The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1925. OTERAMIKA JUBILEE.

Southland Times, Issue 19462, 29 January 1925, Page 4

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1925. OTERAMIKA JUBILEE.

From -an outpost of civilisation to a prosperous farming settlement; so may the history of the now flourishing district which claims the Oteramika School as its centre be summed up in the fewest possible words when the time of its golden jubilee celebrations has arrived. Much water has flowed under the bridge, and many men and women have come and gone, since the day when the pioneer band of settlers made their way over virgin country to the locality which to-morrow will be the scene of a happy re-union of Old Identities. The record of this district is like that of many similar settlements in New Zealand. It has been one of steady progress; the growth has not been at mushroom speed, and has been entirely devoid of fragility and instability. It has been built on firm foundations, but the secret of success is very simple. The traditions of high courage, industry and tenacity, of initiative and resource, established by the founders have endured, so that there is no temerity in predicting a future of well-sustained and even more progressive development. The same qualities, applied perhaps through different channels, are just as valuable now as when the original settlers of Oteramika first tilled their farms. The history of the district repeats in microcosmic form that of the various New Zealand settlements. The same race, thanks to the same qualities, dared to try and endured to triumph. When Oteramika was first settled there was real need for courage. Land had to be cleared; swamps drained, tamed and turned into rich pasture; roads to be made and streams bridged. The task involved many hardships, which were endured with fortitude. The natural resources upon which prosperity has been built have called for hard, patient work in development, and the reward, if not speedily gained, has at least the quality of permanence. The result of all this labour is a flourishing, smiling countryside which gives every reason for the people to rejoice in the achievements of the past 50 years. To-morrow’s celebrations will provide the rallying place for the surviving members of that hardy band of pioneers who blazed the trail, and to whom all honour is due for the part they so nobly played in setting the future of Southland upon a firm and enduring foundation. May the re-union be attended by a measure of success and sociability worthy of the unique and inspiring event.