Park and its gardehs and marvelled at their beauty. “I have been to and through Hawera on many occasions,” said a Wellington man the other day, after a walk.right round froip the entrance, ‘‘and . I Had no idea Hawera had such a beauty spot. There are few prettier parks in the. Dominion. I consider it should be. better known.” Prom the handsome and massive memorial gates, right along the lawns and paths.to the lakes, past the pretty garden nooks and shrubberies; round ■the walks on the south side, through the very striking palm grove and the beautiful fernery, where one walks in coolness underground in the hottest weather rind theit out on to the very fine sports ground—cricket, hockey, tennis, bowls—the park is h ‘‘tiling of behutv” .aiid a resort that should jbe ‘‘a iby for ever” to the people of file towii, To those who laid hilt the plan —aiid oii'e recalls in t this respect the good wohk. of Mr. C. . Goodsoil, tile Maybi’s hiicl tlie various, bands 'of .councillors, the citizens who bequeathed funds to build the fernery and the smaller lake and Fountain, those, who gave the , seats dotted about oyer tlif lawns, aiid the former aiid present takers, Mr. . A s> . McNeil and Mr, Lay and the staff who have done such fin*

woi’K—the citizens of the own owe a very great deal. It is a beauty spbt for'which future generations will feel grateful, alid which will make them think well of those who have gone before them.

HISTORY OF THE PARK. The origin of the scheme under which King Edward Park has become such a remarkable- fine asset to the towii will no doubt be of interest to present day residents, especially to those who know it diilv as it is now of Within the.last year or two. - , When Mr. C. Goodson was on the council, the reserve was used as a. horse paddbek and leased to Mr. Faiber, who paid for the. 28 acres about £29 per annum. The land was bordered by a. fringe, of straggly plnus insigniis trees, but Mr. Goodson, who is one of the keenest students of horticulture bii the coast, saw the. possibilities of a scheme of beautifying which wotild convert a rough paddock into a garden and Dark. (He obtained permission, from the theit Mayor, Mr. B. C. Robbins, to make a beginning, and with a man mimed A. McNeil, lie set to work ,to get five acres under plantation. The land was ploughed and cultivated and kept under cultivation for a year of more while the pines were felled and boxthbrri hedges planted. “Then;” said Ml*. Goddsiii, “we put in a circle where later the Fantham memorial was placed, and ran pathways diagonally from that as a centre.” The work went on well for a time until a new Mayor enme into office, who considered too hiuclt money wits being spent, aiid the work experienced a check.’ This wds overcome, and gfadiially the scheme hegriri to unfold itself ail’d to shade towards its present farm. After some years good work, Mr. A McNeil gave up the job and Mr. Lay was appointed "to the position, and he has continued iii charge of the park grduiids arid is still there. In order that a plan might be aVailable tb which to work, the competitive designs wel-e called for, and a blrin contributed .by “Aloha” still tb be se'Ch at the Borough. was accepted. .This ebiriprised u scheme foi- tile whole area, from High Street to the A. arid P. grounds, including the Technical High School areh. It is of interest to note that the area to the sbiith of the bowling green, entraribfe has to soine extent been kept tb the plan. The school site was to/ have been a botanical giirdeh, aiid, wlieii latef.it was fohnd jmposSilffe to have tliat yportibii done, the lake IVfts prit iii tile present position. the iriohey being collected bv the Model Yacht Club.

Space ivas left- for a firie sparis ground, oval in design, round which was to have been a circular “racing track, 440 yards in circumference.” This Wa& to be in the northern section abutting oil the Waihi Rbad and- down to the lake.

A good few years age the late Mr. J Macklairi gave a sum of money with Wliicli wtis made the little take let aiid fo.uhtairi, arid cohiriierii.eFatiori tablet which fvaS tin veiled by .'AtiSs Goodson.

Ffrini tiirie to tihie, as funds were available, a bit of land Was taken in. Tile oßcket area was marked blit Arid fot-med. then followed the tennis'coiltts iihd tlie Rowliiig Club’s greens, valid bf tliilt 'outer area there remains now biily the 'extreme riorthefn eoriiei- to be included. .That will mean the cnmjiletibn of the whole of the original urea with the bf the school site. The planting .of the various portions of the gardens has beeri a gr.-ldhat arid an interesting Work, and Mr. Goodson gives, the origin of certain portions which have been tbe. theme of special admiration by visitors from other parts. The totara hedge, for instance, it is of gl-eat interest to know, came from a former Government plantation at R.uatangata near Whangarei. Mr Goodson was staying Up there just when tlie plantation was abandoned, and lie received. perhiissibn tb ,ta,ke, from there a number of seeiling totaras, which

He brought away and planted to form, tlife lovely hedge in the gardens. The paliils were procured from Mohnifihkki, find were giveii iii fekchange . for sbnie plants of It specially fine fibbed flax which Mr. Goddsbh had. They wfefe seen by a Government expert who was travellihg the country to sechfe the best varieties or flax for experimental piifposes at rtiiaktlfa, and it was through him the exchange was ; effected. That is the origin of the beaiitiful paliii grove oh the spilth boundary, WhicH takes tlie eyet)i all visitors and is reallv one of the show plfiebs of the garden's. Frbhi time to time there has been ii pranking of ,trees oh Abbot Day, and liencb bhe will see in the gardens st?verjli oaks and btlier treks planted by people in various years. li’dlir rears hgo a Slim Of inbney was bequeathed to the pbuhcil for a fernery by the late Mr. W. A. Parkinson,.and with this ds a nucleiis has been built u.p -bv Mr. Lav a most beautiful fernery, which is the thenie of very favour, able cOmmCrtt by all who nave been through its cool passages, bordered and surrounded by graceful ferns and j pretty and choice blooms. Another feature of the gardens is the hiUssite eiitrance gates,- and these, it is perhaps hardly necessary tb jpay, were erected .part by funds raised at the Ptawefa fixhi'bition iii 1903-4 aiid part, onb gate, a miehiorial to ,the, men from’ this disti-ict who fell in the African war. . It is rapidly hhedihing ancient history.

perhaps one more l-eference to an historical fact will be timely and interesting and not out. of place. The Exhibition was run by an executive company comprising residents of every town tfi-biri Halvefa to Patea in the southland to Gpunake in the west and Kaponga to the north. The president was Air. 8.. ''C. Robbins, then Mayor. An interesting photograph, a copy of which is preserved bv Mr. Conroy and by Mr. Dixon, comprises the fallowing gentlemen who were present at the opening ceremony; —lit. Hon. R. J. Seddon, Messrs B. _C. Robbins, Alex. Patterson, J. E. Wilson, A. J. Whittaker, E, Dixon, L. H.\ McAlpine, W, A. Parkinson, R. H,/ Nolan; F. J. Wrigley, CL A. Bates,, H. G. Pitcher, £ HuVdley arid A, M. Cbnrov. Of those, only three are still residents of Hawera. .... OTHER RESERVES.

The gardens and, promenade round the great land mark of Hawera, the water tower, and the very pretty lawn and garden round the memorial arch are also beauty spots which, serve to help to make the towii attractive, while tlie small area of rough country chosen by the hospital, filled as it,.is with furtive trees and ferns and with its prospects of picturesque beauty round the small lhke, are also features that make decidely for town beautifying, and help to improve the conditions for residents of the town and to make attractions for visitors.

One cannot leave the description of the beauty spots of the town without mention of the striking prospect given by a view of Morrissey Street, There each resident lias taken over his street frontage, planted a tree and n little bit of garden, which is kept tin with the seasons. During tlie smilrher these plot® wore, gay with, asters, phlox, and candytuft and how thby show the tints iff. autUiiiri, so restful to the bye. A ve’rV jff-btty coriiiffiriierit Was paid The residents by Atr. \Vrn. Heiighiit,Vri when ih tlie towii. whb sriid lib Md seen llothirig prettier lii tlie cblti-se bf his travels. The town owes a debt of gratitii’de tb these ’people of Morrissey Street, arid iio doubt tb thehi it- is a " labour of love, the 'beality bf the street being ample compensation for any wofk done by theiri. Tiffs short sketoli of some of the . attractions, to be seen in the towii .will serve perhaps to make the people realise something of. what has been done by former rind present residents, arid lead others id follow their good example.