LATE MR. COLLINGWOOD WAS WANGANUTS FIRST POINT DUTY OFFICER

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 December 1949, Page 4

LATE MR. COLLINGWOOD WAS WANGANUTS FIRST POINT DUTY OFFICER

The death has occurred of a resident of Wanganui, who, as a boy, more titan 70 years ago, flagged the trafiic in Ridgway Street to allow a “puffing Billy” of an engine to convey sand from St. Hill Street, down to the flat at Taupo Quay, where, on reclaimed land, there has been established the Wanganui railway station and yards. He was Mr. Jack Collingwood. Mr. Collingwood came to New Zealand with his parents from Westmoreland, and when 16 years of age he took a red flag and became one of Wanganui’s first traffic “cops’” on point duty. His father had been a railwayman in England and joined the railway in New Zealand. The train was allowed to cross Ridgway Street, to remove the spoil, good, oldfashioned Wanganui sand, so that St. Hill Street could be cut through to Guyton Street. But the instructions were explicit. “There must be a man with a flag to warn vehicular traffic in Ridgway Street of the approach of the ’St. Hill Street express.’ ” Young Jack Collingwood earned his first pay waving tlie flag. Later he .learnt the butchery trade in the employ of the late Mr. Perret, and subsequently had a butchery business of his own in Manaia, Palmerston North, Awahuri and Feilding, in turn, and later in Wanganui. He retired some 12 years ago.

Mr Collingwood took a great interest in wood chopping and was well known throughout New Zealand as secretary of the Wanganui Athletic and Axemen’s Union, a position he held until last year. He was handicapped at national and district wood chopping carnivals. In his later years he was a keen bowler, a member of the Wanganui Bowling Club.