OMAHINA.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 15 September 1919, Page 2

OMAHINA.

(From our own Correspondent.) ,

Our school held Arhor Day at tho end of last month and planted quite a number of native trees. Tho Committee also procured a quantity of shrubs, and Mr. Laird, of Wanganui, donated a number and some fine hedge plants, for which the thanks of tho Committee are due.

The school has quite a number attending now and several new pupils have started lately, and others have come into tho district.

There has been quite a land boom in this district lately, about seven places have changed owners during the last twelve months. The last to sell out was Mr. A. Muir, who has resided hero for the last 13 years. Both he and Mrs. Muir will be greatly missed. The honour of being the first lady to drive a car over the Moturoa gorge has fallen to a Hawera lady, Mrs. B. Hicks, who drove her largo Beiscoc car over the other day. She had no trouble in negotiating the gorge, but on tho next hill she had tho misfortune to smash the axle of the car. This hill seems to be a great trouble to motorists, for as soon as a shower of rain falls, the lower part is like glass, and further up one gets bogged. Eight alongside all this is a good sandpit, and if some of this were put on top of the clay it would surely bo better. Just at present tho road is in very good order. The work that has been done on tho gorge has made a big difseveral places will want a lot of alteration before the next winter, or wo shall be ploughing through mud again.

Among the new residents in here are Mr. and Mrs. J. Catchpolc, late of Whakamara. Mr. Catchpole and two of his brothers left these shores for tho Great War in the first .vessels that sailed. ’ They wore together at tho great landing at Gallipoli, Messrs A. and E. Catchpole both being killed, while Mr. J. Catchpole, although not far from them escaped unhurt. He has been through all the war without once being wounded, though he was ill with pneumonia for some time. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and also won the Military Gross while in Franco. When in England he was married, and had loft for Now Zealand but four days when the Armistice was signed.