DEATH OF TARANAKI PIONEER

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 August 1935, Page 6

DEATH OF TARANAKI PIONEER

MR WILLIAM RODGERS. The death occurred at Inglewood on Wednesday of Mr William Rodger’s, who was within a few days of his 84th birthday. Mr Rodgers was a pioneer resident qf South Taranaki, arid was responsible for planting many of the present trees on the Te Ngutu-o-te-inanu Domain, when employed by the iate Mr William Rowe, of Normanby. Mr Rodgers was a son of one of the pioneers of New Plymouth, who came to Taranaki shortly after the wars with Titokowaru. In the early days he transported goods from iPatea to Waihi, this being in the days when Normanby was hardly in existence as even a village and the locality went by' the name of KetemaraeLater, Mr Rodgers worked with Mr EL (“Ned”) Gibson and his brothers pit-sawing on the Mountain Road Ultimately, Mr Rodgers took up land on the Sheet Road, but after a few years She moved to the Beaconsfield Road, near Midhirst. After farming in that district for a time he came again to South Taranaki, purchasing land in tho Mokoia district, from where he retired to live with his daughter, Mrs S. Judd, at New Plymouth, and later at Inglewood. Another daughter is Mrs. N. Pepperell, New Plymouth