Chronicle October 2015
Welcome to the Petone Historical Society OctoberChronicle.This is the last Chronicle for 2015.We will be having a special notice about our November meeting with LHHS. Details are not arranged yet.
If you haven’t paid your sub for this year please do so before Christmas, as we start our financial year on January 1. If you wish to resign and not receive any further newsletters or information from us please let me know by replying to this newsletter. If you are aware of any prospective members please tell us and we will send them a membership form. We have had a couple of people change their e mail address and have not given us an alternative. We cannot send our information if we do not have a contact. Let us know if you have not been getting our e mails please.
We have had another three members joining our society this year. One lady Carolyn Williams from Warkworth is related to the Dometti family who used to live in Riddler’sCrescent.She would like to hear from anyone who used to know this family or a Mary Beard who lived in Union Street and had a pet monkey.
We get a number of genealogy requests about people who used to live in Petoneor about shops or businesses. The Hutt Valley Genealogy Society has a couple of sessions each month at the the Petone Library and they can often find the answers to your questions.
Our society has a good reputation with other groups and we are very busy. Like most groups however there are only a few who do the work. It is great that we have had some new and younger blood on our committee Roy Hewson our secretary for very many years turns 85 this October and wonders if he can continue much longer although he enjoys writing the Chronicle . He would like a deputy who can eventually take over. Any takers? One of the things that many organisations fail to do is to have a succession put in place and that often cause organisations to collapse. If you have time and are interested in Petone join our workers group even if you can only spend a little time. We have a lot still to accomplish and many Petone stories to tell. We are lucky in having the City Heritage room at Petone library and they keep much of the history of Petone so we do not have extensive records
Our Jail museum which we operate jointly with the Jackson Street programme is improving all the time. Our major handicap is not having sufficient volunteers to staff it . One of the consequences was that some “thief” stolethe pin drive containing three major Petone stories, out of the computer. We would like it back!
WALK OF CHAMPIONS.
On Saturday September 12 another four plaques were laid in Jackson Street for our Walk of Champions. There were well over 60 people at the ceremony. Several from Australia and others from areas away from Petone There are now over 230 names on plaques. All of New Zealand representatives or Champions from Petone Clubs or those who lived in Petone but had to travel beyond Petone to find a club.It is amazing just how many people take time to read the plaques and many visitors come to see them.
There are some athletes who played for Petone but shifted and we do not have contact with. This is especially the case for two ladies who possibly married and shifted from Petone. Theywere twoSilver Fern Rugby Representatives who played in the 1990’s Rachel Martin and Flo-Jo Tamihane played in 1995 ,and we would like to contact them so we can lay a plaque.. If anyone knows of other NZ representatives who meet our criteria, we would be very pleased to hear from you
PETONE HERITAGE BUS TRIP
We had a great response to our Petone heritage bus tour with all seats on the bus being taken. This was the fourth September tour we have had and all have been well received. There is so much happening in Petone at this time. Lots of construction.
THE FILM EVENING .
We still have half the seats available for the 1950’s film evening we are holding at the Lighthouse, Beach Street Petone on 12 October .starting at 6.30 p.m. The film is one of the real classics. “GENEVIEVE” starring some of Britain’s comedic stars . There will also be a cartoon and some newsreels. . The price is only $15 per ticket and includes a light supper after the film. Tell your friends and join us. Tickets are available from Roy Hewson. You can order either by phone 5686449 or e mail as above. There are some seats available at the Jackson Street Office. Petone is a bit behind other societies in selling tickets.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE PETONE.
This month I am writing a story about our first member of parliament. We have only had a few MP’s as each has served for long spells. The first of these was Sir Thomas Wilford who is credited with coining the phrase “ Petone, The Cradle of Champions “ Sir Thomas represented the Hutt Electorate which included Petone when it was first made a separate electorate in 1902. Up to that time it had been called Wellington suburbs. He retired in 1929 due to health. Following Sir Thomas Wilford we had Walter Nash who also served for 30 odd years . After him came Michael Moohan and then Fraser Coleman. Over the years the electorate changed as population grew Petone became part of Western Hutt and then Hutt South which included Eastbourne and Wainuiomata ( see table below for names and date)
Sir Thomas Mason Wilford M.P.
The Hutt Electorate was first established in 1902. Thomas Wilford a young and promising Lawyer and who was already the sitting Liberal M.P. for Wellington Suburbs, was elected to the new seat. A major part of his electorate was Petone. He remained the Member of Parliament for Hutt for the next 30 years
.He was born in the Hutt on 20th June 1870 to John George Frederick Willford an eminent surgeon and his wife Elizabeth Catherine Mason daughter of Thomas Mason M.H.R.
Thomas was educated at both Wellington College and Christ’s College Christchurch before joining the legal firm of A.&C. Brandon. He completed his final exams by the age of 18 but could not be admitted to the bar until he was 21.
In February17 1892 he married Georgia Constance McLean daughter of Sir George McLean MLC. They had two children.
Wilford was an energetic electorate Member of Parliament. He fought hard on the redevelopment of the Hutt Road and railway between 1899 and 1911. He was a member of the harbour Board from 1900 to 1911 and chairman from 1908 to1911 and continued the programme of improvements and reclamation of the port of Wellington. He resigned in 2010 on becoming Mayor of Wellington.
Wilford was also an effective chairman of committee as of the House of Representatives and was thought of as a future speaker of the house. He was a lifelong supported of reform of matrimonial law both to shorten the period of separation before divorce and also to allow the legitimisation of children born of de facto unions on the marriage of their parents.
Despite being so busy Thomas Wilford also played and supported numerous sports. He had been a provincial representative in rugby, took interest in tennis , horseracing and breeding; hunting,rowing ; golf and fishing. He was a life member of Wellington Racing Club; the boxing association and Wellington Rugby Union. On top of that he was also a talented amateur in musical comedy and a notable raconteur.
He is said to be responsible for a comment at a sporting function in Petone saying that “Petone was indeed the Cradle of Champions”. A comment that has persevered until this very day
In 1911 his promising career suffered badly when he nearly died after an appendix operation and he remained in poor health afterwards. He resigned as Mayor of Wellington and also required surgery in England. His long absence weakened his position within the Liberal party. His political career which had shown such early promise faltered but he did serve in the national wartime cabinet as minister of Marine, Minister of Justice and Minister of Stamp Duties between 1917 – 1919. he served as chairman of the Waterside Accidents commission in 1918, which greatly improved working conditions for watersiders.
In 1920 Wilford became leader of the Liberal party after the death of W.D.S. Macdonald but was unable to stem the decline of the party. He dealt with some internal members problems and in 1922 he became leader of the renamed United Progressive Liberal Labour Party. He was unsuccessful in negotiating a merger with the Reform Party in 1925 after which the Party was renamed National. Ill health forced him to resign and return to England for medical treatment. John A,Lee and others campaigned onhis behalf and he was returned to parliament after the 1925 elections. He was minister of justice for one year following the 1928 elections. In 1929 he was appointed King’s Counsel and was immediately appointed High Commissioner to the United KIngdom and was knighted. In this office he represented New Zealand at League of nations as well as a number of imperial and league bodies. He was also active in Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire.
Sir Thomas Wilford retired from public life on his return to New Zealand in 1935 and died in Wellington on 22nd June 1939
Much of this information came from the article written by Susan Butterworth in the N.Z Encyclopaedia
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