SOME REFLECTIONS ON HAWERA AND PATEA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 April 1927, Page 8

SOME REFLECTIONS ON HAWERA AND PATEA.

(By W. K. Howitt.) Hawera "seemed "a strange town when I visited 1 it last- month-. No 1 one"seemed to know me, and Tdid not; see in to know anyone. Even “The Star 1 ’ Office. had vanished from the place where as a young writer I used to tremblingly walk up the couple' of steps to hand my copy to the late Mr \V. A. Parkinson, who- soothingly told me that my stuff was good ana that he would like to hate more of it: Perhaps my severest critic to whom I ever handed copy was the late James Kenworthy, Svli'O' edited “The Star” for a brief periodin 1892. X<> more forceful and well-thought-out leaders- ever appeared iii the columns of the paper, and not many knew the difficulties; under which the editor laboured. No history of “The Star” would complete without the story of Mr Ken worthy’s great effort being told. The biggest surprise I got was to see the wonderful park there is in Hawera. Although my time was limited in. yoilr town. I spent an hour or two in the grounds of the well-kept place, and thought that in some respects I had seen nothing finer in any town of a similar .size. The fernery is well worth a; visit, and when'l asked .for information about it I found that most of the gardeners were Scots -who hailed from a p{irt of Scotland that I knew well. They wore pretty cautious chaps too. and were curious at first to know why I was so keen on knowing all I could learn about the place. Several ladies with their babies and friends were having tea in many of the rustic resting places provided, and no doubt thinking* that although I had a- forlorn look about me, there was also a look of former respectability about me. I was offered a cup of tea, which I drank at intervals between many interjections about the beauty of the park. The old reading room is still in the same place, and while it mav not have the'same range of papers that it had when I used to spend many hours in it on my way down the coast, still it is a good room of its kind, and was well filled with readers of both sexes when I was there. The biggest change of all is the new hospital- buildings. They need no description from me, but they are a credit' to the district, and from wliat I could gather is a well-managed institution. The old hospital buildings have been put to a very useful purpose. Seeing no one _ about- I started on a. tour of inspection on my own. and soon came across one or two “old timers” who could not see in the elderlv man. wtih a clean shaved face standing -before them, the man -whom they knew a quarter of a century ago who'wore a full beard capped by a nlassive head of hair; I told them that they could rank me with the “old timers” now, but they would insist that my boyhood stage had not been passed" yet, or as one man said in a blunt way, “Yon are only a kid vet!” All this was .of course, very flattering, and the impression was made on my mind, judging by the vigorous old men to whom I was talking, that rf I could only persuade a* number of old men whom I know to qualify as residents of the Hawera: hospital district -it would not be a bad Wince for them to end their days in. One never knows, but my work amongst the aged and poor of Auckland often makes me -reflect on what a strange thing life is and bow many ups and downs, there are in it. PATEA.

Pa tea is a place where some 1 of the lumpiest days of my life were spent, and on arrival there I found much to contrast with the old days. I was made to feel at home at once Avhen the bu-s driver' whom I bad known from a boy refused to take a fare from me because he said the- people Avould he so pleased to see me, but I soon found out- that a- cry few people did know mb. Patea long ago Avas a town of stir and hustle. In the heyday of its nrosperitv it ran two newspapers! Before the days of through trains it Was the outlet of the passing traffic from South Taranaki through the fine little fleet of steamers trading to the norfc. The former visions ' of what Patea would -grow to he is still reflected In the fine hank buildings erected there in the early days. The Bank of New Zealand Ed the wav, the New South Wales followed, and last of all the Bank of Australasia. Judging by the nrosperitv I still observed in the town, it could be said with Truth that some of the credit balances at the hanks must run easily into big figures, and that the strong rooms are the most valuable and useful equipment still in use at- the hanks! I visited the cemetery, where, some of Patea’s' old -settlers are sleeping their last long sleep, and when I realised that a new generation had arisen the thought passed through my mind that all the members of the first Patea Borough Council have- long since passed away, the one exception being Mr Alex. Black, who now litres in New ’Plymouth. The day of that first elections is -still fresh in my mind, although it is 45 or more years ago. Alex. Black was elected hv a good majority ’above the defeated candidates who went to the poll. At the Borough Chambers, where many photos of the former Mayors hung, it iva-s noticeable that most*of them had- long beards,' notably R. A. Adams, who was Patea-’-s third Mayor, diaries Finnerty, and William Cowern also had beards, and are men -whose names are still renieni,l*ered in the district. I recalled to the Town Clerk that 30 years ago I Avas a councillor in the borough, and then it struck him to ask my name, but it was a foreign one to him, although I fought three keen elections and sat for over four years, prior to going to Scotland, under Mayors McKenna and Clarke. The old house where so many of our family -spent so many happy days is pulled down. All the- trees in my father’s old-orchard, ivhere he spent years growing choice fruit, are cut down because of fireblight. Hoav quickly a colonial toivn often changes its characteristics!