NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1920. "STORY OF WHANGAREI"

Northern Advocate, 19 June 1920, Page 2

NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1920. "STORY OF WHANGAREI"

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

• There is no*, on record so far a properly compiled history of Whangarei' dating from the advent of the whites, and oven earlier, if such is obtainable. The official archives of the town are singularly lacking in this respect, except for photographic records of personalities connected with the principal local bodies and a few views of ancient Whangarei; the latter being valuably augmented recently by gifts from Cr. J. E. Holmes. The proposal to form a sort of municipal art gallery was recently mooted, and is undoubtedly good in its way, but one would like to see something fully comprehensive of Whangarei's evolution, which would embody not only views and individual camera-prints, but tho biographies of the principal residents from the inception period to date, and articles descriptive of the pioneering days with all their main incidents, their aspirations, struggles, set-backs and triumphs. Documentary evidence in scattered disorder is to be found, and there are those people still extant who can speak authentically and help to fill in Ihe gaps. Some organised system, however, is required for getting all acquirable facts together and putting them in chronological order. In the nature of events ir cannot be very long before a ' number of oral sources of reminis- • cences and general information will be beyond human reach. Much of this is valuable matter that should find due place in the historical review of Whangarei and its contingent surroundings, and therefore the task should be taken in hand at once. A lead by the Borough Council in this connection is naturally looked for, as the proper place for such a connatcd account is in the municipal archives. The compilation of this historic volume would, no doubt, be in the nature of a "magnum opus", but it can be compassed by (he necessary research and diligent, application. Provision should also be made for periodic supplementing of the work to keep it as nearly up to date as possible. Tho question of financing the work is bound to arise, and the modernised axiom that "whatever is worth doing is worth paying for" is one of the answers to this query. The intrinsic worth of the thing is another; and it might be suggested, from the more practical aspect, that much revenue would be extractable from sales of copies, which would be in assured demand. In consideration of the importance of placing the "Story of Whangarei" on permanent, record, we hope to see the proposal taken up at an early date.