WAUNATE DOMAIN.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10579, 7 October 1910, Page 1

WAUNATE DOMAIN.

(From Our O^j^teorrespcmdeiit.) A, pleasant : aftcrnjgpn was spent' at Knottingly Part oil -Thursday by" a very representative gathering of- members of local-bodies and.their wives, tlie occasion. being,the formal; turning on of tho. water service from the town mains at, the Park. The. Mayor and Mrs Francis entertamed the visitors at Etftemooii tea. .Ixifore asking Mrs John Manchester, to performthe ceremonial opening, tho .Mayor outlined -the history; oi the Domain. On 2nd June, 1874, the first commissioners ai)pomted, of whom Mi- J'ohn Manchester was appointed chairman, a position lie occupied uutil 1887, when the Government the. Park over ■to the Borough Councillors as a Domain Board. At that time tho Park was considered to be rather far away from the town, and the Government laid out a road now known as Park street, to give /more direct access', to the Do? main. Ilie Park contained 169 acres, of which 81 were ■ enclosed in the 'plan-' tation, which, liad always required water; and in 1900 a windmill had been erected/at a cost-, of :£51,. but lately owing'tothe growth of treesthe mill had been almost, useless, and the Council and Board combined had decided to lay the town water service to the Park. The Work was now finished and had cost :£loo. . He wished .to think the. Acclimatisation Society for their assistance in improving the Domain, and the thanks of ail were particularly due' to the Cliairmanof tlib; Committee, Mill!. D. Sanders, who devoted a: lot of time ; and no mean ability .to Ipokihg after tho work of the Park generally. Iu a-very few-years' time he thought that; the majority -of the sports clubs would' avail -.themselves of the - Park- as a .recreation ground, the ■ distance from the Post Office being under lj mile, which would not be; considered any-dis-advantage. in a larger town.. Mr Sanders spoke on similar lines to his: Worship,.'.- after which Mrs JV Manchfester turned the water ;onJ to the fountain which had been fitted with an umbrella spray By Mr Hodges. : - - Before the party r 4eft the' Park, Mr G. H. .Griiham thanked the Mayor and for their .-entertainment, aiidlreferred t-o. the time when 44-years ago lie' had stood on tlie same'spot-as to-dav ■' and saw nothing- and tussock. The dilierence effected in thtsir.; gurroundings m ; forty odd years. was ' remarkable, and. yet only an' m-, 'diciitioii of what the next, forty years ;would :see. He considered the Board, deserved eiedit for then vork. Messrs A twill, Walker, . and Nicol. also't had a-few; words to say, after which the party dispersed homeward s. . . . „ , .